Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Fantastic!

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I should hate "little lord" ,its reactionary side and its obsolete grating moral.But I have got to make amends :this is irresistible ,the perfect Xmas gift for the whole family.Tons of finer feelings ,an adorable little boy we side with all the time,a grumpy granddaddy,in the mold of Dickens' Scroodge ,wonderfully played by sir Alec Guiness. What could you ask for more?perhaps a child's soul but is there a grown up who has not kept it?If he hasn't I pity him.I also love the mother who refuses charity and who wants to earn her living .These stories of the young child who was actually a rich heir were frequent in the nineteenth century: "the little princess" or the French "Sans Famille"

This adaptation of F.H. Burnett's novel features a very convincing Alec Guinness and manages to deliver the story in a very decent manner.Ricky Schroder was at the beginning of his "child star" period. His part in the movie is a bit overdone to my mind, but this might be due to the story and is probably done deliberately.I particularly liked the camera work. The wonderful British countryside was stunningly captured. This serves as a means of illustrating the strong contrast between the boy's urbanized life in New York and the rural dwellings in England. The audience is presented not only with picturesque images but also authentic depictions of how the poor peasants had to live in those days. This was conveyed as adequately as it was possible for a low budget production like this.The story is interesting and nicely staged, but again, maybe a bit overdone occasionally. This makes the movie a story for children rather than adults. The changes Alec Guinness goes through could have been presented in a more credible manner - he sheds his aristocratic rigor and austerity too quickly. Ricky Schroder again seems totally unaware of his grandfather's real character and is apparently living in a kind of ideal world he creates with his childish naivety. Again - this aspect and the interaction between the characters based on this premise is slightly surreal.The strengths of the movie are the messages and the exciting quest of Little Lord Fauntleroy to settle in to his aristocratic life - which he does in a very straightforward manner and with disarming charm.It is basically a very solid movie with a clear message: We need to look at things unbiasedly and make us aware that we can change the world for the good of all if we just make an effort. The movie does not aim at lofty commercial objectives but stays true to the novel and thus gives a considerably decent account of how even the most old-established system can change if you admit fresh air.Sometimes all it needs is a little fair-haired boy from Hester Street, NY.

I remember this film with great fondness. The film is full of well known British actors and American's Connie Booth and Ricky Schroder. I would dearly love to see this film again. I first saw it at the cinema, which would often show TV movies, and then it seemed to be shown on TV almost every Christmas.The music score was particularly good too and even now I can remember the wonderful theme.Another reason why I liked this film so much is that it was filmed locally to where I used to live. The castle scenes were filmed in and around Belvoir Castle in Lincolnshire (near Grantham), and where the Duke of Rutland resides. The shop/village scenes were filmed in the village of Exton, Rutland (near Oakham - my home town).Hope to see a DVD copy sometime! BTW would love to know Patrick Stewart's thoughts/memories on this film!

The young Rick(y) Schroder is delightful as the displaced and uprooted Little Lord Fauntleroy/Ceddie. Consider the beautiful English countryside as an important member of a stellar cast; mixed together it would be difficult to make anything but an excellent film. That innocent young Fauntleroy melts the heart of his cantankerous grandfather played by Alec Guinness is hardly surprising. It is the typical Christmas good overcoming evil theme in the best Charles Dickens tradition. It is the path of the film, the actors and the setting that make this a jewel. The plot goes something like this: Grandfather sends for grandson.Grandson assumes love, Grandfather is looking for an heir. Heir becomes loved grandson. There are subplots of grandfather not liking American mother/daughter-in-law and refusing to acknowledge her; the deplorable conditions of the estate's workers; and a contender for heir to the title and estate.I watched this gem when it first aired and have watched my poorly transferred VHS copy yearly since (in my household it wouldn't be Christmas without it).I long for this made-for-TV movie to be released on a remastered DVD.