The Journey of Natty Gann
The Journey of Natty Gann | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jeremy Kagan |
Written by | Jeanne Rosenberg |
Produced by | Mike Lobell |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Silver Screen Partners II |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $8 million[1] |
Box office | $9.7 million (U.S. and Canada only)[2] |
The Journey of Natty Gann is a 1985 American
Plot
In 1935, teenage tomboy Natty Gann lives in Chicago with her unemployed widowed father, Sol. After being out of work because of the Great Depression, Sol applies for work as a lumberjack in Washington. However, to take the job, he must leave on almost no notice on a company bus. Unable to find Natty before departing, he leaves her a letter promising to send her the fare to join him as soon as he has earned it. Meanwhile, he makes arrangements with Connie, the shallow and insensitive innkeeper of their rooming-house, so Natty can stay on under Connie's temporary supervision.
After overhearing Connie reporting her as an abandoned child, Natty runs away to find her father on her own, embarking on a cross-country journey riding the rails along with other penniless travelers and
When Natty's father calls Connie, she tells him Natty is gone. In a later phone call, he is grieved to learn that Natty's wallet was found underneath a derailed freight train — unbeknownst to him, she survived the crash. He is given a week's leave from the lumber company to search through the wreckage for her, but to no avail. He returns to the
Arriving on the west coast, Natty's journey takes several more challenging turns. Harry finds work through the federal Works Progress Administration in San Francisco, but she declines his invitation to go with him, preferring to find her father. The logging operation does not list Sol Gann among their workers, but Natty is undeterred, searching fruitlessly for him by showing other loggers his photo in a pendant he has given her which is her last trace of her parents. Wolf hears the calls of other wolves nearby, and Natty tearfully tells him to go join his own kind. The company clerk catches her in one of the backwoods camps and makes arrangements for her to be sent back down the mountain for her own safety. The clerk then unexpectedly finds the returned letter her father had sent enclosing her train ticket to rejoin him and tells Natty of his location. Natty sets out on foot and sees a company truck pass by loaded with injured men. In the truck, she glimpses her father. She runs after it, calling out for him, but is eventually devastated when it outpaces her. She hears his voice call out for her and finds him standing in the road. They share an emotional embrace, with Wolf looking on from a nearby cliff.
Cast
- Meredith Salenger as Natty Gann
- Jed the Wolfdog as Wolf
- John Cusack as Harry
- Ray Wise as Sol Gann
- Lainie Kazan as Connie
- Scatman Crothers as Sherman
- Barry Miller as Parker
- Verna Bloom as Farm Woman
- John Finnegan as Logging Boss
- Garry Chalkas Chicago Worker
- Frank C. Turner as Farmer
- Gabrielle Rose as Exercise Matron
- Don S. Davis as Railroad Brakeman
- Alek Diakunas Station Master
- Grant Heslov as member of Parker's Gang
- Bruce M. Fischer as Charlie Linfield
- Jack Rader as Employment Agent
- Matthew Faison as Buzz
- Jordan Pratt as Frank
- Zachary Ansley as Louie
- Campbell Lane as Chicago Moderator
- Max Trumpower as Chicago Worker
- Douglas Podzun as Dog Fight Spectator
Home media
The film has been released in the United States on VHS in April 1986, then again in 2002. The DVD version was released using the pan and scan format.[5][6] The title was also made available for streaming and download in SD and HD versions (without pan and scan).[7][8] It was released on Blu-Ray as part of Disney's Movie Club on July 17, 2018.
Reception
The film received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 91%, based on 32 reviews, with a rating average of 7.13/10.[9] Critics praised the actors' performances and the film's portrayal of Depression-era life, while occasionally lamenting its pace and level of sentimentality.[10][11][12]
Accolades
At the
Music
Elmer Bernstein originally scored the picture, having to rewrite much of his material in the process; ultimately most of his music was replaced with a new score by James Horner.[15] Both scores were released on compact disc – Bernstein's in 2008 as part of a four-disc set of rejected scores by Varèse Sarabande (also including Gangs of New York and The Scarlet Letter) and Horner's in 2009 by Intrada Records.
References
- ^ https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57737-THE-JOURNEY-OF-NATTY-GANN
- ^ Box Office Mojo: The Journey of Natty Gann
- ^ LA Times: A Test Case For The Family Film October 19, 1985
- ^ "Team Disney--flying High In Burbank" July 28, 1985
- ^ Amazon: The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
- ^ The Journey of Natty Gann DVD Review
- ^ Can I Stream it?: The Journey of Natty Gann
- ^ Movies Anywhere: The Journey of Natty Gann
- ^ "The Journey of Natty Gann". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
- ^ LA Times: Movie Review: Grimness Of Heart In 'Natty Gann' Saga October 11, 1985
- ^ New York Times: FILM: TALE OF RUNAWAY, 'JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN' January 17, 1986
- ^ Variety-Review: "The Journey of Natty Gann" December 31, 1984
- ^ "7th Annual Awards". Archived from the original on 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2010-10-18. "Seventh Annual Youth in Film Awards 1984-1985"
- ^ "The 58th Academy Awards (1986) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- ^ Christian Clemmensen. "Filmtracks: The Journey of Natty Gann". Filmtracks. Retrieved February 11, 2015.