Ladybug Ladybug

This film was released the year after I was born, and I am, ironically watching it for the first time on the day before we to go to war with another country.

Besides being full of great performances by actors you didn't even realize you've been watching all your life, the movie has a realism I didn't thing films of this era had.

The first 20 minutes of the film especially were really scary. The situation may have felt unimaginable just a couple of years ago, but tonight it seems like a plausible scenario. This movie went much farther into the subject of war through a typical American's eyes than I would have expected from a film of the early '60s.

I saw this movie as a child in a theater (1963 or 64). It was played before the feature. It is amazing to me that I still remember the title, and was tickled to come upon this little discussion. The fascination the movie held at that time was that it stopped in the middle, I was horrified. I was never sure whether the movie was over and they stopped here to make it seem like something had really happened or if the tape broke and they couldn't get it repaired to continue. This was very disturbing for me at the time, I related to the terror of the children. I remember coming home for lunch and listening to the radio when Cuba was threatening us. I would have been in the third grade when Ladybug, Ladybug was at the theater. I guess it was the ultimate choose your own ending. I imagined what might have happened and kept the title in the back of my mind all this time. I would probably be surprised at how it plays out now. Everything seems larger in retrospect. I've been waiting 44 years for the spoiler. Do you think I'll ever see the end?

Some years ago, HBO or one of the other pay movie channels was running rarely seen independent films on a fairly regular basis. They had a higher opinion of their viewers then. Anyway, that's where I saw Ladybug, Ladybug, but I saw it only once. I wish I had taped it. It's an extremely well done film in all regards, and I liked the fact that it was filmed in black & white, which added a kind of stark atmosphere, especially in the bright sunlight. To tell the truth, I barely remember the story now, so I've enjoyed reading the other comments from those who have seen it. What I do recall is the favorable impression this little film left me with, and the way I felt after seeing it. I'd love to see it again, and other little-seen films of this and earlier eras, but there is so much garbage being churned out by the film industry today, there's no room on the airwaves, cable, or in the DVD/VHS production studios for good things like Ladybug, Ladybug. More's the pity, there are so many great films that could be shown, it's everyone's loss!

I'd like to echo what an earlier reviewer noted: that Ladybug, Ladybug is the sort of movie that can stay with you for a very long time. The one and only time that I saw the movie was likely around 1970, when I was seven years old. I watched quite a few movies on TV when I was that age -- by myself -- and without any kind of preparation or explanation I remember being engrossed by the film.

While I remember the plot,which has already been well-described so far, it's particular images that still stick with me. Someone mentioned refrigerators, and that perhaps is the one moment in the film that terrified me the most. I remember the system of warning lights in the school, a single moment of the teacher leading the kids down a dirt road and, again, the old fridge at the end of the movie.

What is also memorable, from the perspective of a small child, is the sense of unease and dread that permeated the entire film. It also played a small role in shaping my attitudes towards war and conflict at a very early age. Is this reading too much into a childhood memory of a film? Probably, but writing my one and only IMDb entry on a film that I saw once 40 years ago is evidence of its quiet power.

The children, especially the girls, give outstanding performances. Really gives you a sense of the paranoia and dread of the time. Apparently you'll have to keep watching the skies [and TV Guide] for its rare appearances on the small screen, as it has not been released on video. Great movie -- wish it was available!