Pollyanna

A vast improvement on the cutesy, blatantly unrealistic and cliched story on which it is based, the Disney film Pollyanna is a truly enjoyable, BELIEVABLE film. It has a very charming, nostalgic feel to it. The period costumes and sets are very good, and the direction is good, too. The best thing about it, however, are the performances. The talented cast really makes you believe in them and forget they're all stereotypes. Jane Wyman is quite good as Aunt Polly, as are Agnes Moorehead, Adolphe Menjou, and espicially Karl Malden. And Hayley Mills more than holds her own, giving a very good, subtle, believable performance. This Pollyanna does not spend all her time chatting her mouth off and misinterpreting every cold act of her aunt's as an expression of love, which made her very annoying in the book, but rather, she really gets to know people and very subtly brings out the best in them. A truly good family film, much better than the book, and one really worth viewing.

A period piece that boasts about "The Glad Game?" Ready to tune out? So was I, until I got what was happening. This movie is profound, not only in its execution of story, but in the relevant, lovely message it naturally brings, as opposed to the message it sells. I've viewed it 5 times and each time, I am newly informed as to how I can adjust my attitude for a better way of life. I come from a school of thought where sunny is ridiculed and message movies are tedious, so the lead is an obvious target of disdain. Stay with Pollyanna awhile and watch her reform all the bitter, crusty malcontents on the planet into fans with a straightforward logic and uncanny point of view. A true heroine.

This is an absolutely remarkable film.It is uplifting,life-affirming,and painfully truthful about human ways.Even though it is set in the early 1900's, its message is still very applicable in the modern world.I was blown away by the genuine power of Hayley Mill's performance.The supporting cast is also excellent,especially Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead.If you want to see a nearly flawless and absolutely charming fim,than this is the one to see.Far and away Hayley's best performance.

Pollyanna is one of the sweetest movies I've ever seen. So what if it's cheesy at times? Movies are still cheesy today, sometimes, but at least Pollyanna is wholesome. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not an advocate for violence-free, nudity-free, perfectly goody-goody movies. But I do think this is a beautiful movie that just happens to be OK for everyone. Young children might be scared by the minister or by the ordeal Pollyanna faces, but the fun and happy scenes in the movie (the carnival is my favorite) will more than make up for the -- in the words of Pollyanna herself -- "gloomy" ones. Hayley Mills is terrific. Watch Pollyanna's expressions. You can tell, at times, she thinks everyone in town is completely nuts, but she never says it out loud. Instead, she keeps a happy and hopeful demeanor through most of the movie. And while, at first, the townsfolk resent her attitude and even insult her, she doesn't lose it, and she is rewarded for it in the end. This is a great message.

Hayley Mills embodies Pollyanna as a lanky adolescent with pigtails and knock-knees who never delivers a saccharine line or maudlin moment. Naturally optimistic, she leads a variety of sour adults-- including a recluse (Adolphe Menjou), a minister (Karl Malden), and a spinster aunt (Jane Wyman)-- toward a better humor just by asking them questions, showing an interest in them.

It's simplistic, of course, and even ridiculous (the town seems to have more orphans than citizens). But that is where subtlety comes to the rescue, and craftsmanship. It's a well-made Disney feature, particularly in terms of art direction and costumes which were clearly designed with Technicolor in mind. The direction and photography are uninspired, but the screenplay has elements sophisticated enough for any critic. The early anecdote about crutches is clever foreshadowing, for instance, and the recluse collects lamp prisms that are colorful symbols of a cheerful outlook.

And Disney hires terrific actors. Malden plays his fire-and-brimstone minister to the hilt. Donald Crisp is a stoutly impassioned mayor. Wyman and Menjou deliver quietly supportive, reflective performances. In spite of a story in which the adults are barely believable caricatures, this film was so solidly constructed and underplayed that the children's-book aspect is overwhelmed by the genuinely delightful message, and a marvelously realistic performance by Hayley Mills.