Own the rights?
Based on the children's novel, 'Sign Of The Beaver', this is a sensitive and intelligent period piece, for the most part underplayed - a style which lends the movie a ring of authenticity. The cast is excellent, but the movie belongs to the young Canadian Brendan Fletcher as Matt Hallowell, surviving alone in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. There are several particularly moving scenes, carried by Fletcher's appealing screen presence. Surely he is a big star of the future. There is also a heart-rending performance from Annette O'Toole as the much-enduring mother with a catch in her throat that could melt the stoniest heart. I don't wish to give the impression this is mawkish or sentimental in any way, it isn't, but what keeps me going back to it as well as Brendan Fletcher's performance, is the soundtrack, which is haunting and evocative and, alas, not available commercially!
You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.
