Clevercell Very disappointing...

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Peter Hansen I saw this movie when I was nine. It had a huge impact on me and so did Tracy Hyde. I just bought it recently, and at 54 I still had the same feelings I did back then.The soundtrack is so powerful, and The mighty BeeGees are a huge credit to this moving Movie. I find it difficult not to weep when the 1st of May comes on. Awesome, Awesome, Awesome

stephennoel Pure nostalgia, yes I was a youngster in love at a ridiculous age, we use to meet in secret, awkward kisses and infatuation, so I can relate to this film. Well acted, and well written, innocent times in the 1950's early 60's but still a potent reminder. Rumour had it Mark and Jack didn't get on during the filming or after and none of them really moved on except for Jack who's life was tragically cut short.Purely for nostalgics like myself, sentimental, soppy if you like, but none the less a good film and well done by all. I have my own copy now and the theme tune alone, the Bee Gees, is worth listening too, even today.

harryelsucio1212 I saw this film last night for the first time. It was shown in the original English with Spanish subtitles on a local station which must have got it very cheap if not gratis. I quite enjoyed it for various reasons. Firstly, because, although my own schooldays considerably predate the time it is set in (contemporary with the production date,1971), it seemed, apart from the literally riotous ending, to mirror faithfully what was going on in a "good" grammar school both in that era and mine - alas, difficult to find these days in a England which, regrettably, is generally considered to have the most ill-behaved and foulmouthed children in the whole of Europe. (As a former, normally expatriate, teacher who did odd stints in mainstream British secondary education, I know this from bitter experience).I was also interested to see James Cossins with whom I used to share a boarding house in Kingston-upon-Hull, when he was in repertory and I was a student. Even then he specialised in old bores who either were upper-class or pretending to be. His face, at age 25, was already distorted by the grimaces he constantly made to achieve this effect. A competent actor, his career never reached the higher echelons but at least he occasionally appeared with the greats of Hollywood and Elstree and in this opus ,which rather unjustly failed at the box office, they at least put him in charge as Headmaster Roy Kinnear, whose appearances in the satirical show of the 60's, "That was the week that was" with Sir David Frost, and as the fat British Army detainee in "The Hill" with Sean Connery are unforgettable, gives a very credible performance as the somewhat coarse but likable father of the young heroine. Did anybody else notice that his wife mentions he was "out on bail"? Kate Hallet, who plays his wife, is authentic as a loving working class Lambeth mum, which I can vouch for since I come from those parts, whilst Sheila Steafel is good as the slightly snobbish and rather distrait, but basically loving and well-meaning, middle-class mother of the young hero. Jack Wild is not as successful here as he was as the Artful Dodger in the musical "Oliver" but is convincing and interesting.The pure and naïve love affair between the main protagonists Mark Lester eponymous hero of "Oliver" and Tracy Hyde, a truly lovely child, is handled very well, and - they don't even kiss - would seem improbable today in an England with the European record for teenage pregnancies. Two points puzzle me, however: 1) Why should a boy get "six of the best" with a slipper(for younger and non-British readers, this refers to corporal punishment)for not preparing his Latin homework, whereas playing truant (Amer. hooky) and going down to the seaside for the day with his girlfriend goes unpunished despite being compounded by gross impertinence to the headmaster?2) How is it possible that such a crowd of normally well-behaved children should suddenly turn on their teachers who approach the truants on the legitimate task of herding them back to school, half undress the head, and even blow up one of their cars!? Some of the staff seem to be rather incompetent, but hardly deserving of such reprisals, and the head is a softy (perhaps there is a moral there). But as Clint Eastwood says to the injured sheriff Gene Hackman whose brains he is about to blow out in "Unforgiven" :"Deserving has got nothing to do with it". As a last, quite trivial point ,I was convinced that the man with the bandaged head on the black and white TV screen was Sir John Gielgud, and thought he could only have taken such a minor part for fun, but it appears to have been someone called Neil Hellett imitating him. A good idea because the upper-crust, dulcet tones from the telly contrast with and cleverly underline the mundane, Estuary English conversation of Melody's working-class family.

Raj Doctor I came across this eternal beauty of a movie today. Some movies just pierce your heart and stay there forever. This is one of those sorts of the movie. For the best experience this movie should be watched at the age between 9-12 years – and it would change the entire perspective and outlook of life.The movie is about a 10-year-old boy and a girl – Daniel (Mark Lester) and Melody (Tracy Hyde); who fall in love and want to get married. The story revolves around their growing up years at home, at school and outdoors. In the end, Daniel's friend Ornshaw (Jack Wild) helps the eager boy-girl couple to get married by playing the pastor performing their marriage ceremony.There are so many great moments in the film that take you right through your childhood age, and for those who had their momentary love flicks at that age would cherish the movie more.The movie is shot beautifully in the city of London and its outskirts. The best part of the movie is its music by Bees Gees.This movie is more remembered for the first time original scripting by Alan Parker; but I would give the true credit of the movie to the Director Waris Hussein, who tragically is hardly mentioned in reviews or his name is mentioned in small fonts in the posters. Waris has done a brilliant job in being sensitive to the emotions of children. In his career he made 5 movies from 1969 to 1972 and this was one of them. After 1972 he has engaged himself with Television.Till date, this movie – especially its heroine Tracy Hyde is such a craze in Japan that in a team was sent to UK and later to France to trace her.Both the child actors though initially successful, have left acting now. Both are divorced and re-married. Mark Lester lives in US and works as an Osteopath, and Tracy Hyde is still beautiful and stays with her husband and children in a small town of Villers Bocage.This movie brought back to me memories of – Summer of 42 – a movie that I saw when I was 17 years old and still gives me Goosebumps even today – while thinking of it. Melody is such kind of experience. If you have 9-12 years kids, get the DVD of this movie and show it to your children. If you have 14-18 years old boy, get the DVD and show Summer of 42 to him.Movie magic works wonders – it penetrates your heart and stays for a life time. Melody is one of that kind of a movie. It will remain with you forever and turn you into a hopeless romantic.(Stars 8 out of 10)