If I was a young actor back in my day, I'd be in tears if I was told that I would be co-starring with the legendary Anne Bancroft, and I'd be writing down every piece of advice she (or anyone of her status) had to say. She doesn't pop up until half way through the film, and from there on, the four kids (led by the oldest and wisest, Kimberlee Peterson) seem to be in awe, never forgetting what they are there to do. They are abandoned by their mother in what seems to be a cruel way, but there's a valid reasoning behind it.
After a visit to their older cousin (Bonnie Bedelia) who plans to separate them, they head off to find Bancroft who as it turns out is their material grandmother, although the word is hardly mentioned. They stay on the pretense of helping her on her farm, and she's initially cold. No. Not cold. Frozen. But viewing them going through their daily chores brings out her hidden heart, shown when a sudden letter about her daughter arrives.
Usually films about kids can seem cloying or forced, but these kids are determined to stick together no matter what, and that brings out the best in Bancroft. She's no ordinary curmudgeon, and certainly not crazy like a gossipy, judgmental towns woman tells them. She's filled with so many regrets that have frozen her to a life of a reclusive woman, and as she has individual scenes with all the children occur, an amazing sweet lady is revealed. Little bits of humor lightens things up a bit, and yet never dominates the pathos so the result is a very touching drama, well written and directed, and a modern TV classic.
After a visit to their older cousin (Bonnie Bedelia) who plans to separate them, they head off to find Bancroft who as it turns out is their material grandmother, although the word is hardly mentioned. They stay on the pretense of helping her on her farm, and she's initially cold. No. Not cold. Frozen. But viewing them going through their daily chores brings out her hidden heart, shown when a sudden letter about her daughter arrives.
Usually films about kids can seem cloying or forced, but these kids are determined to stick together no matter what, and that brings out the best in Bancroft. She's no ordinary curmudgeon, and certainly not crazy like a gossipy, judgmental towns woman tells them. She's filled with so many regrets that have frozen her to a life of a reclusive woman, and as she has individual scenes with all the children occur, an amazing sweet lady is revealed. Little bits of humor lightens things up a bit, and yet never dominates the pathos so the result is a very touching drama, well written and directed, and a modern TV classic.