The Yearling (1946)

A boy persuades his parents to allow him to adopt a young deer, but what will happen if the deer misbehaves?

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Paul Osborn (screen play), Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (based on the Pulitzer Prize novel by)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman Jr.

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gregory Peck	...	Penny Baxter
Jane Wyman	...	Orry Baxter
Claude Jarman Jr.	...	Jody Baxter
Chill Wills	...	Buck Forrester
Clem Bevans	...	Pa Forrester
Margaret Wycherly	...	Ma Forrester
Henry Travers	...	Mr. Boyles
Forrest Tucker	...	Lem Forrester
Donn Gift	...	Fodderwing

Storyline

The family of Civil War veteran Penny Baxter, who lives and works on a farm in Florida with his wife, Orry, and their son, Jody. The only surviving child of the family, Jody longs for companionship and unexpectedly finds it in the form of an orphaned fawn. While Penny is supportive of his son's four-legged friend, Orry is not, leading to heartbreaking conflict.

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Plot Keywords:

deer | fawn | coming of age | florida | killing an animal | 

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Taglines:

M-G-M's TECHNICOLOR Prize Picture

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

El despertar

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,200,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene about 70 minutes in, when Jody is running through the woods with the fawn and is joined by other deer, the music played is the Scherzo from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, meant to represent playful fairies of the forest.

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Goofs

Position of Jody's hands change when he hides his laugh after Ma tells a story during the storm.

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Quotes

Penny Baxter: [on the ocasion of the buryal of Fodderwing] Oh Lord. Almighty God. It ain't for us ignorant mortals to say what's right and what's wrong. Was any one of us to be doin' of it, we'd not of bring this poor boy into the world a cripple, and his mind teched. We'd of bring him in straight and tall like his brothers, fitten to live and work and do. But in a way o' speakin', Lord, you done made it up to him. You give him a way with the wild creatures. You give him a sort of wisdom, made him knowin' and...

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Crazy Credits

All scenes involving animals in this picture were made under the supervision and with the cooperation of the American Humane Association

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Alternate Versions

Reissued theatrically in the 1950s in a 94-minute version. This reissue print was also shown occasionally on television in the 1960s.

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Connections

Featured in 10 Items or Less (2006)

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Soundtracks

Koanga
(1895-7) (uncredited)
Music by Frederick Delius
Selections played in the score

User Reviews

One of the Most Beautiful Films Ever Made

One would have to be heartless not to be disarmed by this beautifully photographed, acted and realized story of a young boy's timeless, blissful childhood, represented by the yearling, and its inevitable end.

There is a stage in childhood, somewhere between the terrible twos and teens, when a boy or girl is without guile, believing that kindness and good intentions make everything right. Then, one day they discover that sometimes kindness and good intentions are not enough. That sometimes only death will put things right.

Directed by the great Clarence Brown, the entire film is a delight, but there are moments in it . . . the boy's night in a treehouse, with an ethereal little lame friend, when the boy discovers the faun, when they both gambol in the everglade. By all rights, scenes like these - and some of the lines - ought to make one cringe, but they don't. They are transcendent.

This is a family film. This means one for the whole family. See it with your kids. Learn from it as they do.