Pollyanna (1960)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Best movie ever!

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

This Disney movie charms me now as much as it did...when I watched it -- Sunday Nights (in two parts surely) on "The Wonderful World of Disney" - on TV years ago!Read the other reviews to get details. It's a fine family movie, but unless you "need" some gratuitous scenes, the story will reach anyone!"Pollyanna" is a fine adaptation of "Pollyanna" the novel, a huge 1913 bestseller. This film represents...Walt Disney at his best...with quality actors (wow...just put the top 10 actors' names into IMDb and see how IMPRESSIVE each actor is!!!) The story's essence is captured well in a quality script...and a believable young "Pollyanna" in Hayley Mills. (Note...her father was a great actor also - Sir John Mills.) Am GLAD that Hayley Mills got a special child's Oscar. She deserved it.So Pollyanna wins over her town...and young "tween" Hayley Mills tames Aunt Polly (Jane Wyman), as well as Karl Malden, Adolphe Menjou, Donald Crisp, and many, many other fine actors.

Considering that Pollyanna was his debut, writer and director David Swift does a very good job here. Pollyanna does have its faults, but it is a solid adaptation of a charming book.Where Pollyanna isn't so strong is in the length and the pacing. At over 2 hours, the film is a little too long, while the film does move fairly slowly. My final flaw is that twenty minutes or so before the end, the tone changes and this change was somewhat jarring.Nonetheless, Pollyanna is exquisitely filmed with stunning cinematography, costumes and scenery, and the music is lovely. The script is well written and the story still has its charm. The direction is as solid as the film itself, while the acting is very good. Hayley Mills gives a spirited performance in the title role, while Agnes Moorehead comes very close to stealing the film. Karl Malden, Jane Wyman and Adolphe Menjou also do great turns as the cheerless citizens whose lives are transformed by Pollyanna.Overall, has its faults but it is a solid and charming film. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A little orphan named Pollyanna (Hayley Mills with her English accent intact) goes to live with her strict (but sweet) Aunt Polly (Jane Wyman). She's so nauseatingly sweet that all the mean old people in the town find warmth, love and happiness through her. Yuck! Even for Disney this is syrupy.This is a typical live action Disney film. Everybody talks in a G rated way, all the mean (but secretly nice) adults end up being sweet and kind and all the kids are ridiculously cute and "lovable". The story itself is just ridiculous--even for Disney. A little orphan spreading peace and love all around. Sheesh! The acting is pretty bad too. Talented actors like Wyman, Richard Egan and Karl Malden (as a priest!) can do little with the lousy dialogue. Mills is terrible also --but she was only 14 when she did this. Only Agnes Moorehead manages a performance. The film also moves VERY slow--it runs over 2 hours! Also the last 20 minutes are so unbelievably manipulative I actually felt like throwing something heavy at the TV! Too long, too sweet and too unbelievable. This gets a 2 for Moorehead alone.

Pollyanna comes to live with her aunt, who practically owns the town because of her immense wealth, and spreads good cheer everywhere she goes. Pleasant Disney entry is good entertainment for the family. Mills is cute in the title role and she is surrounded by a fine cast of familiar faces, including Wyman as the domineering aunt, Egan as an earnest doctor, Malden as a fiery preacher, Olson as love-sick maid, Menjou as a disgruntled old man, and Moorehead as a cantankerous old woman. The change in tone towards the end is somewhat jarring and it becomes overly sentimental, but for the most part it is quite enjoyable.