Platicsco
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Hadrina
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Raymond Sierra
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
movie-viking
The above reviewers and this site summarize this great retelling of the still-read Little Lord Fauntleroy book. So I won't summarize, but just briefly add my cheers & jeers.Why does this tale (awash in sentimentality in Francis Hodgson's book of the same name) - yet LIVE ON? Anime and even a Russian version are recent. It's still a great tale!The 1936 LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY movie is basically like the 1930's movie HEIDI in one key way...i.e. the GRANDFATHER connection: A prodigal people-hating even life-hating old grandfather is brought back to the human race and to his God - by the love of a kind and good grandchild.In this great (but technically damaged) David O. SELZNICK quality family film, ....The old prodigal GRANDFATHER (the great Sir C. Aubrey Smith as the Earl) is brought back to the human race by his kind and good grandchild Cedric Errol (Freddie Bartholomew, the top male 1930's child star). ************** Wade thru the second-rate copy of this movie ...and hope that - the studio does a quality restoration of this great film.NOTE: the current worldwide interest in LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY should make it worth the studio's while to issue a QUALITY restored edition of 1936 LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY. Just make sure to dub it in Russian, Japanese and many other languages!
yddsp@aol.com
This "GEM" of a film should be digitally remastered to preserve its cinematic integrity. The audio seems a bit "washed" and scratchy and some video portions skip and flutter a bit. This is a shame considering the quality of this fine production. Freddie Bartholomew is precious in this role and was a fine actor in his own right. There is an immediate chemistry generated between him and C. Aubrey Smith. From the outset there was no clash of generations, in fact quite the contrary, they got along swimmingly! It's just too bad that the Earl shunned Dearest right off, but I guess living alone and being lonely would take its toll on anyone, especially since his son married against his wishes. In any event, there should be more movies with actors of this caliber, especially nowadays when the world could really use a great "G" rated film without all the animation and special effects. This should be required reading in schools, if for nothing else, for the lesson in humility. GREAT FILM!!!
Space_Mafune
A nine year old Brooklyn boy nicknamed "Ceddie" (Freddie Bartholomew), beloved by all who know him due to his kindly nature, finds himself in for a most unexpected change of lifestyle when he learns he's to be heir to the estate of his grandfather (C. Aubrey Smith), a British Earl and has to move in with him. A bigger challenge for the boy to overcome though is to bring down the barrier between his stubborn, set in his ways grandfather and Ceddie's mother "Dearest" (Dolores Costello), who the Earl resents his son marrying as she's an American.This one really grabs you by the heartstrings and doesn't let up. Freddie Bartholomew is simply wonderful as "Ceddie", wonderfully capturing his character and winning over the viewing audience's hearts in fairly short time, no easy feat for a child star. C. Aubrey Smith too is just marvelous as the crotchety old grandfather who finds his stubborn, hard-hearted, icy exterior being worn away just by being in the presence of such a terrific young lad who loves him unconditionally. Dolores Costello too was nicely cast and delivers the goods when she's called upon to do so. It's the likable performances given by these stars that make this a real winner in that we're truly made to care about these characters and what happens to them.
ma-cortes
1880 , Brooklyn , New York , a poor and fatherless boy (Freddie Bartholomew) is living with his mum (Dolores Costello). A sender (Henry Stephenson) communicate them which he turns out to be the only state heir to the earl of Dorincourt (Sir C. Aubrey Smith) . He then leaves his friends (Mickey Rooney and Guy Kibbee) and set out for England as the long-lost heir to his grandpa and a British dukedom . But the grandfather is a grumpy and crusty nobleman and the problems are always cropping up . Then , little Lord Fauntleroy must try to overcome the cold and grouchy lord .Classic and the best version based on known novel by Frances Burnett with elitist and sincere interpretations from Bartholomew , Aubrey Smith , Rooney , enough to make the creaky ancient tale actually works . Freddie Bartholomew had starred ¨Anna Karenina¨ and ¨David Copperfield¨ but his greatest success resulted out to be this film . Dolores Costello , married to John Barrymore , plays the lovable mummy in an affected and forced acting . Sir C. Aubrey Smith is magnificent as the bitter-grumbler and unsentimental count . Una O'Connor , as always , plays a maid with her ordinary gestures and grimaces . For comic relief , as usual , appears Mickey Rooney giving a hilarious and sympathetic acting . This was originally made in black and white with an excellent cinematography by Charles Rosher but there is also available in computer-colorized version and the musical score was composed by the classical musician Max Steiner . Director John Cromwell worked a lot with the great and powerful producer David O. Selznick and seems largely to have been content to follow his instructions , though he was always loath to allow too much sentimentality as happens on the sometimes heavily relationship between mother-son and grandfather-grandson . Due to the demise of O.Selznick , this movie is now in the public domain . The picture was remade for television in 1980 by Jack Gold with Alec Guinness and Rick Schroder and in 1976 by Paul Annett and 1995 with George Baker . The motion picture was immensely successful in America and around the world , it is actually an authentic and charming classic movie .