The People

"The People" is based entirely on one of Zenna Henderson's short stories, "Pottage", which appeared in the brilliant book "Pilgrimage: The Book of the People" back in the '60s. "Pottage" is the darkest of the stories, centering on a group of people living in fear and isolation in the tiny town of Bendo, and the teacher, Melodye, who learns the truth of their origins and the secrets they keep.

In the book you've already read about The People in two other stories so you have a good idea what's coming. In the movie this should have been a major bit of suspense... but it wasn't. The written story is far more compelling than what appears on screen. Kim Darby plays Melodye with warmth, but the frustration, determination, and courage in the story is somehow muted in her performance. William Shatner plays Dr. Curtis, who has a somewhat expanded role in the movie version. Dan O'Herlihy's performance as the stern Sol Deimus is the best translation of the character to the screen.

"The People" is entertaining if woodenly acted at times. If you find a copy and have an evening to kill it is probably worth your time, but by all means read the book.

I saw this when it first came out (I was at an SF Con at the time) and then later in a re-run. Considering the budget constraints of 1970s TV Sci-Fi movies, they did an impressive amount of story telling, mixing two of the first 'People' stories to re-cast the tale for non-fans. The cast gives good performances (Shatner is not the ham he usually is), the 'special effects' are limited to wires and a series of crayon drawn pictures which tell the background very effectively. This is actually the second 'People' filming -- Science Fiction Theater ripped off the same story for one of its episodes. Zenna Henderson's People stories were collected by NESFA Press and can be found at Amazon.com and elsewhere.

Eager young schoolteacher, anxious for some peace and quiet in her life, accepts a teaching position in a mountain community with shuffling children who aren't allowed to sing, play music or have any fun; she seeks solace from the local doctor, who is the only resident with any personality. From Zenna Henderson's compilation of stories, this TV-movie, executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola, has an interesting main character (played well by Kim Darby) and scenario, but its explanation of the mystery is a little ritzy and complicated. Director John Korty sets a deliberately slow pace, with individual sequences edited to make a big impact. This works for awhile--aided by Darby's performance--until the plot loses momentum in the second-half. A tasty suggestion of what might have been, had Coppola aimed for a theatrical release with a bigger budget and a brighter script.

I saw "The People" on TV when it first came out, 1) to see if it really was based on my favorite Zenna Henderson stories, and 2) because William Shatner played Dr. Curtis. As another reviewer has said, Shatner wasn't his usual hammy self, and did well by the character. Kim Darby would not have been my choice for Melodye, but wasn't bad. I was pleasantly surprised here to see that Francis Ford Coppola was in charge of the project, which is most likely why it turned out well.

I don't think that any TV movie could really cover the depth and reach of Ms. Henderson's "People" stories due to time limits. And the reason a lot of viewers think the movie was silly is because they haven't read the stories and don't have the background those of us who have read them do. Still, Mr. Coppola did a good job, and the cast portrayed Ms. Henderson's "People" fairly well. I think I will have to get a copy of "The People" and relive a bit of my youth.

I remember seeing this as a "Movie of the Week" the first time it came on... I haven't seen it since, so I recently ordered it just for the heck of it. I hope it gives me the same warm fuzzies as, "The Point" did... :-)