Seven Alone (1974)

To me, this movie is perfection.

How sad is this?

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A pioneer family heads out west. All of them are likable enough except for the oldest boy, John Sager, whom, if I were working on this family's farm, he would be found hanging from the nearest tree by nightfall.A perennial bully, John Sager isn't worth the stink of the farts he pushes out. His lazy, lying, loathsome presence wouldn't make good fertilizer, but the parents (Dewey Martin and Anne Collings) haven't quite given up on the little sonuvabitch yet.Other poor souls who must contend with John's evil and hateful self are Billy Shaw (James Griffiths) and Kit Carson (Dean Smith). Most of the children in the film are real-life siblings, but the best actress of these is the non-related little girl, Debbie Van Orden.Passable family fare. Good performances by Martin, Collings, and Smith.

Really a great family film for the whole entire family. As saw this as an fifth grader at school. Really a touching movie about a family that is wanting to have a really better life over in Oregon.But things really in the middle get very complicated. As both parents die on the way to Oregon. The father over a blood illness after an Indian attack and the mother from pneumonia.As the oldest brother John, described as worthless and lazy from not just his father but the other adults on the Oregon trail. As the other people in the wagon train go back to Missouri feeling that going to Oregon is only going to make it worse.And they do not get or want the kids along with them. As John takes the lead and tries to make the dream a possibility despite butting heads with other siblings. But still, really a good family film!

As one who grew up in Oregon and remembers reading in history about the Sager children on the Oregon Trail, this film has personal sentimental value.I agree completely with the other reviewer's comments regarding the flaws in this film. Yes, it does seem very low budget and amateurish, especially by today's standards. There are some fairly believable scenes here and there, but the true greatness of this film is in its historical value. The fact that this adventure profiles a family during the great migration on the Oregon trail, using real characters, not made-up ones, to do so is unique. It seems today's great epics, Titanic, Pearl Harbor, etc. tend to rely on fictional characters that pollute the authenticity of the real story. The irony is that real people are far more interesting and compelling as well as being more believable.The real Sager story is a great one and deserves a good telling using the best available. I'd like to see it attempted again with better writing, acting, and production. Unfortunately, Hollywood's recent track record for remakes is mixed at best and I wouldn't hold my breath expecting such a remake to be even as true to the facts as this one was.In spite of its flaws, this film is a must see for anyone wanting to know about the history of the Oregon Trail though films. Any collection of Oregon Trail related films will include it.Roger

This film was actually based on a true story of a families adventure on the Oregon trail. It was told to the writer by one of the actual daughters in the turn of the century. It is clearly not politically correct. (Nor was the frontier in 1843.) The family was actually following a structure based on the Bible. The Natives were called Indians and were not happy to see their land being taken, or their game shot. So they fought back, killed and stole what they could. The white settlers were clearly ignorant and it shows. (wow, what a surprise!) That said, my children were clearly entertained (as they were with "Against a crooked sky") A capable cast, most of the children were relatives in real life. No real standouts but fun. The ending was a bit abrupt, I was left wondering, is that it? Filmed on location so it has some nice cinematography.