The People (1972)
A young woman is assigned to teach school in a secluded valley whose inhabitants appear stern, secretive and anti-pleasure. Following two children who disappear to play in the woods, she finds that this is actually a community of extraterrestrials with mild paranormal powers who are attempting to repress and deny their heritage for fear of arousing prejudice and hatred in their human neighbors. Based on a series of novels by the late Zenna Henderson.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
That was an excellent one.
Fantastic!
Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
I saw this movie when I was about 12 yrs. old and always loved it, always remembered it. I forgot that William Shatner was in it, but I do remember it was "Miri" from Star Trek who was the teacher. I'm so glad, thanks to google, that I was able to track this down. I will always remember the scene in the woods, where the children play the harmonica, and they start rising into the trees, flying happily, and free. What an image! For a "movie of the week" I couldn't understand why it impressed me so much, so of course now that I see Coppola involved with it, it all makes sense. He's the director of my favorite film, "The Godfather." I'm sure that when I view "The People" again, as an experienced 43 yr. old, I'll see different things and probably be more discriminating, now that I'm more on republican, conservative side of things, as I was in my teens, when I loved all things hippie. But the main story was so cool, and I would love to see it again. Kim Darby has such a hauntingly beautiful, gentle voice and manner, and good ol' Cpt. Kirk was such a fox, back in those days! Also, as I recall, the harmonica song was very pretty.
Kim Darby plays a teacher who is hired to teach in a small isolated town inhabited by a group who appear to be similar to the Shakers or the Amish. Even though the people of the town obviously have different values and rules to live by, Darby's character shows not only incredible ignorance, but intolerance as she dismisses everyone's ideas other than her own. She repeatedly tries to get the children to sing and play music. When they don't, she gets angry at them. Three costume changes later, she is still harping on them. What sort of time frame is this - a few days, weeks, months? Why is still trying to force the children to play music? Doesn't she have any respect for their beliefs? William Shatner is a local doctor, and is not in the film enough to make it enjoyable.
This movie is nothing if not sincere. It takes you on a bit of an emotional journey. First you want the heroine to get out of there and give these goof balls up. Then as she understands them a little better-you do too. A totally unexpected response. One can see the slow transformation of these kids and you begin to like them and root for the teacher. I watched this movie for the first time yesterday and I liked this movie, though I had never even heard of it before. Miss Darby has that simple charm and shy beauty that is rare for any one in Hollywood.
I stumbled upon this movie years ago, shortly after having read the book upon which it is based. Being a young kid then, with a crush on Kim Darby, I was just enchanted to see this movie. Of course seeing it again as an adult reveals it for what it is, a nice try that fell a bit short.