FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Hitchcoc This movie is based on a book by excellent American novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. It has to do with a family living on a farm many years ago. They are just barely making it and are having to deal with thieves and other threats to their farm. Jodi is a young boy, the only surviving son after many childhood deaths. He is a bright, kind boy, but his mother has turned harsh from all her tribulations. He longs for a pet, but there is barely enough for the family to eat. When a doe dies the fawn is removed and Jodi takes care of it. The problem is that the little critter can't stay away from the family's corn crop. The ending to this film is really quite sad and real. There was little sentiment in the West when a bit of food could be the difference between life and death. Gregory Peck is excellent as the father who would love to provide better for his family. A classic American story.

ducatimatz28 Since I wasn't born until 1949,I never had the opportunity to see this film at a Movie Theater.When it was shown on television I had the same reaction many people had.Tearing up when Jody had to shoot his beloved pet Deer that his Mother had shot and wounded.Knowing how much he had loved this animal and was willing to sacrifice to be able to keep him made me think of how much we get attached to our own pets whether a Dog,Cat,Bird,whatever! Our love and concern for something that doesn't work,doesn't pay rent,sleeps much of the day,sometimes has accidents on the Floor etc. but still gives us indiscribable Devotion and pleasure.Claude Jarman Jr's performance in this picture can only be rated as outstanding considering this was his very first picture. The emotions he could express on his face through out the movie were riveting and heartwarming.I'm sure many Movie Audiences leaving theaters in 1946 were wiping away tears.I see why he was given a special Academy award for his performance.If all animal owners showed the love,care,devotion,empathy, that Jody had for his beloved pet deer; we wouldn't need organization like the ASPCA...Great Heartwarming Film that all should see at least once...s.m.

zetes I'm probably going to engender a lot of hate for my opinion on this one. I know it's one of the most beloved children's films of all time, but I found it terribly mawkish and boring. Most of my dislike for the film comes from the central performance of Claude Jarman Jr. I hate to say that, because I think he's fantastic in the cinematic adaptation of Faulkner's Intruder in the Dust, and he's perfectly good in John Ford's Rio Grande, too. But, as a 12 year-old actor in The Yearling, he comes off as functionally retarded. I'm guessing the kid in the original novel was younger than 12, but this kid doesn't look any younger than 12, and no 12 year-old kid should be this stupid, pioneer times or not. I'm also pretty sure he was having sex with the deer. I mean, look at the kid's face when he first finds it (I wish I had done a screen capture). And later he's sleeping with the deer, and his mom even says he smells like the thing. If I were her, I'd be checking his pubes for ticks. Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman, who play Jarman's parents, come off a lot better (both were nominated for Oscars), but they're saddled with some awful, faux-archaic dialogue. This film holds the records for the most uses of the word "taint" outside of a gay porno film. And Wyman can come off as an awful bitch sometimes. For good reason, I suppose. I'd be pretty mad that my 12 year-old son was so freaking stupid, too. Jarman's lucky she didn't take him out, too, Lenny-style. By the way, I absolutely love the IMDb trivia bit that says Wyman's real-life daughter wouldn't talk to her for two weeks after she saw the movie. The film also doesn't work for me because I grew up in a place where deer were plentiful - sure, I can enjoy Bambi, but real deer are about the most infuriating animal on the planet. They're vermin. Sure, the baby deer is cute, but as soon as the deer starts eating my corn, I'd turn it into venison tout suite.

crootnik This movie is on my top 10 favorite movies list. Parents, I would suggest that those of you with young ones, should refrain from letting them view it. If you do not, you will have a very inconsolable youngster on hand, during the final act of this movie. Anyone older that 14 or 15 should be able to handle the tragic ending.The book and movie's title: "The Yearling" refers to the boy, not the deer.The ending is not all tied up in one big happy family group hug. The movie suggests, that in order to grow, the boy had to suffer. Up to that point, he had been shielded by his father from life's hurt and hardship. Taking the punishment, means the boy took a punishment from life, not a punishment from the father. The final monologue from Gregory Peck is mesmerizing and extremely poignant. This is a Five Star movie. Small wonder that it won so many Oscars.