Los adolescentes

This film was probably a shocker for audiences in the Year 1959 when teens getting pregnant was a horrible thing and the parents never explained anything to their children about sex and just figured they would all be educated through biology classes in school. This story is about a young innocent boy, Arthur Bartley, (Brandon DeWilde) who likes the girl next door, Janet Willard, (Carol Lynley) who liked Arthur and Janet decided to give Arthur a good lesson about love making and sex which usually starts a big event in people's lives, babies. Malcolm Bartley, (Macdonald Carey) Arthur's dad had great hopes for his son and he found out that his son was failing in Biology Classes and had straight A's in all his other subjects. Jessie Bartley, (Marsha Hunt) plays the role as Arthur's mother, who is a very calm woman and is very supportive of her family and gives an outstanding performance. By the way, Marsha Hunt had her 91st Birthday on Oct. 17, 2008, she was born on October 17, 1917 and was a great actress on the big screen and also on the New York City Stage. This film was entertaining, enjoy.

Arthur Bartley and Janet Willard are fresh-faced teens in 1950s America. Arthur shoots the breeze with his friend Ernie drinking, smoking, and playing poker. Janet enters their basement hideout. Ernie forges a permission slip for her. Arthur and Janet start a relationship which culminates to a desperate need for an abortion.

There are limitations for its time. There is no way to show the sexual encounter and the word abortion is never mentioned. It's already pushing the envelop to touch upon the subject matter. It is exactly what one expects from a 50's movie dealing with teen sex and abortion. The movie has one major change from the play that speaks to the public sensitivity. As a movie, it is very much a 50's movie. It is old fashion melodrama. The young actors are all capable. The two leads are very young and fresh-faced. It's like a better made PSA movie. That's giving it short shrift. It's better than that. There is real tension in the drama. The most compelling section is Arthur trying to tell his parents. The ending is the safer choice which is as much as can be expected for its time. While the attempt is commendable, it cannot escape the melodramatic style and the moral restrictions.

Yes, this movie is dated along with many faults that the discriminate movie watcher can point out. It does not have the artistic value of another "dated movie" such as "The Best Years of our Lives, 1946" but this was America in 1959. Yes, it was "risque" just like "Summerplace" of the same era. Unwanted pregnancies were a big problem that our ancestors preferred to keep under silence, Hollywood included. Unwanted/unplanned pregnancies still are, except that many teenagers/young adults just get an abortion(s) or simply swell the ranks of single parents. Sadly enough, the cost to our American society is disastrous: poverty, violence, pain, abuse, drugs, etc. Worst of all, this tragedy is self-perpetuating. Art (the star teenager) had the chance of having parents he finally went to, who supported and helped him. Most teenagers nowadays won't have a parent or a mentor to confide in. I know, given up to relative as a child in the fifties, I spent part of my life helping teenagers in distress until the problem got overwhelming. This movie teaches a lesson and spreads a message for teenagers, parents, families and educators. The props may be "dated", the feelings, our human needs and man/woman's quest for love are not. I highly recommend "Blue Denim" as I pursue my journey to find such a place where values and principles of dignity are still practiced.

"Good is he who learns from his mistakes but much better is the one who learns from someone else's errors" was the moral message that "Blue Denim's" Director was telling us.

Things are just about the way they were for young people at the time just before choice. It may not have had today's broad slice of life in your face stance, but it was not the order of the day.It reflects the last days of a total lack of knowledge and misunderstood truths among the teenagers of that most recent time. Attractive actors may have brought a few more young people to see and think about the films' moral.

I watched this by chance yesterday. And was quit pleasantly surprised, it's a terrific little film. Far more sophisticated than I would have expected for a film made in 1959 dealing with teenage pregnancy. The two leads, were only about the same age as their characters at the time and looked it, it was quite surprising. Of course nowadays the early consummation of their relationship would have been shown in far more graphic detail, and this film made me realize that those kind of scenes aren't really needed to get the message across. I am not a prude, but I find sometimes the full revelation of a young performer's(normally female)unnecessary and exploitative. This mall film , makes it's point and is quite sensitive in doing so. Contrary to some of the other critics , I did not find myself tempted to laugh at all.