All Mine to Give (1957)
This is a story based on fact that follows a husband and wife who emigrate from Scotland to Wisconsin in the 1850s. They work very hard and become welcome citizens of their new town, Eureka. They have six children. They prosper in the husband's boat-building business. But when their eldest is 12, tragedy strikes the family, and the 12-year-old is burdened with a terrible task which he handles as well as any adult could.
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Excellent but underrated film
A Masterpiece!
It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Review Date 1/16/2018PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN. Now Someone keeps reporting my reviews. I guess they are jealous because I do tell the truth. I want to point out that I never make snide remarks about actors weight or real life sexual orientation. If there acting is terrible or limited "I talk about that". If a story is bad "I will mention that" So why am I being "picked on"? IMDB? When one of my reviews gets deleted IMDB will not even tell me what someone found offensive. Well on to this review.I have never herd of this film it was part of 4 DVD pack of what Warner Brothers Stated as "Four Holiday Classic Films".This film starts off as a pioneer story. Two Newly Weds making a home in America without a dime to their name. Before long they have 6 children. The mother names all of the children after her brothers and sisters.The last 30 minutes of this film sends this into a different direction. The 6 children are now to be separated after the death of their parents. The oldest child seeks homes before the state takes them away. If they do that he might never see any of them again!This film was very slow. The last 30 minutes is very heartbreaking! The makers of this film should have made the main about a boy seeking a home for his siblings. Instead we get an hour of a pioneers!
This has all the characteristics of "Little House on the Prairie", focusing on newcomers to a small community where they make both friends and foes, work hard, have a ton of children and even more tragedies. There's the kindly minister, doctor, giving women of the town, and one interfering busy body who is the poster hag for good intentions are the pathways to hell.Instead of being already parents, newcomers Glynis Johns and Cameron Mitchell are Scottish immigrants who have come to see her uncle, unfortunately recently deceased in a fire. They decide to remain to give their unborn child a home, and before long, there are six of them. Papa passes on, and with mama ailing, it seems that they will soon need to be placed in other homes. Nasty Reta Shaw, who has been a thorn in John's side since the very beginning (think Mrs. Olsen without humor) begins to follow what she believes her Christian duty to be, obviously only going to make things worse.People on the prairie faced many hardships, whether it be the weather, financial or medical, and with one child suffering from diphtheria and Johns from typhoid, their tragedies seem insurmountable. Of the children, Rex Thompson and Patty McCormick stand out the most. Johns is also excellent, with Mitchell often funny, especially when dealing with boss Alan Hale Jr., a strong Irishman who hates Scotts. This is a story of survival, family sticking together even when the worst has happened and it's only the children. Shaw's hateful character deserves old fashioned hisses, a contrary to the hugs audiences wanted to give her as the lovable Mabel in the same year's film version of "The Pajama Game".The beautiful snowy photography is another plus, showing both the danger and magnificence of it. I wouldn't recommend going into this film without Kleenex as many moments occur that could bring on a flood of tears.
The kids are the best actors, here. The kids are easy to relate to. You are bound to see shades of your own childhood in one or all of them. This movie is heartwarming, heart-wrenching, thoughtful and hard not to like. It begs a person to search their heart. You will find yourself asking how strong mentally, morally and emotionally mature you could have been at the tender age of 12 or younger. It will also make you appreciate how far we have come with our strides in Medicine. It should also give you a profound respect for those that went before that endured tougher times than we have or ever will see.Think, "The Yearling" meets "The Little House on the Prairie".
You ever notice how often characters in movies will beat each other up (in this case it is Cameron Mitchell and the Skipper) and then start laughing only to become buddies. I have never seen this happen in real life. Has it ever happened in real life? Not that most movies ever aspire to real life. As a matter of fact, I don't trust movies that aspire to real life. That's why I'm okay with mountains in Wisconsin. I will say that this movie reminded me of a story my grandma once told me. One day one hundred years ago or so, a young boy showed up crying in front of where my grandma lived. Her dad, who was an immigrant from Sweden, asked what was wrong, and the boy said his parents were dead. My grandma's dad said, "You can stay with with us." And so the boy became one of the family. My grandma told me when the boy reached a certain age he just took off and was never heard from again. I sometimes wonder what happened to the kid.