Tom Sawyer (1930 film)
| Tom Sawyer | |
|---|---|
 Original poster | |
| Directed by | John Cromwell |
| Written by | Grover Jones William Slavens McNutt Sam Mintz |
| Based on | The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1876 novel by Mark Twain |
| Produced by | Louis D. Lighton |
| Starring | Jackie Coogan Junior Durkin Mitzi Green |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Edited by | Alyson Shaffer |
| Music by | Ralph Rainger |
Production company | Paramount Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Tom Sawyer is a 1930 American
The film was the third screen adaptation of the Twain novel, following silent versions released in 1907 and 1917.
A sequel, Huckleberry Finn, directed by Norman Taurog and featuring most of the Tom Sawyer cast, was released the following year.[1]
Plot
After arguing with his sweetheart,
When Tom is caught lying about stealing his half-brother Sid's crabapples, his
Together with Huck and
At Muff Potter's trial, Tom admits the truth about the murder, but Injun Joe manages to escape. While attending the school picnic near a cavern, Tom and Becky decide to explore it and get lost. As they try to find their way out, they stumble upon Injun Joe and a chest of gold. While angrily pursuing the two children, he falls into a crevasse and is killed. Huck finds Tom and Becky and leads them to safety, together with the treasure.
Cast
- Jackie Coogan as Tom Sawyer
- Junior Durkin as Huckleberry Finn
- Becky Thatcher
- Schoolteacher
- Muff Potter
- Aunt Polly
- Mary
- Ethel Wales as Mrs. Harper
- Joe Harper
- Sid
- Jane Darwell as Widow Douglas
- Injun Joe
- Charles Sellon as Minister
- Lon Poff as Judge Thatcher
Critical reception
Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times said of the film, "It is an extraordinarily faithful conception of the book, and while there are of necessity certain omissions and other parts that receive but scant attention, the main incidents are included in a detailed fashion. It is wonderfully interesting to see Mark Twain's characters come to the talking screen, for if there are minor discrepancies, they are unimportant . . . Jackie Coogan's Tom Sawyer is excellent . . . In fact, the whole cast is unusually competent. Mr. Cromwell's direction is imaginative and restrained. The result is that this picture is one of the few that can be seen with appreciation and enjoyment, even immediately after reading the book over again."[2]
However, this version was eventually superseded only eight years later by David O. Selznick's 1938 Technicolor remake of the novel, which, true to Selznick's legendary fastidiousness, boasted not only better performances but a far more cinematic style than the fixed-camera early talkie look of the original. The cave sequence in the 1938 version is noted for being one of the most terrifying sequences in a family motion picture, with Becky Thatcher (Ann Gillis) toppling over into hysteria after the death of Injun Joe (Victor Jory).[3]
Sequels
Coogan and Durkin reprised their roles as Tom and Huck in Huckleberry Finn and the box office success of the two pictures led Paramount Pictures to announce Tom Sawyer, Detective and Tom Sawyer Abroad would be the next films in the series. But in April 1931, Variety reported both projects were being postponed for a year because the studio was concerned about having too many children's films in the marketplace. Tom Sawyer Abroad was never produced, but Paramount did film Tom Sawyer, Detective in 1938 with Billy Cook as Tom and Donald O'Connor as Huck.
References
- ^ a b Tom Sawyer at etext.virginia.edu
- ^ New York Times review
- ^ "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)". Tcm.com. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
