'So Dear To My Heart' was one of Walt Disney's personal favorites and it happens to be one of my favorite Disney classics as well as one of my favorite films in cinema in general. as far as Hollywood filmmaking goes in particular, it's one of the very best products they have ever manufactured. it has a heartfelt sincerity and genuineness that is exceptionally rare. even in this kind of sentimentalized nostalgia, sentiment can often end up as a maudlin mix of syrupy, overwrought contrivance and recollections that are overly idealized. not here. everything is fashioned to matter of fact perfection without dismissing the power of feeling or emotional responses.
this is a example of superior craftsmanship. not only in it's beautiful Technicolor photography and rural panorama, it has set direction that details authenticity and features some of Disney's best and most attractive animation from the 1940's. the old steam trains and general stores, the horses and cows grazing in meadows, the nostalgia of the old time state fairs and of it's accurate depiction of American rural farm life, all of it depicted with such warmth and loving perfection that has few equals. even in a time period where there were so many films that attempted to do this kind of thing. but few with such real success as this film.
the performances are charming and cosy, as is the case with the honest, unaffectedness of Burl Ives singing, and the children (Disney child stars Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten) are believable rather than molded facsimiles of a idealized childhood. but for me, the core performance here is the eternal sagacity of Beulah Bondi's grandmother. she is essence itself. essence of life, love, and femininity that evokes not only motherliness and age, but also a girlishness when being flirtatious with a much younger Ives when they dance to "krick-it-on-da-fryun pan ya'll'. Beulah Bondi's spirituality, as she interprets through rural American Christianity, is often really more pragmatic than anything too ethereal. often what she interprets as the ways of the Lord are simply common sense observations. Bondi's granny character often gets taxed or irritably preachy when pushed, but she never seems cruel or arrogant. Bondi's performance is one of my very favorite Hollywood film performances and something the Academy Awards neglectfully overlooked.
what i like so much about this dear little film, is that it's cosy sweetness is for real and not something that the viewer is manipulated, sold or forced into. in troubled times it's often hard to believe that anyone in America ever lived or thought like this, but believe it or not it's very true and accurate. there are such a thing as simpler times. many of us are never born into them but they do exist. any real study of American history will verify that statement and the accuracy of this film's assertions.
for me personally, cinema is rarely finer than this. and it's the genuine article. it's a film not about magical or super power humans, but real life people coping with everyday understandings we often all share together. it's also about our dreams that occur in the earthy, everyday reality and how they manifest realistically and practically, with advice, a little "stick-to-it-ivity" and a humble understanding of what you've got. God Bless. may you find peace with the Lord.
this is a example of superior craftsmanship. not only in it's beautiful Technicolor photography and rural panorama, it has set direction that details authenticity and features some of Disney's best and most attractive animation from the 1940's. the old steam trains and general stores, the horses and cows grazing in meadows, the nostalgia of the old time state fairs and of it's accurate depiction of American rural farm life, all of it depicted with such warmth and loving perfection that has few equals. even in a time period where there were so many films that attempted to do this kind of thing. but few with such real success as this film.
the performances are charming and cosy, as is the case with the honest, unaffectedness of Burl Ives singing, and the children (Disney child stars Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten) are believable rather than molded facsimiles of a idealized childhood. but for me, the core performance here is the eternal sagacity of Beulah Bondi's grandmother. she is essence itself. essence of life, love, and femininity that evokes not only motherliness and age, but also a girlishness when being flirtatious with a much younger Ives when they dance to "krick-it-on-da-fryun pan ya'll'. Beulah Bondi's spirituality, as she interprets through rural American Christianity, is often really more pragmatic than anything too ethereal. often what she interprets as the ways of the Lord are simply common sense observations. Bondi's granny character often gets taxed or irritably preachy when pushed, but she never seems cruel or arrogant. Bondi's performance is one of my very favorite Hollywood film performances and something the Academy Awards neglectfully overlooked.
what i like so much about this dear little film, is that it's cosy sweetness is for real and not something that the viewer is manipulated, sold or forced into. in troubled times it's often hard to believe that anyone in America ever lived or thought like this, but believe it or not it's very true and accurate. there are such a thing as simpler times. many of us are never born into them but they do exist. any real study of American history will verify that statement and the accuracy of this film's assertions.
for me personally, cinema is rarely finer than this. and it's the genuine article. it's a film not about magical or super power humans, but real life people coping with everyday understandings we often all share together. it's also about our dreams that occur in the earthy, everyday reality and how they manifest realistically and practically, with advice, a little "stick-to-it-ivity" and a humble understanding of what you've got. God Bless. may you find peace with the Lord.