Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)
by David Swift
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DVD details
Actor: Hayley Mills, James Drury, Jane Wyman, Nancy Olson, Reta ShawDirector: David Swift
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.75:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-07
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- Hayley Mills received a special Academy Award for her performance as Pollyanna in this timeless Walt Disney tapestry of small-town Americana. Featuring an impressive all-star cast and a story filled with fun, laughter, and tears, Pollyanna will inspire your entire family and prove that the art of positive thinking is just as delightful today as it was at the turn of the century! System Requirem
DVD Reviews of Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)
DVD Review: "Here it comes. Ms. Goody Two Shoes is going to find something about Sunday to be glad about."
Summary: 4 Stars
The term Pollyanna had already been floating around for decades when, in 1960, Disney released a film adapted from Eleanor H. Porter's classic 1913 novel. At the time critics were predicting doom and gloom for the Disney movie and, in fact, it apparently didn't fare too well in the box office. In 1960 folks had become cynical enough and were leery of checking out a film featuring that endlessly optimistic little glad girl. As it turns out POLLYANNA, starring an excellent Hayley Mills in her Disney debut, is actually a pretty good family flick and a well done slice of Americana circa 1912. But, yes, color it very sentimental.
When her missionary father dies, eleven-year-old Pollyanna Whittier comes to live with her stern wealthy Aunt Polly in the morose little New England town of Harrington. Harrington is named after Pollyanna's grandfather, and as such Aunt Polly feels that she has a certain standard to uphold, certain obligations. Aunt Polly's influence spans deep and wide in the little community. She regularly administers charity on her neighbors, whether they like it or not.
Pollyanna's father had long ago taught her to play the Glad Game, in which she is encouraged to look for the silver lining in every cloud. Pollyanna, newly moved in with her aunt, quickly begins to spread around her brand of sunshine, and her positive disposition soon garners her the "glad girl" nickname. In the face of such relentless optimism, the dour and dispirited residents of Harrington can't help but perk up. In short order, Pollyanna softens up both the meanest man and the crabbiest woman in town, plays matchmaker to several couples, and injects enough of a backbone into the cowed community so that it stands up to Aunt Polly's well-mannered tyranny, this last part having to do with a run-down orphanage in dire need of being razed and rebuilt (except that Aunt Polly wants the orphanage to remain as is).
I saw this a long time ago as a kid, and I loved it back then. In watching it again as an adult, I was afraid that I would find it too cloying. But that wasn't so, not for me, anyway. POLLYANNA is as I remembered it, a warm, wholesome, entertaining family movie. And, yes, it does showcase the power of positive thinking. In fact, the central character invests the film with such a sense of rah-rah that it's a mild jolt when we arrive at the church scene in which the reverend Karl Malden goes on to rage and rant in his thunderous "Death comes unexpectedly!" sermon. Karl Malden is only one of the several well-known cast supporting Hayley. I thought that Jane Wyman, Agnes Moorehead, Adolphe Menjou, Nancy Olson, and Richard Egan were all very good. But, as always, when she's in a movie, it's really all about Hayley Mills. Others, including director David Swift, have commented before on how Hayley is so very spot on with her acting instincts. Pollyanna Whittier is a precarious part to play, as whosoever takes on the role will always be hard pressed to stay away from schmaltzy territory. But - and factor in, too, that this is only her second film - Hayley is savvy enough and accomplished enough and so darn appealing that she manages to offset the saccharine stuff. And, luckily for Hayley, there are moments in the film when Pollyanna seems to actually get fed up playing the Glad Game. Those moments are breaths of fresh air, and I actually liked Pollyanna better for demonstrating a less saintly side; it makes her more believable. With that said, I - rugged, brawny dude that I am - in recently watching this film, still got that lump caught in the throat when the whole town showed up in Aunt Polly's mansion to wish the gravely injured Pollyanna well. For those wondering if Pollyanna ever did get better, well, I believe Eleanor H. Porter wrote a sequel.
Not too surprising that, during her stay at Disney, Hayley Mills ruled as America's top child actress (never mind that she's British). My favorite Hayley Mills flicks are THE PARENT TRAP (The Parent Trap (1961) and The Parent Trap II (1986): 2-Movie Collection (2-Disc Set)) and That Darn Cat!, but POLLYANNA, a well-done film and still quite watchable, ranks right up there. It was certainly special enough that it garnered Hayley a special Oscar in 1961. Try to find a cloud in that silver lining.
Description of Pollyanna (Vault Disney Collection)
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