The reflections of a childhood is filled with memories that years later seem bigger than life. For precocious Margaret O'Brien, she's first seen throwing a rock at an obviously stuffed squirrel, and that sets the tone for this slice of life drama where two cousins (O'Brien and Butch Jenkins.) live like children until just a few decades ago used to live before technology distracted them from creativity. It features Edward G. Robinson and Agnes Moorehead as her parents, giving real performances that are as natural as the character's surroundings.
Focusing on a community of Norwegian farmers in Wisconsin, it lacks (fortunately) those stereotypical accents overused in many classic films, parodying Scandinavian accents (particularly Norwegians and Swedes), especially by the annoying El Brendel. A scene where the neighbors rush to help a farmer whose barn is on fire, then gather together to help him, is certainly true of how country folk live, something later used in "The Egg and I". The only issue I had was the occasional forced "cuteness" that often got in the way of just telling the story without manipulating the audience.
I can relate to the children's fascination with the animals, O'Brien's love for a newborn calf and her sadness over the squirrel's death, even if it came off of a shelf from MGM's prop department. When O'Brien and Jenkins take a river ride on a wash tub to Robinson's anguish, I flashed back to similar situations from my own childhood. The romance if James Craig and teacher Frances Gifford is somewhat distracting, but didn't take away from my enjoyment. So for two hours, I lost my adult cynicism as I traveled back in time to when life was a wonder and circus elephants became my own dream pet.
Focusing on a community of Norwegian farmers in Wisconsin, it lacks (fortunately) those stereotypical accents overused in many classic films, parodying Scandinavian accents (particularly Norwegians and Swedes), especially by the annoying El Brendel. A scene where the neighbors rush to help a farmer whose barn is on fire, then gather together to help him, is certainly true of how country folk live, something later used in "The Egg and I". The only issue I had was the occasional forced "cuteness" that often got in the way of just telling the story without manipulating the audience.
I can relate to the children's fascination with the animals, O'Brien's love for a newborn calf and her sadness over the squirrel's death, even if it came off of a shelf from MGM's prop department. When O'Brien and Jenkins take a river ride on a wash tub to Robinson's anguish, I flashed back to similar situations from my own childhood. The romance if James Craig and teacher Frances Gifford is somewhat distracting, but didn't take away from my enjoyment. So for two hours, I lost my adult cynicism as I traveled back in time to when life was a wonder and circus elephants became my own dream pet.