Bless the Beasts & Children

Plot synopsis:
The central characters in Bless the Beasts and Children are six adolescent boys, whose preoccupied parents send them off to the Arizona Box Canyon Boys Camp for the summer. John Cotton leads this bunch of “misfits” who are all, to varying degrees, emotionally or psychologically disturbed. Cotton’s group, composed of rejects and outcasts from the other cabins, is known as the “Bedwetters” and the boys are constantly demeaned and ridiculed, which inevitably crushes what little self-esteem they possessed in the first place.
Cotton, through trial and tribulation, becomes the leader of this tight-knit group, and he sets out to mold his followers into a unit that commands respect rather than derision. Of course it’s a formidable task in view of the fragile psychological state of the small group, which includes two warring dysfunctional brothers who are known as “Lally 1” and “Lally 2.” Lally 1 reacts to threats against his emotional security by throwing violent temper tantrums, often directed as his younger brother Lally 2, who in the face of these attacks plunges himself into a fantasy world that is filled with tiny creatures he calls Ooms, and seeks solace in the scorched foam rubber pillow he always carries.
Lawrence Teft III is shown in the film as quiet and sullen, but when confronted with authority he is rebellious. Before he came to camp, one of Teft’s favorite adventures had been stealing cars, but because of his father’s “connections” he was never arrested for his offenses. Hoping that he will learn some self-discipline which will make him worthy of attending Exeter or Dartmouth, his parents enroll him in the camp.
Cotton’s group also includes Sammy Shecker, and overweight, paranoid Jewish boy, whose father is a successful comedian who trades upon the Jewish stereotype. Much to the annoyance of the other boys, Sammy mimics his father’s routines and compulsively bites his nails and is loud, nervous and obnoxious. The designation “Bedwetters” applies especially well to Gerald Goodenow, the sixth member of the group, who often wets the bed at night–a behavior that gets him ejected from two cabins before Cotton takes him in tow. Bedwetting, however, seems to be the least of Gerald’s problems, as he suffers from a phobic reaction to school, which results in several unsuccessful sessions with a psychiatrist. Goodenow is also handicapped by a heavy-handed stepfather who is determined to make a man out of him, by physical force if necessary.
Kramer and his screenwriter Mac Benoff decided to compromise Swarthout’s time sequence by having the entire film set in the present with flashbacks into the past of all the boys, to explicate their presence at the camp. Whereas Swarthout’s novel – thematically powerful though it is- is episodic and difficult for some six-graders to follow, the Kramer film flows almost faultlessly to its tragic conclusion. The plight of the American buffalo and any other endangered species is at the center of the film’s focus. Almost predictably, the dysfunctional group, under Cotton’s guidance, set out to free a large heard of the bison, after they witness their perverted macho camp counselor “Wheaties” shooting the animals in a festive (and deeply disturbing) western lottery, which is given validation as a proper method to thin out the large numbers by eliminating the ‘weak’ or ‘sick’ buffalo. Of course, the buffalo are not the only targets of this destructive urge, as the Bedwetters–similarly–have been have also been “tamed,” “penned” and crushed in spirit. As a result of their parents’ neglect, they have been turned into psychological misfits. Ridiculed and rejected by the other boys in the camp, they are forced to cling even more strongly to their deviant behavior. The boys’ pilgrimage to free the buffalo is also a search for freedom.
Cotton perceives that success will free the boys of psychological crutches and allow each to stand alone in defense of self. Cotton sacrifices his life not only for the buffalo but for the boys he has led to this one miraculous triumph. The implication at the end of the film is that the remaining boys are no longer “dings” and “weirdos”, as they have all gained a sense of pride in their abilities and have saved themselves, as well as the buffalo from extinction. The title of the film (and novel) exemplifies the dual yet unified nature of the theme. Both beasts and children need to be free to roam, to develop and to discover, but the freedom that is given to the buffalo at the film’s conclusion is worthless because their very natures have been altered by man. Outside the fence of the preserve, the tame buffalo will never find wild plains and grasslands on which to roam and their natural habitat, as well as their natural spirit has been destroyed. The children, however, have regained their spirit and independence and eventually they will triumph over the fear instilled in them by their parents and society. But it’s conspicuous that they will require the love and compassion of others.

Tags: satire, murder, flashback

Review:
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.
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.
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.
The movie may not have interpreted the true spirit of the book, but I do think Stanley Kramer did as best a job he could in evoking both the struggles of male adolescence and the cultural patterns of the American family in the 1970's.
Though I viewed the film through 42 year-old eyes, it still had an impact.
(It's interesting to note that Robins, who played a 16 year-old, was 26 when the film was made!) He reminded me of Sal Mineo, another fine actor who left us far too soon.
And that lead me to reflect upon my teenage experience of sitting in one of Melbourne's grand old picture houses one Saturday afternoon and viewing this movie for the first of what has now been many times.Perhaps it was my age at the time, or my love of the outdoors, or my regular weekend hikes, or my love of animals...
whatever it was, that 2 hours looking at the enormous screen was one I can recall with vivid clarity even 30 years on.I remember how awesome the cinematography was it captured the beauty of the environment in those scenes where the misfit teenagers headed out across the plains to rescue the bison.The music also evoked the essence of the outdoors for me.
For many years after whenever I came up over a hill in the forest the Carpenters' music seemed to play in my head.
It is just a shame that someone let the theme be [mis] appropriated to other less noble ends.I have shown this movie to many teenage groups in the years since it opened.
Although time has certainly moved on and much, especially the dress and manners has changed I have rarely found any teenager who has not been able to identify with the movie and the themes it seeks to explore.Stanley Kramer made some wonderful, no some great movies.
I saw this at 15, alone, one Saturday afternoon in a dark movie theater and my life was transformed.
This is a coming-of-age movie that more people should watch at that turning point of their lives.I know it gave me the feeling for the first time, that I wasn't alone feeling geeky, weird, and a stranger to the world.
And that's a good thing, because it made me feel for the first time, that I was OK..that I did belong...that we all had something to contribute.But it's not just about teen angst, it's about finding a place, a reason and a purpose to live for and finding the strength to follow through in the face of all adversity.Much praise should be extended to the acting which was natural and never seemed forced....and of course, the music.
Like so many others, I saw this movie in school.
I connected so well with this movie when I saw it that it will ALWAYS be at the top of my favorites list.Most favorites aren't usually the best that cinema has to offer but ones that strike a special chord in one's life.
It helped that the Carpenters were my favorite music group at the time (still are) and "Lost in Space" had been my favorite TV show as a kid and now there was an older "Will Robinson" in this movie (doing a very good non-Will performance).I have a very poor VHS copy of this movie recorded from a late-night TV showing back in the late 80's.
I am holding on to that copy until (hopefully someday soon) the DVD version is released (and hopefully again) with lots of special features.I am waiting to show my partner this movie on DVD because I want him to know more about who I was (and am) by seeing probably the most important movie of my adolescence.Re: Actors' real ages.
Who cares, adults have been playing teens in movies and TV since the beginning of cinema and still do.
If they can pull it off, who cares.LET'S PULL TOGETHER AS FANS TO GET THIS MOVIE FINALLY RELEASED ON DVD!.
This movie is dead-on when it comes to adolescent worry and the way that young people (and older folks too) treat one another.
Swarthout has it right.I have just now re-read the book and am dying to see the movie again.
Although often bypassed in the critics' reviews of Kramer's best movies, "Bless the Beasts and the Children" (1971) shows Kramer's compassion of the underdog and his dislike of injustice with great emotional impact.
Kramer directed many outstanding films including such classics as "High Noon," "Inherit the Wind," "The Defiant Ones," and "Judgment at Nuremberg" to mention only a few, but I believe that "Bless the Beasts and the Children" deserves to be listed along with them..
Director Stanley Kramer does of great job of showing the parity between the teenagers and the Buffalo.
So many (scenes and boys) in fact...and some almost suggestive...that it's clear [to me] that it was spurned at the time for this risky cinematic approach to telling the story.
This movie follows these guys throughout their adventure and, by the end, you completely understand every aspect of each person's motivation.
As you watch the credits, the point will be clear that the movie echoes the true reality of life..
Some movies are great because they impacted us when we were young.
This is a movie we can all learn from.I hope they never remake this film..
Ahead of it's time - a film dealing with the decidedly non-Disney interaction of man and animal.
A powerful message film, and for me, the down ending struck a note that allows me to recall this film in great detail 30 years later.
"Beasts" one of the best "coming-of-age" movies I've ever seen..
As a young kid of about 9 or 10 I saw this movie for the first time.
I always felt "different" even at that young age, and to see a movie where kids who were considered different were teased and tormented for it was something I could identify with.
I remember being so depressed over the ending of the movie, but then realizing that this young cast of "misfits" were actually hero's.
Being gay and understanding some of the sub-texts of this movie now it makes sense why it had such an effect on me as a kid.
I saw this movie a few more times in my teens and older and it still captures me.
Hard to find it on video these days, but would love to own this movie.I've read there are some people who did not identify with or like this movie.
This wasn't the greatest film of all time, but it was a wonderful and honest story about teenagers told in a hard hitting way...and also the actor's were not the boy band "pretty" kind of actors you get in today's teenage movies.
This film was not made for those with an attention span shorter than that of a flea.GREAT MOVIE - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
I finally saw this again after many years, and it still holds up as a good story!
It's one of those 'forgotten' movies of the 1970's, and I think it's way cool to see the great Bill Mumy in a completely different role from Will Robinson!!The killing of the buffalo is awful, whether they needed to 'thin the herd' or not!I think there would be more Vegetarians in the world if we all saw how out meat is processed!
(Not that i'm a Vegetarian or anything)I was very touched to hear of the comment from the woman whose brother played 'Cotton' in the film.
I saw this movie on TV when I was very young, only 7 or 8.
I recently saw it listed on Comcast On Demand as a free movie, so I thought I would watch it.
What an odd feeling to look back and realize how the meaning of certain movies dawned on you over time.
I knew the first time that the kids were doing something good, setting the buffalo free.
As a pre-adolescent and a teen, I understood that they were misfits, much like the buffalo they were trying to set free, and that their views weren't in line with the views of the authorities.
What I remember as being so powerful about the final scene of the movie was not the sight of Cotton's being shot, but rather the image of the remaining boys standing on the hill and facing the hunters.
I think it was one of the first times in my young life that I realized that there was a scary world out there beyond my yard and that there were bigger things than me out there and that people could actually die for believing in them.
Seeing it now, 30 or so years after the first time, I see the campiness of it, the forever-70s-ness of it, but I still "get" the message at the end.
I wonder, though, in this world of high tech and instant gratification if there are many people today who are as passionate about the things they believe in as the kids in that movie were about those buffalo.
I first seen this movie in 1971 and I was 15 years old.
Barry Robins (as "Cotton") wakes up, all right, in his "Box Canyon Boys Camp" cabin.
The entire cast performs well, with Robins and Mr. Mumy more obviously standing out.Watch for a great scene, after the travelers' "Pest Control" truck, hot-wired by Mumy, runs out of gas.
When Robins threatens to reveal his mother's age, she responds, "I'll kill you..."Telling.Another important, well-played, sequence occurs with Mr. Glaser's last "flashback" -- to when he was "cast out" of his cabin.
The music is outstanding: both the instrumental theme by Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin Jr., and the vocals "Bless the Beasts and the Children" (by Carpenters) and the ill-titled "It's a Beautiful Day" by co-star Mumy (written with Paul Gordon).********* Bless the Beasts & Children (7/30/71) Stanley Kramer ~ Barry Robins, Bill Mumy, Darel Glaser, Miles Chapin.
Viewers looking for a feel-good film should rent this one immediately.
A lot of things are going on this film, which is done in a classic style.First, at the time Billy Mummy had to live down his child roles as sort of a rich kid.
Here, he gets his chance to play something different, and like the other actors, he is great.
We get this from their point of view, how the men who shoot the buffalo are creepy, and perhaps they are, but obviously this is also a point of view story.We also get different levels of dealing with the reality, from the older boys to the youngest.Third, what is important is their point of view.
We don't have to agree with them, and we know that just freeing the buffalo into the wild won't save them, but there's more at work here.The boys are considered worthless, and need to show their value.
It appears as if 1971 critics lauded the movie with praise but I don't think that it will necessarily stand the test of time.
Interesting movie I see years ago.
When I was a boy I see these movie.
Good boys to protect the animals.Good things about these movie is show how the boys grow up and have family problems.
I Still Like It. I first saw this film in the ninth grade when they showed it to my high school class.
Even tho Cotton's emotional outbursts made me cringe at times, I think Barry was the best person to do the job.
No, seriously, I really like this movie.
I think a great double feature to show kids would be this and "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea." Well, maybe not for kids but for people like me who were so young in the 70s as to have very nearly only sense memories of the time.
Compare this to the treacly "Stand by Me" and the infantile "Goonies." I don't mean to suggest those are bad movies, but they don't treat kids or childhood very seriously.
He also wrote a song for this movie!If you were a misfit dweeb growing up as I was, you'll enjoy this film.
The film was very good, about young boys, friendship, commitments, etc.
1-the actor playing cotton was 16 at the time of filming,not 26(per imdb)..2-lighten up about guys in their underwear..it was a summer camp and America had not yet gotten hysterical about guys showing chests and legs..this was neither controversial nor provacative..3-yes,the movie was trite,Kramer usually was..but the book was written in the mid-60s and most literature and theater and film were heavy-handed with their messages..4-over-all,with a limited budget,it was a good film..topical, well-acted,excellent music and lighting..outside of the script,it was worth seeing..Kramer by then was on the down-side of his career..after classics such as ship of fools and inherit the wind,he was resorting to the domino principle and R.P.M--.
I watched this in high school and couldn't understand why it was a popular movie.
But at least it comes equipped with the obligatory 1970's-ish "downer" ending, to remind you that the filmmakers were making an oh-so big, important, pretentious STATEMENT, not something you were actually supposed to enjoy.Do something important rather than watch this movie.
The guy who played cotton was 26 flippen years old, when in the book he's supposed to be 16.
By the end of the movie I was sick of it (as was my entire English class, seeing as we watched this in school).
I would never ever watch this movie again, unless they did a remake of it with characters who are believable, better music, and it stayed closer to the book..
I just saw the movie on class, by the way i am in high school.
cotton seems like more than 30 years old.
like crying all the time.all the way though the movie.
I seen this movie when I was in the 10th grade in my high school English class.
We first read the book by Glendon Swarthout, then we watched the movie.
Billy Mumy's character (Teft) was excellent in the movie, even though Cotton(played by Barry Robins) was the bad ass in the movie.
I was saddened by all the Buffaloes being shot in the movie.
I remember how all the girls in my class were pouting too.I thought that Goodenow's character(Darel Glaser) was a lot like the character in the book.
This is a classic movie with a lot of unknown actors, except Billy Mumy (who played on TV's "Lost in Space") Miles Chapin did a few movies later on when he was older, but the actors were really convincing.
I recommend this film to all young people with family problems, to look at how lucky they could be, and not in the situations the main characters were in with their families.
If I could feel the way I felt when I first seen this movie, I'd be one happy dude.
I think the characters did a good job in trying to save the buffaloes, it's just sad to watch at times.
I too have seen this film many times over the past thirty years or so when I first saw it.
Anyway, about the film...I do not want to give anything away, suffice to say that it is both touching and funny with great location work and music to boot!
The score is worth too; I must admit I like the Carpenters...Anyway, this is a movie that deserves to be discovered again..
We were assigned the book in English class, and had to watch the movie too.
I didn't care for either one, but while the book had some merit, the movie did not.Yes, both were a trite story about misfit kids banding together on a mission and growing up in the process.
The book at least did a better job of explaining the misfit kids and what motivated their mission to free the buffalo.
And unlike the book's ending, where Cotton dies when his truck crashes (he served his purpose in the story), in the movie Cotton gets shot to death-accidentally?
And then the movie abruptly ends.If I were a schoolteacher, I could and would find something far better to use as a class assignment..
I find it amusing that many people can watch the same film and interpret it so differently from one another, some loving it and others hating it.
I first saw this film in the theater in 1971 at the age of 30, an educational therapist with some of my students, boys aged 10-13.
This movie was, for many years thereafter, my favorite film of all time, replacing "To Kill A Mockingbird".
Having now seen the film at least 40 times with a variety of audiences, I can see some of its flaws.
For example the cartoon like scenes of the boys at camp playing baseball or archery, and the exaggeratedly broad stereotyped counselor and director.
Hope springs eternal that one day the forces that be will finally release this lesser known Stanley Kramer film on DVD or Blu-Ray. It remains a very powerful and enjoyable movie about the mistreatment of animals and children, which still happens more than we like to admit.