Bless the Beasts & Children (1971)

A group of social misfits at a summer camp for boys run away to save penned-in buffaloes from a rifle club's slaughter.

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writers:

Glendon Swarthout (novel), Mac Benoff (screenplay)

Stars:

Bill Mumy, Barry Robins, Miles Chapin

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Mumy	...	Lawrence Teft
Barry Robins	...	Cotton
Miles Chapin	...	Shecker
Darel Glaser	...	Goodenow
Robert Jayson Kramer	...	Lally 1 (as Bob Kramer)
Marc Vahanian	...	Lally II
Jesse White	...	Sid Shecker
Ken Swofford	...	Wheaties
David Ketchum	...	Camp Director (as Dave Ketchum)
Elaine Devry	...	Cotton's Mother
Wayne Sutherlin	...	Hustler
Bruce Glover	...	Hustler
William Bramley	...	Mr. Goodenow
Vanessa Brown	...	Mrs. Goodenow
Charles H. Gray	...	Captain Cotton

Storyline

A group of social misfits at a summer camp for boys run away to save penned-in buffaloes from a rifle club's slaughter.

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Plot Keywords:

bison | summer camp | boys' camp | rifle | child | 

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Taglines:

Who were the misfits? The men who killed for sport... ...or those who fought for the buffalo!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1971 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Denkt bloß nicht, daß wir heulen

Filming Locations:

190 W Aubrey St., Prescott, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the 1970 novel "Bless the Beasts and the Children" by Glendon Swarthout.

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Goofs

Near the end, after the buffalo are set free, the boys throw their arms around one another in a circle and spin. When the shot moves from wide to close up, the boys are in a different order in the circle.

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Quotes

Goodenow: I think I'm going to like it here. The other cabins, everybody was so normal.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Being from Another Planet (1992)

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Soundtracks

Bless the Beasts and Children
Performed by The Carpenters
Written by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin Jr.

User Reviews

Symbolism and personal ties to this movie.

Many of the comments written about this film do not even recognize the multitude of symbolic layers this movie encompasses. Of course it is clear that the killing of the buffalo and the killing of the human spirit of children is an apparent theme throughout the movie. One is symbolic of the other. We empathize with those who are shunned from society but who triumph against all odds to make a difference in this world. As the title song suggests "they have no choice, they have no voice". I find it especially interesting that this movie came out in 1971. Our country was enmeshed in a political upheaval from our involvement in the Viet Nam war. Well, children were sent to fight and kill whether they liked it or not. They had no choice, they had no voice. I was 5 years old when my brother, Alan, was sent to fight at Viet Nam. He would be there for a year and a half and return a completely different person. I believe Alan's spirit died in Viet Nam along with all the other "children". My other brother, however, would be, "Cotton", the starring role in the movie, "Bless the Beasts and Children". I was 7 when I saw the screening preview for the actors and others who worked on this film. I was so proud of Barry. The end made my mother and I cry every time. I knew it was just a movie (my mother assuring me "it's just ketchup, Elizabeth, not real blood")...but maybe, for me, it was a way to prepare. It was what was to become a reality for me. Only 15 years later, I would watch my brother die. The irony was that what surrounded his death was also that he was an "outcast", "different from others", "a societal reject" - similar to the character he played and the theme of Bless the Beasts. In 1986 Barry died from complications from the AIDS virus. It was pretty early on when people were diagnosed with this, so me and my mother told everyone it was cancer - fearful of their reaction at that time. But the true ending of the movie wasn't just that someone died. It is that he did what he believed in despite all odds. Even at seven I could see the triumph as the buffalo were set free. He did it! He accomplished his goal! And you know what? In my brother's life that ended too soon...he, too, accomplished his goal. He was an amazing actor and an amazing person who touched the lives of everyone who knew him.