Tom Sawyer

This film captures the essence of Tom Sawyer. The wonder and freedom of childhood, and the struggles of growing up. Johnny Whitaker gives the best performance of his career, portraying Tom as mischievous and clever, yet lovable and innocent. This is not the Tom so often portrayed in films, who is a conniving brat. This is the Tom of the book who gets in trouble because he is curious and adventurous, whose mind wanders in church and school, and who stretches the truth or even fibs without malicious intent.

The rest of the cast is excellent, The production appears to be on location and is very authentic, and the music is well done. This is a true musical in that the lyrics serve to move the story along. If you like musicals, this is for you. If you don't, then concentrate on the lyrics and what they are telling you about the central character.

The book is timeless because of it's universal theme, the glory days of childhood. The Movie captures that. It will bring a tear to your eye as you hear the theme song "...a boy is gonna grow to be a man, be a man. Only once in his life is he free. Only one golden time in his life is he free."

I love this version of the Tom Sawyer Story. I watched this movie as a kid and will still watch it today. Jodie Foster is really cute as Becky Thatcher. This movie was made and financed by Reader Digest but as I have seen it is now under ownership by MGM/UA Home Video and only available on the slowly decaying VHS format. Hey, MGM, get this movie digitally upgraded to DVD with all the bells and whistles digitally upgraded beyond what they originally were. DVD is the soon to be only video format and this movie needs to be on it. I also would like to see the musical sequel about Huck Finn done the same way.

I really enjoyed this movie and the music that was in it. Lots of good fun and adventure! I do believe Mr.Mark Twain would approve! This movie hits all the right notes and what an adventure! One can clearly see how the two lead actors make choices for their characters and the results are very good. I enjoyed the journey and the adventure the two went on, and I felt the movie was a very good adaptation of the novel. I can remember reading the book and not wanting to put it down, and was living in SC at the time the movie came out. We lived along a river as it was and as a 10 year old, I could somewhat relate to the main characters in the way of wanting to go on such an adventure. This movie was very good from start to finish, and I can distinctly recall to me, the scariest part..when they were all in the caves.

An amusing and fun musical film about Mark Twain's classic novel. Homogenized made musical movie with production enough about the adventures of Tom Sawyer : Johnny Whitaker and his friend Huckleberry Finn : Jeff East . Dealing with his girlfriend Becky Thatcher : Jodie Foster and various adventures , including the attractive sketches about the fence whitewashing as well as threatening appearance of the Indian Bogeyman and the likeable Muff Potter : Warren Oates . Mark Twain's hero, you hero of other days , has now been brought to life and you can see him again in life . Remember how you hated to have your face washed when you were a kid ? Come on join Tom and Huck and the gang and be kids again .

Winning adaptation of Mark Twain's often told tale of boyhood in Hannibal, Missouri . Concerning Tom's adventures along with his free-spirited best friend Huck , as both of whom run away to enjoy feats and dangers . The film is pretty well , though is marred by excessive songs in Howard Keel-style ballads , including the following ones : River Song , Gratification, Tom Sawyer , Freebotin' , Aunt Polly's Soliloquy , A man's gotta be what he's born to be, How come ? . Stars the sympathetic prodigy child Johnny Whitaker as Tom whose girlfriend performed by the incombustible Jodie Foster as Becky , Tom holds a real friendship to Huckleberry amusingly played by Jeff East . Along with other notorious secondaries such as : Celeste Holm as Aunt Polly , Warren Oates , Henry Jones and Dub Taylor. It contains a colorful cinematography in technicolor adding dazzling helicopter shots . A lavish Reader's Digest production, the picture was well directed by Don Taylor and in old-style movie-making.

Other enyable versions upon this vintage story are as follows : Tom Sawyer 1917 by William Desmond Taylor with Jack Pickford , Edythe Chapman . 1930 Tom Sawyer by John Cromwell with Jackie Coogan, Mitzie Green . The best : The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1938 by Norman Taurog with Tommy Kelly , Jackie Moran . Tom Sawyer 1973 by James Nielson with Josh Albee, Jeff Tyler , Buddy Ebsen , Vic Morrow. Tom and Huck 1995 by Peter Hewitt with Jonathan Taylor Thomas , Brad Renfo, Eric Schweig , Amy Wright. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn 2014 by Joe Kastner with Joel Courtney , Jake Austin, Val Kilmer . Rating : 6.5/10 . Better than average . Well worth watching . The kids may enjoy it , but adults will want to reread the book.

Adrian Everett's dreams have been answered!! MGM/UA has released this title and Huck Finn (in which child actor Jeff East reprises his role as the title character) on DVD. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that MGM opted not to release the film on DVD in the widescreen format. The title and end credit sequences are in widescreen, while the remainder of the film is "modified to fit your screen". Much as I prefer widescreen films presented in their original aspect ratio, Tom Sawyer does not lose anything by being "panned and scanned". If anything, the full screen presentation enhances the performances of the child actors, allowing them to fill the screen with their winning personalities. Johnny Whitaker as Tom, and Jeff East as his rag-tag friend Huck, really light up the screen in every scene they are in, but it is Jodie Foster, as Becky Thatcher, who steals Tom's and the audience's hearts.

Most of the musical score is forgettable, but overall, the Sherman brothers have once again done an admirable job. Several of the songs, such as "Free-bootin" and "Gratifaction" will stick in your head. But it is, "River Song", as performed by Charlie Pride, that will bring a tear to your eye as you think about lost childhood. "...a boy is gonna grow to be a man, be a man. Only once in his life is he free. Only one golden time in his life is he free."

I highly recommend this film, and this DVD to anyone who is a Tom Sawyer fan. All of the storytelling elements of the earlier David O'Selznick production are here, and with the exception of the music, the two films are very similar. While it is the child actors that really sell this film, I cannot overlook the memorable performance of Kunu Hank (apparently in his only film role) as Injun Joe.