Sammy Going South

I saw this movie by myself as a young boy - and for years I thought I had dreamed the whole thing. As an adult (an psychologist) years later I realized how the movie impacted me and touched something deep in myself about how a boy who has lost everything - must make a long journey 'south' (symbolic of the unknown - unconscious - what better metaphor than traversing Africa) to find himself and the man who is living inside of him. I have looked for years for a copy - and wonder why to this day it has not been released on VHS or DVD - if anyone knows where it can be found I would LOVE to know. For those interested the book is wonderful as well - but doesn't have the 'feel' and 'power' the images in the movie left upon me.

I recall seeing this movie for the first time on TV back in the mid-70s when it went by a different title (possibly for US viewers), "A Boy 10 Feet Tall". Sadly I have only see this film one other time back in the late 80s. I too was drawn in by this film an it's youthful wanderer determined to make his own way from Egypt to South Africa despite all of the hardships involved. I credit this film in part in helping to pique my interest in travel and the world around me, especially Africa. It's too bad that a DVD or VHS version of this film were never officially released. This is one the films that remain on my 'Must Have' list.

On one level it is a straight adventure story -- an orphaned boy's adventures in trying to cross a continent to find an aunt he has never met.

At another level it is more complex, as it shows his relationships with the different adults he meets. Some are uncaring, while others try to exploit him, and leave him hardened by the encounters so that when he meets people who help him with no ulterior motive, he remains detached and withdrawn from real human contact. At first sight Fergus McClelland seems to have a rather wooden performance as the boy, Sammy Hartland, but in fact this is part of the character in the story.

Eventually it is a diamond smuggler, played by Edward G. Robinson, who breaks through his reserve, and begins to bring him out of his shell.

It's a great shame this film isn't better-known, especially outside the UK. It has recently (fall 2010) been re-released on DVD - at LAST. And it truly is worth seeking out.

The story is equally reminiscent of Rudyard Kipling's 'Kim' and Nicholas Roeg's 'Walkabout.' A young boy, suddenly on his own, determines to rejoin his family, at the opposite end of Africa. Along the way, he meets a number of interesting characters, including Edward G. Robinson, in a small but pivotal part.

The story is told without sentiment or sensationalism. Shot on location, it shows an Africa that may hardly exist any more, in which wild animals were still a greater danger than armed humans. The scenery is often breathtaking... but the focus is always on Sammy. Despite the trappings of epic adventure, this is really a very intimate film, about one boy's journey from loss to self-reliance.

I'd rank Sammy Going South amongst the great children's adventure films of all time: Treasure Island (any version), Captains Courageous, The Wind and the Lion, In Search of the Castaways, and others. But it has a unique magic all its own. It gets inside the soul of a child like few other films, and perfectly captures a quintessentially British vision of childhood.

See this film if you possibly can. You'll be glad you did.

My review is based on my one viewing of this movie. I saw it in 1967, two years after its release. I was seven years old. My elementary school was showing it after school. I went because the title intrigued me. The title in this country was A BOY TEN FEET TALL. There was a poster on the wall, made by a student (or a teacher) with the title in big letters next to a line drawing of an extremely tall boy. The actual movie was disappointingly realistic to me. I was expecting something like a Popeye cartoon. Ever since seeing it I've asked fellow movie buffs if they remember a movie in which Edward G. Robinson gives sage advice to a boy in the jungle. Nobody I know has ever heard of this. Maybe the fact that it is also called SAMMY GOING SOUTH has caused confusion, because I have always referred to it as A BOY TEN FEET TALL. In the half-a-lifetime since seeing this, I've come to realize that Edward G. Robinson gave it his all. Late-career Edward G. was truly a scene-stealer. He's the reason we remember SOYLENT GREEN. I'll give it 7 stars because I saw it when I was seven and seven is a lucky number. I was lucky to see what has become a rare performance by a great actor.