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Whistle Stopper - The Education of Little Tree
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List Price: $9.95
Our Price:
Your Save: $ 9.95 ( 100% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Paramount
Starring: James Cromwell, Joseph Ashton, Tantoo Cardinal, Mika Boorem, Christopher Heyerdahl
Directed By: Richard Friedenberg
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786304925157
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 6304925158
Label: Paramount
Manufacturer: Paramount
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Paramount
Release Date: 1999-03-09
Running Time: 112
Studio: Paramount
Theatrical Release Date: 1997-12-25
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Heavily Cliched by Amateur Director
Comment: I caught this movie on TV this morning, had never heard of the book.
Whoa, where to start!
From the opening moments, too much exposition of who,what,where, why and when instead of peppering it out sparingly through the movie.
Everyone is a walking cliche'. I winced when Graham Greene first came on screen dressed like what Hollywood thinks an Indian should look like, he being quiet and so attuned to the "spirits" he could barely speak. I hated that the director chose to "tell" of the Trails of Tears instead of "showing" it to us via flashbacks. In fact I zoned out during this 5 minute disseration and never heard the end.
Little Tree is 8 years old in this story, talks with the wisdom of a 50 year old. Yuk! I HATE that! He speaks in phrases that belong in a Hallmark sympathy card.
James Cromwell did less than phone in his performance with acting so bad I was squirming. The director/writer(?) made his character spew so much exposition during the beginning of the movie I wanted to yell "Shut up!Just SHUT UP!"
Everyone else in the movie was pure Appalachian, inbred Deliverance types. We just needed some good ol' banjo music, but we got the fiddle player instead.
The director whose name I have thankfully forgotten shamelessly stole cinematic scenes from Legends of the Fall, The Yearling (the death of grandpa vs Penny Baxter's ill with snakebite bedscene, both identically composed and lit) and probably A River Runs Through It. I don't know if this director's still making movies, but we can only pray he isn't. Truthfully I don't believe this story would have translated well to the screen, some just can't make the leap, but in the hands of Robert Redford, who is a true cinematic artist, I think he could have truly improved upon the book as he did with the exquisite Horse Whisperer.
The scene when Grandpa comes to save Little Tree at the school and stabs the knife into the ground by the gate is so heavy handed I laughed. It screamed, "Look! This is a message! We're making a point here! And we'll make danged sure you don't miss it! "
This movie is every best-selling author's nightmare of what COULD become of the baby they have labored to conceive, gestate and deliver.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sad
Comment: This movie communicates well some of the heart break of "normalizing" American Indian children, especially those with mixed blood. This is a heartwarming story with a great plot. It teaches many lessons for those open to learning. It is a glimpse at social/welfare system that believes that certain material advantages make a child safer and happier. It has a blind eye for the value of love, support, family bonds, simple living and nature in the growth and development of a child. A devoted American Indian made the greatest difference in the outcome of the story. An excellent addition to my American Indian related movies.
Customer Rating:
Summary: bad movie
Comment: This movie was horrible. My five children ages 7-15 all walked away from it after 45 minutes. My wife and I continued to watch it for another 15 minutes, then we couldn't take it anymore and shut it off. The movie critisises on numerous occasions Christians and also white people in general, and the "grandpa" blasphemes and curses throughout the movie. Also, grandpa makes illegal whiskey and teaches his grandson the "trade" and also teaches him to lie to cover it up. If there was a 0 star rating, that is what I would give this movie. Do not waste your time.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie
Comment: The Education of Little Tree is a great emtotional and clean movie with a great story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Hidden Treasure
Comment: I found this film by accident and it is extremely well made and very moving tale. It doesn't have any cliches and very new age in its treatment of life. You will be happy and sad as Little Tree spends time both with and away from his grandparents. The first part of the film before he goes to the boarding school seems compelete in itself. I was surprised by the second part and it is somewhat disturbing but ultimately, resolves itself.
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Editorial Reviews:
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In 1935, an 8-year-old orphaned boy is sent to live in the Tennessee mountains with his grandparents. He doesn't yet know that he is half Cherokee, on his grandmother's side. As he learns about life and the Cherokee "way" from his grandparents, Little Tree's sensitivity to nature and to others grows. At first it might seem easy to dismiss this movie as hokey, especially when Little Tree's Scottish grandfather teaches him to make whiskey and he befriends a dog. But the film gains emotional power when Little Tree becomes close to an older Cherokee who tells him about the Trail of Tears. When the government places Little Tree in an Indian school, where he is abused physically and psychologically, the tough issue of the forced assimilation of Native Americans isn't glossed over. Excellent performances and a gripping story make this well worth watching with children ages 8 and up. An interesting side note: Forrest Carter, who wrote the book the movie is based on, was a one-time KKK member and speechwriter for George Wallace. It's hard to imagine how a former white supremacist could write such a moving tale about racism. Despite the controversy surrounding Carter, this sensitive film deserves to be taken on its own terms. --Elisabeth Keating
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