Theo Robertson

24 May 2012

Dated But Still Compelling

Any Brits here remember films by The Children's Film Foundation ? CFFmovies were quite popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s though werealmost certainly only popular with the people who made them and what apile of patronising middle class crap they were too . The plot usuallyinvolved a couple of career criminals played by Bernard Cribbins andRoy Kinnear hiding some stolen loot and some toffee nosed kids fromsome fee paying stage school ( No doubt the kids parents wasted a lotof money sending them there - GOOD ! )playing characters no one cantake seriously saying " Gosh " and " Cor blimey " and the villains turnup and say " you meddling kids , give us back our money or so help me.. " then the kids make a getaway and inform the police who arrest thevillains . The end ( Of the child casts acting career - DOUBLE GOOD ) .Talk about patronising the audience , these films didn't so much talkdown the audience - They shouted When I read the synopsis in the TV guide of a young boy witnessing amurder and no one believing him I thought I'd be watching some Americanprecursor to the CFF and it was very nice to be proved wrong becauseTHE WINDOW is made by Hollywood producers who know how to entertain ,enthrall and excite an audience and have turned what's basically a lowbudget B movie into something of a minor classic . It's inexpensive ,contains no big name stars ( Though the cast in general and 12 year oldBobby Driscoll * in particular are superb ) but is so well written andtense you quickly become involved in the story and will remember it fora long time afterwards Perhaps the most memorable thing about the movie is the peculiar moresinvolving children in those days and ill received the film would be nowif it was released . Tommy's father works night shift and his mother isaway visiting a sick relative so Tommy is locked in the house alone .Bad enough but later when Tommy's father mentions he's locked the childup alone to a policeman the cop doesn't bat an eyelid at thisarrangement . Even worse there's a scene where Tommy's abductor and apoliceman discuss giving the boy " A good lickin'" and as for the scenein the cab where... This makes the story even more shocking and heartstopping because the audience realise that the cops aren't necessarilygoing to help Tommy in any way . Can you imagine the outcry if analmost identical scene for scene remake appeared in 2005 ? Socialworkers , parents groups , police chiefs , politicians and otherassorted bleeding heart liberal elitists and social engineers wouldissue a fatwa against the producers and studio that released it .Watching THE WINDOW today you realise just what a dynamic piece ofstory telling it is * As a footnote please take the time and trouble of reading the veryreal tragic story of child actor Bobby Driscoll . I'm shocked thatHollywood hasn't made a multi award winning bio-pic of his life story .I'm certain they will one day in the future

jaydee13

23 May 2012

This is a disturbing film but not for the reasons we expect.

Yes, it's a film noir about a boy witnessing a murder but the scariestpart of this movie is how it stands up as a sign of the times in 1949and how children were treated. The parents have no qualms about leavingtheir nine-year-old all night, the murderous neighbour actually punchesthe kid unconscious at one point, and the cop actually advocates givinghim a beating.Contrast it with modern children-in-peril movies like Home Alone andyou'll see, though it's not a great movie, it's a real historicalmarker. It is helped by the fact that the doomed child actor BobbyDriscoll is such a great little actor.I think it's worth a watch. It's a thriller but not for the reasons itwas originally made.

chris-moran27

22 May 2012

I wish I had got to see this film!!

Having read the reviews about this film I deeply regret having not beenable to see this film yet. When it was screened here in the UK inDecember 2005 my video player decided to play up so i was unable torecord it. As a big movie buff, particularly the black and white filmsof the 40's and 50's, I am hoping that this film is released on DVD asI would love to add it to my film library. Perhaps the BBC will show itagain in the near future...Does anybody know if this film is to bereleased on DVD? I have read the biography of Bobby Driscoll and Iagree with the comment made by another reviewer that a film should bemade about this child star whose life like so many child stars of thatperiod was at best not easy.

22 May 2012

Now its down to this?

The movie is excellent. No issues there. And yes, this is the place to write what I am writing. Companies are now reverting to "on-demand" movies that are tranfered onto cheap dvd-r discs? Not only that but they're charging twice the price? This business has always been fraught with shady dealings and ripping off customers has long been the policies of the movie and music industry. Why do you think that it's in the state it's in? Now we are down to this grease-ball tactic. Here's a message to everyone who's making money off this; stick the movies in your personal little studio located below your back. People can watch movies free online now so I hope you bury yourselves even further than you already have by ripping people off. Oh and by the way, there's nothing "remastered" about this edition. It's a plain tranfer to disc.

bts1984

19 May 2012

American masterpiece

This may be a small movie, but it offers a lot during its less than 75minutes long. This is truly one of the finest films ever.This preciousness of cinema deals with the old thematic that we mustnever lie, otherwise we may be telling the truth one day and nobodywill believe us. That's precisely what happens to our Tommy Woodry, avery cute and harmless child with the habit of crying wolf (perhapsbecause he feels bored?). There's no denying that Tommy has a very bigimagination: the story that he's gonna buy himself a horse, that he'sgonna move to a ranch out west but not before shooting indians. Tommy'stall tales put a grin on my face.Tommy's lies take his parents to despair. When he witnesses theKellersons committing a crime, he can't manage to get anyone to believehim. No matter how hard he tries, he can't change his parents's minds.Even the police is reluctant...Although it's understandable that his parents won't believe him, theytake such drastic measures on him that they fail miserably to protecthim. As for the police, they play in a situation when he is at thecriminals's hands, also failing miserably to protect him. All of thismakes you completely hate Tommy's parents and the police. Tommy livesthis urban nightmare all alone and cannot count on anyone to help himbut himself.Even so, there is nothing I would really change in this movie in anyway, except perhaps a slightly longer length. Nevertheless, it's simplyflawless. The plot is excellent, the characters are believable, all theactors are superb, the music is dramatic and adds emotion, the 1940'sNYC scenario is amazing, the film is very tense and feels hitchcockianand the English is spoken with relative calm - calm enough tounderstand most of it, which means the lack of subtitles isn't much ofa problem for anyone who knows some English. The pace is alwaysbrilliant, both when the movie is more calm and when it is frightening,intense and suspenseful.A very interesting and fascinating movie. And to think that RKO bossHoward Hughes didn't want to give it a chance at first! We would havelost this pearl of cinema...Bobby Driscoll is fantastic as Tommy Woodry. Although he was a Disneyactor, he was "loaned" to RKO Pictures for this timeless classic. Avery clever decision, he was a wonderful actor. I hope he's not justremembered for his work at Disney but also for this noir classic.Title in Portugal: 'O Que Viram os Meus Olhos'.

vitaleralphlouis

19 May 2012

Excellent, Crisp Thriller -- Best Youll Ever See -- or Not See.

THE WINDOW does everything right, from the solid direction, to theoutstanding production design, on-location sets, cinematography --- andwonderful acting particularly by Bobby Driscoll. It takes you insidethe New York tenements like no other picture except maybe Angels WithDirty Faces. The filmmakers have a perfect grasp on the actions ofchildren --- what they'll do and what they won't. The musical score isrestrained like you'll never see today, nor will you anymore see amovie end after 72 minutes simply because the story's over.This was working class New York 15 years before the corruption of drugsbrought an era of unrestrained crime, strikes, garbage, and the exit of1 million of its population -- mostly the middle class. For 30 yearsfrom 1960 to 1990 New Yorkers lived their lives not only in fear butknowing their lives tomorrow would be worse than today.They didn't know this in 1949, but you need to know it to understandthat tenement apartments were locked only with 10 cent skeleton keys,windows were open, and people didn't fear their neighbors (as only afew were murderers). In 1949 most well healed middle class peopledidn't have a window-fan --- let alone air conditioning. It was HOT inthe summer. Sleeping on the fire escape -- as Bobby Driscoll does inthis story -- was not unusual. There was no fear in 1949 of childmolesters, as any such person would be torn to shreds by theneighborhood. The local-color of New York was 100% on target in thisfilm.I was 11 years old the last time I saw THE WINDOW. Since VHS, it's beenon my Most Wanted list for years. Never on eBay, I finally found a rareVHS for rent today. The film greatly exceeds my memory of it. I ratedit a "10" and would like to explain this is an old fashionedwork-hard-for-it "10." These days every parent I know has an honorstudent for a child. All it takes for an A is having a pulse.Similarly, any current movie regardless of quality will get a fewthousand 10's. Pictures like VACANCY are both scary and entertaining,but they cheat to create the thrills. THE WINDOW relies on a plausiblestory, and that's the virtue.

harry-76

18 May 2012

Ma, You Gotta Believe Me!

Although this little psychological thriller apparently didn't impressthen new RKO boss Howard Hughes, who shelved it, the public took it toheart when released 2 years later.And for good reason: this noir piece managed to stir up quite a bit ofsteam during its brief running time. Thanks to talented child actorBobby Driscoll, "The Window" becomes an engrossing yarn.With Arthur Kennedy, Paul Stewart, Ruth Roman and Barbara Hale lendingtheir strong supports, there's a good suspense tale that unfolds.If screenwriter Cornell Woolrich had embellished Mel Dinelli's originalstory to lend more verbal substance to support the physical action,especially toward the end, it might have been even better.As it is, it turned into a kind of standard chase thing that we've allseen before. Thus the film earns a "Good" rating. Young Driscolldelivers a solid performance that carries the film convincingly, andwell earned his Juvenille "Oscar."

skallisjr

18 May 2012

Pretty Good

I haven't seen this film since 1949, but it left an impression on me.The idea of a child prone to tall tales who can't get anyone to believehim when he's reporting something serious goes back to the tale of theboy who cried "Wolf," but here it's presented well.Spoiler.To me, the most chilling moment was when the boy wrote a note ofapology to his parents, but the postscript was carefully excised by thekillers. Without the postscript, reiterating the truth of his report,the note read as if he was apologizing for making the report! It wastorn off, using a ruler to make the bottom edge look natural, slowlyenough so that the audience could absorb the import of the act.Not the best film of its kind, but really suspenseful.

theowinthrop

17 May 2012

The Boy Who Cried Murder!

The story of the fall of the career of Bobby Driscoll sort of puts adowner effect on all of his films. In the late 1940s and early 1950sDriscoll had a remarkably effective movie career, including thestarring role in this classic film noir and roles in TREASURE ISLANDand LONG JOHN SILVER with Robert Newton, and the voice of PETER PAN inthe Disney cartoon. His drug addiction and lonely death were a tragicwaste of a talented actor.THE WINDOW is one of those unexpected classic films that were madewithout vast publicity campaigns or expense, with a simple and goodcast involved, and a good script. It also has a classic pedigree, goingback to the fables of Aesop. It is a variant on the story of the boythat cried wolf.Driscoll plays a lively little boy with a vivid imagination. Hisparents (Arthur Kennedy and Barbara Hale) are living in a lower class -working class district in a city. Kennedy has a job that takes him outof the house at night. In fact, this is a film that clings to thenight.Driscoll happens to tell a whopper of a lie, and it blows up in hisface because it embarrasses his parents. So his reputation for tellingthe truth has been compromised. While sleeping on the fire estate ofhis home at night, he faces the apartment of Paul Stewart and his wifeRuth Roman. Stewart has a business associate over at his apartment,gets into a quarrel, and kills the associate. Unfortunately, Driscollsees this - but equally unfortunate Stewart sees that Driscollwitnessed it. So follows a long, involved cat and mouse game, with Stewart coveringup traces of the murder (with Roman's assistance), and at the same timedoing everything he can to dismiss Driscoll's claims of the murder asjust his silly over-imagination again. As Kennedy and Hale arehalf-inclined to believe this, they too refuse to listen to Driscoll'sarguments. But Stewart is also aware that at some point, somebody mightjust decide to double check Driscoll's stories, especially if heremains so insistent that he is not lying. So Stewart has to find theright moment to grab this annoying kid, and get rid of the onlywitness.There are problems though. Driscoll's youth also means he is moreenergetic and physically adept than Stewart. Also, although Roman ishelping her husband she is not really keen about killing a little boy.Finally there is also the fact that, although they strongly doubtDriscoll's story, Kennedy and Hale love their son, and think he's atroubled little boy. Soon Kennedy's actions are gumming up Stewart'splanning as well.Besides Driscoll's performance, Stewart gave one of his best villainsin the film, being plausible on the surface, but as deadly inintentions as they come. Kennedy's father is a hard working man,struggling for a better life for his family, and tired of his son'stall tales. But at the right moment he does start wondering if he'sbeen just too complacent about his son's "lying".The conclusion is a tense and exciting fight between Stewart andDriscoll in a deserted building. It is a first rate conclusion to thisfascinating and scary film which makes us wonder how seriously do weever take our kids, and in what ways do we show it.

16 May 2012

I was on the fire escape! I saw ya!

Eleven-year-old Bobby Driscoll won a special Oscar for his work in THE WINDOW. Driscoll portrays Tommy Woodry-- a little boy with a big imagination. Tommy's many fantasies and outright lies have in the past caused problems for his parents, so now this "boy who cried wolf" one too many times has a serious credibility problem.One stifling summer night, Tommy gets permission to sleep on the family's second floor fire escape. While outside, Tommy witnesses a murder in the apartment above through a partially-raised shade. Joe Kellerson (Stewart) stabs a man in the back with scissors.Tommy wakes his mom (Hale) and tells what he saw; she dismisses this report as another piece of fiction and tells him to go to bed. In the morning, Tommy's insistence that he's seen a homicide angers Ed Woodly (Kennedy), and the boy is sent to his room to "think about" these many lies.Instead, the determined kid slips away and runs to the police to report the crime. A detective brings Tommy home, goes upstairs, tells Mrs. Kellerson (Roman) that he's a building inspector, and looks around the apartment. Seeing nothing unusual, he leaves.Jean K. is alarmed by the visit and gets more so when Tommy and mother Mary come knocking. She wants her child to apologize to the neighbor for stories he's telling but the frightened Tommy refuses and runs downstairs.When Joe Kellerson returns home that night, Jean (correctly) insists that the boy downstairs knows about the killing. She drops off a telegram to Mary Woodly that the Kellersons received "by mistake." Mary is needed out of time to nurse a sick relative, and Ed, who works overnights tells his son he must stay home by himself. Terror-stricken, Tommy begs to go with his mom or dad, but is refused.The last half-hour of this story is a perfect exercise in sheer terror. "The Window" is a film not to be missed. Highest recommendation!.Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 IMDb viewer poll rating.(7.5) The Window (1949) - Barbara Hale/Arthur Kennedy/Paul Stewart/Ruth Roman/Bobby Driscoll

15 May 2012

An alternative for hard-to-get classics

This review is from: The Window [Remaster] (DVD) The Window, starring young Bobby Driscoll, is a masterpiece of suspense, in the genre film noir. A boy always goes around making up stories. Then when he sees a real murder, no one believes himThis film has been unavailable on video for years. Now Amazon offers an alternative, where copies are created on demand. It played well on a relatively old mac. One slightly bothersome thing is that there are 21 different chapters, but the disc does not have the usual scene selection menu. So if you want to find something in particular, it may take some time to do it.And the film is black and white, with a lot of night scenes. It is hard to distinguish the action in many cases, even with the brightness turned up.But it is great to have this movie truly available and accessible. If yo have been looking for it on DVD, the investment is worth it.

15 May 2012

I was on the fire escape! I saw ya!

Eleven-year-old Bobby Driscoll won a special Oscar for his work in THE WINDOW. Driscoll portrays Tommy Woodry-- a little boy with a big imagination. Tommy's many fantasies and outright lies have in the past caused problems for his parents, so now this "boy who cried wolf" one too many times has a serious credibility problem.One stifling summer night, Tommy gets permission to sleep on the family's second floor fire escape. While outside, Tommy witnesses a murder in the apartment above through a partially-raised shade. Joe Kellerson (Stewart) stabs a man in the back with scissors.Tommy wakes his mom (Hale) and tells what he saw; she dismisses this report as another piece of fiction and tells him to go to bed. In the morning, Tommy's insistence that he's seen a homicide angers Ed Woodly (Kennedy), and the boy is sent to his room to "think about" these many lies.Instead, the determined kid slips away and runs to the police to report the crime. A detective brings Tommy home, goes upstairs, tells Mrs. Kellerson (Roman) that he's a building inspector, and looks around the apartment. Seeing nothing unusual, he leaves.Jean K. is alarmed by the visit and gets more so when Tommy and mother Mary come knocking. She wants her child to apologize to the neighbor for stories he's telling but the frightened Tommy refuses and runs downstairs.When Joe Kellerson returns home that night, Jean (correctly) insists that the boy downstairs knows about the killing. She drops off a telegram to Mary Woodly that the Kellersons received "by mistake." Mary is needed out of town to nurse a sick relative, and Ed, who works overnights tells his son he must stay home by himself. Terror-stricken, Tommy begs to go with his mom or dad, but is refused.The last half-hour of this story is a perfect exercise in sheer terror. "The Window" is a film not to be missed. Highest recommendation!.Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 IMDb viewer poll rating.(7.5) The Window (1949) - Barbara Hale/Arthur Kennedy/Paul Stewart/Ruth Roman/Bobby Driscoll

Hunters_Souffle

15 May 2012

Now here is a great little film!

I've been wanting to watch this for a couple years now, but since it isunavailable on DVD or VHS, it was impossible. Thank goodness for TurnerClass Movies! The story is simple. A little boy has a bad habit ofmaking up wild stories to impress his friends and family. When he'ssleeping out on his fire escape one sweltering summer night, hewitnesses his upstairs neighbors murder a man. When he tells his motherand father, not surprisingly, they think he's making it all up or thathe's had a bad dream. When the killers upstairs get wind that thelittle boy knows about their crime, the decide to kill him. So it's upto the boy to prove he's not lying and evade the killers.'The Window' has many things in common with the much better known 'RearWindow.' For one thing, they're both based off of short stories writtenby Cornell Woolrich. Themes of voyeurism, murder, urban paranoia, andbeing trapped and defenseless dominate both films. 'Rear Window' isclearly the better film all around, but 'The Window' deserves to bereleased on DVD so it can be rediscovered and celebrated for the tight,compelling, suspenseful noir classic that it is.

bts1984

15 May 2012

American masterpiece

This may be a small movie, but it offers a lot during its less than 75minutes long. This is one of the finest films ever.This preciousness of cinema deals with the old thematic that we mustnever lie, otherwise we may be telling the truth one day and nobodywill believe us. That's precisely what happens to our Tommy Woodry, avery cute and harmless child with the habit of crying wolf (perhapsbecause he feels bored?). There's no denying that Tommy has a very bigimagination: the story that he's gonna buy himself a horse, that he'sgonna move to a ranch out west but not before shooting indians. Tommy'stall tales put a grin on my face.Tommy's lies take his parents to despair. When he witnesses theKellersons committing a crime, he can't manage to get anyone to believehim. No matter how hard he tries, he can't change his parents's minds.Even the police is reluctant: they believe him at first but they stopdoing so the moment Tommy's mother tells about his reputation as anative story teller.Although it's understandable that his parents won't believe him, theytake such drastic measures on Tommy that they fail miserably to protecthim. As for the police, they play in a situation when Tommy is at thehands of the criminals, also failing miserably to protect him. All ofthis makes you completely hate Tommy's parents and the police. Tommylives this urban nightmare all alone and cannot count on anyone to helphim but himself.Even so, there is nothing I would really change in this movie in anyway, except perhaps a slightly longer length. Nevertheless, it's simplyflawless. The plot is excellent, the characters are believable, all theactors are superb, the music is dramatic and adds emotion, the 1940'sNYC scenario is amazing and the film is very tense and feelshitchcockian. The pace is always brilliant, both when the movie is morecalm and when it is frightening, intense and suspenseful.A very interesting and fascinating movie. And to think that RKO bossHoward Hughes didn't want to give it a chance at first! We would havelost this pearl of cinema...Bobby Driscoll is fantastic as Tommy Woodry. Although he was a Disneyactor, he was "loaned" to RKO Pictures for this timeless classic. Avery clever decision, as he was a wonderful actor. I hope he's not justremembered for his work at Disney but also for this noir classic.Title in Portugal: 'O Que Viram os Meus Olhos'.

12 May 2012

The Window

This review is from: The Window [Remaster] (DVD) "The Window" was made in 1949 and is a movie gem.'Thrills and Chills' proclaim the movie posters of the day butthat would be the understatement of the year.This movie makes Alfed Hitchcock's classic "Rear Window" look like an amateur piece of work. "The Window" is riveting stuff and isentertainment at its very best. It is nerve wrenching and totallyabsorbing from beginning to end.The movie stars popular child star Bobby Driscoll who at the timewas under contract to the Walt Disney Studios. He was loaned out to R-K-O Radio to play the part of Tommy Woodry which was a major rolein the movie. Tommy, who lives with his mother and father in an old apartmentbuilding in the city, witnesses a murder in an adjoining apartment.Unfortunately, Tommy has an over-active imagination and tells tallstories, so no one believes him.The couple who carried out the murder eventually come to theconclusion that Tommy witnessed the murder whilst on the fire escape outside their apartment and begin to formulate plans to shut him up get rid of him. The pair stalk Tommy in a menacing way so much sothat it sends shivers up and down your spine.The parents who still don't believe his story leave Tommy (underprotest) in the apartment alone for long periods of time to faceimpending disaster.What an incredible young actor is Bobby Driscoll who has the abilityto convey to the audience the fear and panic that he is experiencing.This is Bobby Driscoll's picture. You can be certain of that and for the role he played in this movie, Bobby Driscoll won a Special AcademyAward at the 1949 Academy Awards presentation as the ouitstandingjuvenile actor of 1949.Very highly recommended. Prepare to be shocked and youwon't be disappointed. It is a masterpiece of suspense.

l.boots

12 May 2012

A Thrill a Minute! Film Noir at its BEST!

I first saw this film when I was ten. The same age as the terrified youngstar "Tommy" of the film. I sat on the edge of my seat, glued to the screenas every second of suspense ticked away. A masterpiece to rival even thebest of the great Hitchcock Thrillers! I have never seen it released onvideo, but would be the first to run out and buy it. If it turns up on AMC,DON'T MISS IT!

k-thomas

07 May 2012

A very good thriller.

I watched this film for the first time on BBC at 2 this morning and wasvery impressed. Some very fine acting by all the cast and and a goodbelievable, terrifying story. Hollywood should have a good look atthese old RKO movies and see how superior they are to the rubbish thatis being dished out today. Bobby Driscol played an excellent role asthe young boy and it was nice to see Arther Kennedy play a good guy.The black and white photography added to the suspense. Of course inlatter years, there have been similar stories filmed, for example, EyeWitness with Mark Lester and Susan George and Witness with HarrisonFord. All very good in their own right. A must for fans of a good oldfashioned thriller. Kevin Thomas.

moonspinner55

06 May 2012

A near-miss, aided by young Driscolls work...

Bobby Driscoll, a child actor par excellence, lends a good deal ofbelievability to this familiar and predictable plot concerning animaginative youngster who can't get anyone to believe his tale aboutbeing the only witness to a murder. This "Boy Who Cried Wolf" in moderndress (from a story by Cornell Woolrich!) needed a stronger, perhapsmulti-layered approach; it is far too straightforward and square, andthe audience is always two steps ahead of the action. The adultcharacters are exasperating and foolish, though Driscoll's groundedpresence is just what this scenario requires (he won a highly-deservedJuvenile Oscar for his work). Vivid black-and-white cinematography byRobert De Grasse and William Steiner also deserves praise, though thefilm isn't a noir. It's a family picture on a low-budget, aimed at themass market. Overall results are decent, but certainly not superior.**1/2 from ****

05 May 2012

Thrilling

This review is from: The Window [Remaster] (DVD) I would like to give this product 5 stars but honestly: its not restored, its a DVD-R, No Chapters - thats ok so far. But NO SUBTITLES are available.The Picture quality changes a little bit. On the beginning any scenes has some defects (watchable) but mainly - for a not restored movie the quality is very good.AND NOW THE BIGGEST PLUS:Bobby Driscoll, loaned exclusively from Disney to RKO to making this movie. I never heard or saw this movie before. The only reason to buy this DVD was just this amazing talented child actor Bobby Driscoll where died (sadly) very young."The Window", mady in 1949, is a film noir and absolutely very thrilling. Specially the hunt on the end. I was really speechless. THE STORY: Tommy, is lying and telling some weird stories. But one night he saw a murder. But who's believe him now? His Parents? The Police? FAZIT: thrilling. Buy it and enjoy this amazing acting. SUPPORTING: Barbara Hale, Ruth Roman.

poe426

05 May 2012

Neglected noir...

First saw this nail-biter when I was a kid. It still holds up. Based on aCornell Woolrich story (as was REAR WINDOW), this one boasts some of themost stunning cinematography I've ever seen. Director Tetzlaff, himself acinematographer of considerable skill (he shot Alfred Hitchcock'sNOTORIOUS), milks this one for all it's worth. Bobby Driscoll (the kidunderground comix artist Robert Crumb reveals his brother fell in love within the documentary CRUMB) never once wavers under the camera's closescrutiny: his must be one of the greatest performances EVER by a kid in afeature film. In fact, it's his performance that carries the film. PaulStewart is as creepy as they come; his performance, as good as it is,perfectly compliments the low-key desperation of young Driscoll. Absolutelymust-see moviemaking.