Die Wildnis ruft (1946)

Die Wildnis ruft: Directed by Clarence Brown. With Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman Jr., Chill Wills. A boy persuades his parents to allow him to adopt a young deer, but what will happen if the deer misbehaves?

“Every so often a film comes along that is so endearing, so righteous and so just darn decent – u0026quot;Old Yelleru0026quot;, u0026quot;Pollyannau0026quot; and, this one, u0026quot;The Yearlingu0026quot;. When watching this film, I couldnu0026#39;t help but think of the others. And, no, not just because of the fact the plot involves a family and the emotional fallout and drama caused by a pet such as in u0026quot;Old Yelleru0026quot;, or the fact that Jane Wyman stars with an adorable child actor, such as she did in u0026quot;Pollyannau0026quot;. Itu0026#39;s the feel and the atmosphere that invoked these comparisons. However, where u0026quot;The Yearlingu0026quot; is on a pedestal all its own is in regards to the fine performances. No, u0026quot;The Yearlingu0026quot; is not my kind of film. I tend to avoid the saccharine and goopy syrup of movies like this. You know the old adage, u0026quot;Never make a movie with kids or animalsu0026quot;? Well, mine is u0026quot;Never watch a movie with kids or animalsu0026quot;. But this one sucked me in. I donu0026#39;t quite know what did it. But I got sucked in and couldnu0026#39;t get out. The performances make this movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eClaude Jarman Jr. stars as Jody Baxter, a young boy living in post-Civil War America who longs for the companionship and love of a pet – someone to take care of and nurture. While Jodyu0026#39;s loving father, Ezra(Gregory Peck)makes great strides to give Jody companionship and someone to look up to, Jody suffers from the neglect of his hardened mother, Orry(Wyman), still reeling from the untimely deaths of her other children. Jody befriends a fawn and takes it in as his own. The two bond and love each other. But what happens when the young deer begins to eat the crops that the family live off of? Only tragedy can ensue.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;The Yearlingu0026quot; is a delicately handled film that encapsulates the best of 1800u0026#39;s living. And while this is deemed a u0026quot;family filmu0026quot;, there are some surprisingly difficult scenes and sub-plots that might be scary to some children. I know I was uncomfortable watching the animal fight scenes and the death of one of Jodyu0026#39;s close friends. And even though this has got to be one of the most predictable movies, the performances we get from Wyman, Peck and, especially Jarman, are stellar. In the movieu0026#39;s final emotional scenes, no one has been so convincing as Jarman in conveying heartache and mind-numbing trauma. And Wyman, while on the sidelines, is incredible as a woman afraid to open up and terrified to lose her one remaining child. On top of that, the cinematography is first-rate, with some stunning sunset shots and silhouettes set against the backdrop of rural America. And despite some off-kilter bits at the end revolving around Jody getting lost on the river and being found by a ship, u0026quot;The Yearlingu0026quot; is a solid and heart-warming film that has earned its place among the top Hollywood classics.”