The Adventures of Tom Sawyer [Blu-ray]

Director: Norman Taurog Norman Taurog

Overview

The 1938 version of Adventures of Tom Sawyer appears to be producer David O. Selznick's dry run for Gone with the Wind, what with its similarities in period, costumes, color scheme and production design (both films shared the services of the great Hollywood art director William Cameron Menzies). Selected from hundreds of applicants (a precursor to Selznick's upcoming search for Wind's Scarlet O'Hara), Tommy Kelly is visually perfect as Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer though his acting varies from scene to scene. Better cast is Jackie Moran as the laconic, pipe-smoking Huck Finn (Moran would show up in Wind as Dr. Meade's son). Never forcing its pace, the film manages to include most of Twain's classic sequences, including the fence-whitewashing episode, Tom's rescue of Becky Thatcher (Anne Gillis) from the wrath of their schoolmaster (Olin Howlin), Tom and Huck's "death and resurrection" after the boys briefly skipped town for an idyll on a remote island, the murder trial of town drunk Muff Potter (Walter Brennan) and ultimately unmasking of the vicious Injun Joe (Victor Jory) as the real killer, and of course the chilling climax in the cave, wherein Tom protects Becky from the fugitive Injun Joe. Originally released at 93 minutes, Adventures of Tom Sawyer was trimmed to 77 minutes for a 1959 reissue; it has since been restored to its full length on videotape. In 1960, Tom Sawyer was syndicated to television by Selznick, with accompanying commentary by the film's now-grown-up "Becky Thatcher," Anne Gillis.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/10/2018
UPC:	0738329231880
Original Release:	1938
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	2:48:00

Special Features

Includes both 91-minute cut and 77-minute 1954 reissue; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tommy Kelly	Tom Sawyer
Jackie Moran	Huckleberry Finn
May Robson	Aunt Polly
Walter Brennan	Muff Potter
Ann Gillis	Becky Thatcher
Victor Jory	Injun Joe
David Holt	Sid Sawyer
Victor Kilian	Sheriff
Nana Bryant	Mrs. Thatcher
Olin Howlin	Schoolmaster
Donald Meek	Superintendent
Charles Richman	Judge Thatcher
Margaret Hamilton	Mrs. Harper
Marcia Mae Jones	Mary Sawyer
Mickey Rentschler	Joe Harper
Cora Sue Collins	Amy Lawrence
Philip Hurlic	Jim
Clara Blandick	Actor
Spring Byington	Widow Douglas
Harry Myers	Churchgoer
Elizabeth Patterson	Actor
Elizabeth Risdon	Actor
Max Steiner	Composer
Louis Forbes	Composer
Franz Waxman	Composer

Technical Credits

John Weaver

David O. Selznick	Producer
Norman Taurog	Director
William H. Wright	Producer
Jack Cosgrove	Special Effects
John Weaver	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A remarkably faithful -- perhaps TOO faithful -- adaptation of the Mark Twain classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is visually stunning. William Cameron Menzies and Casey Roberts have created gorgeous settings that are beautifully captured by James Wong Howes's delicious camerawork; the climactic sequence inside the cave is especially noteworthy; the clammy, claustrophic sets work together with Howes' spot-on photography to create a harrowing effect. Aside from the visuals, Tom Sawyer runs into a few problems, although none of them seriously damage the film. The screenplay keeps all of the most famous episodes from the book, but does so in such a manner as to make the film seem a little too episodic. In the title role, Tommy Kelly is good but inconsistent; director Norman Taurog can't always pull out of him all that is required, although he has better luck with Anne Gillis and Jackie Moran. May Robson shines as Aunt Polly, allowing us to feel sympathetic for the character while still feeling free to laugh at the troubles Tom gives her. If Tom Sawyer is not perfect, it's still a fine production that leaves the audience with a warm, happy glow.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler