Les reivers

I have not read the Faulkner story on which this is based, so I can't comment on how much of this delightful film can be credited to him (doubtless Burgess Meredith's voiceovers are Faulkner's words), but this wonderful movie about the pain of growing up is laced with plenty of adventure and fun and deserves to become a classic. The John Williams score is superb. The acting is wonderful from all the leads, including the boy. This is one of the underrated Steve McQueen's best roles, and Will Geer is perfect in the small but rich part of Boss. The characters are all wonderfully and richly fleshed out, and there are many moments of human insight. To top it off, the cinematography makes the movie simply gorgeous to look at.

Considering the movie's manifold virtues it's interesting to note that one never sees it on any of the cable channels. The reason is obvious, and it's political correctness. The movie uses the "n" word multiple times, although always in the same way Mark Twain used it, i.e. to demonstrate the inhumanity behind the use of the word. Also Corrie has her eye blackened by Boone, and Ned explains to Lucius "what better sign can a woman want from a man that he has her on his mind." All this racism and sexual violence is of course abhorrent, but the forces of political correctness would rather pretend that it never existed than to look it square in the eye.

So to see this movie you'll have to buy it on DVD, which I strongly urge you to do.