Main Cast: James Cromwell, Tantoo Cardinal, Joseph Ashton, Graham Greene
Release Year: 1997
Country: US
Run Time: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Richard Friedenberg scripted and made his directorial debut with this adaptation of Forrest Carter's 1992 award-winning coming-of-age novel detailing the Depression-era boyhood of an orphaned Cherokee, eight-year-old Little Tree (Joseph Ashton). Raised and tutored by his grandparents (Tantoo Cardinal, James Cromwell) in the Smokey Mountains of the 1930s, Little Tree encounters difficulties after authorities force him to attend the Notched Gap Indian School. Friedenberg later received an Oscar nomination for his A River Runs Through It screenplay. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Review
This quietly observed coming-of-age drama has much to recommend it, from the performances of all four leads to its eloquent observations of the natural world. If it falls short of classic status, it's because of its soft center. Little Tree's education consists of understanding "the Way," but the tenets of the Way remain vague and elusive. Clearly, it does involve a respect for nature, but where does Grandpa's moonshine business fit into that philosophy? (The best whiskey is the homemade kind?) It's also not clear if the Way involves home schooling, or if the isolation of the grandparents' cabin is to blame for their charge not attending public school. Both Grandpa's well-known business and Little Tree's failure to attend school lead to the boy's consignment to the Notch Gap Indian School. And why do the grandparents attend a church that preaches hatred against Jews and Catholics and invites an oily politician to make a campaign stop? The film's inability to address these contradictions is disappointing, though not a fatal flaw. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
Peter Stratford - Art Director, Vera Miller - Casting, Rene Haynes - Casting, Louise Gendron - Co-producer, Lenny Young - Co-producer, Renee April - Costume Designer, David Allen McLeod - First Assistant Director, Richard Friedenberg - Director, Wayne Wahrman - Editor, Mark Isham - Composer (Music Score), Dan Bishop - Production Designer, Anastas Michos - Cinematographer, Jake Eberts - Producer, Claude Hazanavicius - Sound/Sound Designer, Richard Friedenberg - Screenwriter, Forrest Carter - Book Author
