Let Him Who Retains Nothing Of The Child Cast The First Stone

Rating: 10/10 (16 November 2009)

It's almost impossible to imagine that this movie opened to ho hum box office and didn't make a cent for anyone involved creatively - which is not the same as saying those 'creative' accounts who can prove Gone With The Wind lost money didn't ensure that some cream found its way into the coffers of RKO - and it took several years and TV to turn it into an international favourite. I saw it myself first on TV knowing very little about it other than the names Stewart, Capra, etc and I was totally blown away. I bought the DVD two or three years ago but didn't get around to watching it until now, and you know what, it STILL blew me away, me who likes to think he's streetwise and has a healthy does of cynicism in his make up and objects to being manipulated but with quality like this you just have to roll over and play dead. EVERYTHING about it works, it's like a symphony with not one bum note. What more can anyone say about the story, the writing, the direction, the acting, all beyond superlatives. Right up there with Citizen Kane though light years different. A ten going away.