The Yearling
Tags: melodrama

Plot synopsis:
Young Jody Baxter lives with his parents, Ora and Ezra "Penny" Baxter, in the animal-filled central Florida backwoods in the 1870s. His parents had six other children prior to Jody, but they died in infancy which makes it difficult for Ma Baxter to bond with him. Jody loves the outdoors and loves his family. He has wanted a pet for as long as he can remember, yet his mother, Ora, says they barely have enough food to feed themselves, let alone a pet.
A subplot involves the hunt for an old bear named Slewfoot that randomly attacks the Baxter livestock. Later the Baxters and Forresters get in a fight about the bear and continue to fight about nearly anything. (While the Forresters are presented as a disreputable clan, the disabled youngest brother, Fodder-Wing, is a close friend to Jody.) The Forresters steal the Baxters' hogs and, while Penny and Jody are out searching for the stolen stock, Penny is bitten in the arm by a rattlesnake. Penny shoots a doe--orphaning its young fawn--in order to use its liver to draw out the snake's venom, which saves Penny's life.
Jody convinces his parents to allow him to adopt the fawn--which, Jody later learns, Fodder-Wing had named "Flag"--and it becomes his constant companion. The book now focuses around Jody's life as he matures along with the fawn. The plot also centers on the conflicts of the young boy as he struggles with strained relationships, hunger, death of beloved friends, and the capriciousness of nature through a catastrophic flood. Jody experiences tender moments with his family, his fawn, and their neighbors and relatives. Along with his father, he comes face to face with the rough life of a farmer and hunter. Throughout, the well-mannered, God-fearing Baxter family and the good folk of nearby Volusia and the "big city," Ocala, are starkly contrasted against their hillbilly neighbors, the Forresters.
As Jody takes his final steps into maturity, he is forced to make a desperate choice between his pet, Flag, and his family. The parents realize that the growing Flag is endangering their very survival, as he persists in eating the corn crop on which the family is relying for their food the next winter. Jody's father orders him to take Flag into the woods and shoot him, but Jody cannot bring himself to do it. When his mother shoots the deer and wounds him, Jody is then forced to shoot Flag in the neck himself, killing the yearling. In blind fury at his mother, Jody runs off, only to come face to face with the true meaning of hunger, loneliness, and fear. After an ill-conceived attempt to reach an older friend in Boston in a broken-down canoe, Jody is picked up by a mail ship and returned to Volusia. In the end, Jody comes of age, assuming increasingly adult responsibilities--yet always surrounded with the love of family--in the difficult "world of men."

Review: The essence of the main characters is perfectly portrayed by the main leads of Gregory Peck and Jayne Wyman, but Claude Jarman Jnr as Jody has a special place in my childhood.
But then, four years later, MGM decided to start again with Gregory Peck as the kindly father, Jane Wyman as his embittered wife and Claude Jarman, Jr. as the naive Jody whose love for a pet fawn is the centerpiece of the story.
They are all well cast in this tender, warm-hearted story from the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings novel of a family living near the Florida everglades.The technicolor photography is as impressive as the use of background music, especially in the scene where Jody playfully comes across the abandoned fawn.
From the opening scenes of this beautifully photographed movie I found myself caught-up in the intriguing post Civil War story of a boy and his pet faun and their fantastic adventures on a scruffy Florida Everglades farm.
The film stars Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman and Claude Jarman in the lead roles, with some of Hollywood's best character actors in the supporting roles.
Jane Wyman brilliantly plays Orry, the hardened mother and wife who is so embittered by past tragedies in her life that she is unable to show any love for her one surviving child for fear of losing him as well.
And Claude Jarman plays Jodie, the wistful young boy who is just one summer away from adolescence and all the emotional growing pains that come with it.
This movie was one of the most emotional experiences of my young life and I believe I am a better person from the lessons learned here.I highly recommend this film, it is one to be experienced with your entire family..
They don't make actors nor films like this anymore.This is a classic which works on many levels, which will function as a coming of age story for youngsters, and an introspective film for adults about the loss of innocence and the price of responsibility.I so wish that the whiz kids at Disney and DreamWorks would stop wasting their time and effort on computer animated feel-good trash, and reach into their hearts and make a film this wonderful..
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.
And, no, not just because of the fact the plot involves a family and the emotional fallout and drama caused by a pet such as in "Old Yeller", or the fact that Jane Wyman stars with an adorable child actor, such as she did in "Pollyanna".
The performances make this movie.Claude Jarman Jr. stars as Jody Baxter, a young boy living in post-Civil War America who longs for the companionship and love of a pet - someone to take care of and nurture.
While Jody's loving father, Ezra(Gregory Peck)makes great strides to give Jody companionship and someone to look up to, Jody suffers from the neglect of his hardened mother, Orry(Wyman), still reeling from the untimely deaths of her other children.
And despite some off-kilter bits at the end revolving around Jody getting lost on the river and being found by a ship, "The Yearling" is a solid and heart-warming film that has earned its place among the top Hollywood classics..
Claude Jarman Jr. gives a devastatingly earnest performance as the young boy who can only become a young man by becoming tough enough to kill his beloved pet to save his family.When people wish to consider what we mean by basic American ideals, they should view this movie again -- carefully..
Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman both were nominated for Best Actor and Actress and I'm not sure either of them was better in the performances they eventually won for.Claude Jarman, Jr., making his film debut won a special Oscar as a juvenile performer that year.
Later on when it grows up it becomes more than a nuisance, eating the Baxter family's precious corn crop as it's sprouting out of the ground.Jane Wyman who usually played very light roles in her early years, first got noticed for heavy drama as Ray Milland's long suffering girl friend in The Lost Weekend the year before.
Wyman gilds her hard portrayal with an edge of sadness that is unforgettable.If you were to ask most people the role they most identify Gregory Peck with, I'm willing to say a good majority will answer Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird.
Jarman was so good in this that he got to do another film for MGM adapted from a Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings novel, The Sun Comes Up. He was just as good in that one as a slightly older and orphan version of Jody Baxter.The Yearling won two Oscars that for Art&Set Design and Cinematography for a color picture.
It would have been better titled as, 'How to kill your innocent family pet.' I have never read the book but I did see the movie, and I think any parent who would choose to make their child watch this film has got to be as insensitive as the woman who wrote the book.It is a story about a struggling floridian family who have bad luck thrown their way (the loss of their children from infant deaths, crop failures, and how poor, poor Ms. Baxter doesn't have a thing to wear because her clothes are being worn out from treading to a source of water because she doesn't have a well).Enter the doe, who is killed by Mr. Baxter so that he can use its heart and liver to draw venom from a recent rattlesnake bite.Enter the fawn, who the boy finds, and later decides to adopt (it's only fair, his father killed it's mother), because he wants a pet.
The parents decide to execute the animal and in the process, make the boy emotionally suffer, INSTEAD of being responsible to the animal and locking it up at night so that it won't get into their crops, then watch over it during the day, making sure it gets fed other things that deers eat.What kind of a moral is this?
"The Yearling" is one of those movies I had stayed away from because of my misguided perceptions about what it was going to be like (maudlin, sentimental, "family friendly" in all the worst ways).
The effect highlights the beauty and wonder of the natural world, but it also serves the purpose of making the men who populate it seem even smaller and humbler in comparison to all the grandeur.Gregory Peck and especially Jane Wyman give lovely performances as parents, and Claude Jarman, Jr. won a special juvenile Oscar as the young boy who adopts an ill-advised pet.
The film deservedly won the Oscars for Art Direction and Cinematography in the color categories, and brought nominations to Peck and Wyman in the Actor and Actress categories, respectively, as well as to Harold Kress for his editing, Clarence Brown for his directing, and MGM for Best Picture of the year.Grade: A+.
Since I wasn't born until 1949,I never had the opportunity to see this film at a Movie Theater.When it was shown on television I had the same reaction many people had.Tearing up when Jody had to shoot his beloved pet Deer that his Mother had shot and wounded.Knowing how much he had loved this animal and was willing to sacrifice to be able to keep him made me think of how much we get attached to our own pets whether a Dog,Cat,Bird,whatever!
The emotions he could express on his face through out the movie were riveting and heartwarming.I'm sure many Movie Audiences leaving theaters in 1946 were wiping away tears.I see why he was given a special Academy award for his performance.If all animal owners showed the love,care,devotion,empathy, that Jody had for his beloved pet deer; we wouldn't need organization like the ASPCA...Great Heartwarming Film that all should see at least once...s.m..
At least not on that farm as depicted in "The Yearling."Viewed from the angle of pioneer logic, this is a mighty curious tale.Here are supposed adults who allow a deer to be brought not only onto their land but even, on occasion, into their home, feeding and pampering it for a year--then chastise it for acting like a deer.They allow it to roam about freely (instead of putting it in a barn) build a fence which the creature can easily surmount--then blame it for munching their tasty crops.What's a poor deer supposed to do?
Only their kid can be forgiven.That said, this rich MGM production was taken to heart by a weary post-WWII public, optimistic for family values as it tried to rebuilt its deferred domestic structure.The cast, including Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman and Claude Jarman, Jr. were uniformly strong; Clarence Brown's direction was sensitive; and the cinematography, editing, and general production were all at a high level.Leaving common sense logic aside, this is a "family film" that many consider one of the best of the genre..
It is hard to capture literary symbolism in a movie, but this movie, comes close to "hitting the mark." Jane Wyman is very good as Jody's hardened mother, Orry Baxter, who has learned to be disappointed with life and its hardships.
Gregory Peck plays Jody's father, Penny Baxter, who wants to let Jody (Claude Jarman, Jr.) enjoy the joys of childhood as long as he can before facing hardships of the world.
This movie was one of Gregory Pecks's earliest roles and although it also was far from his best or most memorable one, it shows some of the things to come, from his future acting career.
I wasn't too fond of Jane Wyman but that had more to do with her character than her acting skills really.The story tends to get a bit messy at times, when it starts to drift away and tries to put too much emotions and drama stuff in it but luckily the movie knows how to restrain itself for most of the time and it keeps its main focus on the father-son relationship of the movie.
This film has a lot going for it, including beautiful Technicolor cinematography, an engaging story, and fine acting by Peck as the father.
But my favorite scene has always been Peck's speech in the little cemetery ("because we do not know any prayer") where Fodderwing is being buried :it echoes the crippled boy's dreams when he and Jody spent the night in a tree -one of those magical moments of childhood-.Today's children are used to action-packed violent movies: I hope they will enjoy "the yearling" all the same..
"The Yearling", an adaptation of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings novel about a Florida family in the 1800s, is a fairly well-made family film that suffers mostly from bad acting and a slow plot.Jane Wyman, as the mother, blows every one else off the screen.
The worst acting of all comes from Claude Jarman Jr. who portrays the young Jody as if he were acting in a silent film.
Greg Peck's finest role in a coming of age film when everyone worked for the family.
That year's films included "The Best Years of Our Lives," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Henry V," "The Jolson Story," "To Each His Own," and "Duel in the Sun." What prompted me most to write this review, with so many other comments, was the performance by Gregory Peck.
Another reviewer, bkoganbing from Buffalo (2 March 2008), said that he wasn't sure that Peck and Wyman gave better performances than in "The Yearling," where both later won Oscars for roles in other films.
But I think his Penny Baxter in "Yearling" was much broader, deeper and touching than was his very good Atticus Finch in "Mockingbird." Most actors over time develop a very identifiable film persona.
This film is the best of a fine actor who had several nominations in his life for excellent roles in some great movies..
In 1870s Florida, pioneering Gregory Peck (as Penny "Pa" Baxter) and Jane Wyman (Orry "Ma" Baxter) raise both corn and children.
I'm a-way past the age of dying!" And, so he is - but, that doesn't mean "The Yearling" is done with tragedy.The boy raises a fawn, after cutting out its mother's heart to draw poison from his snake-bitten father.Of, course, you know where this story is going - but, you've got to admit, it's done exceptionally well.Every frame is staged for the maximum amount of heart-tugging cinematic beauty possible.
Everyone has to get their "insides tore out" sometimes.********** The Yearling (12/18/46) Clarence Brown ~ Gregory Peck, Claude Jarman Jr., Jane Wyman, Donn Gift.
This movie's beautiful, Academy Award winning cinematography and vivid Technicolor are worth the view alone and the fine performances of the entire cast lift the film far above the usual sentimental tearjerkers..
Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman, who play Jarman's parents, come off a lot better (both were nominated for Oscars), but they're saddled with some awful, faux-archaic dialogue.
Gregory Peck's acting was excellent, as one would expect, and the cinematography quite stunning even when playing directly into some melodramatic "moment." But, the rest of the film was overacted and hard to watch, for me anyway.
I've seen the movie I don't know how many times, but watched it again on TCM this past Sunday and noticed that the music playing while Jody is running through the woods with the fawn, is Mendelsohn's Midsummer Night's Dream overture, slightly changed.
Based on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlins' novel,this beautiful family movie tells the story of a child's journey towards maturity.The story unfolds through the eyes of little Jody Baxter (Claude Jarman Jr.),the son of a farming couple (Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman) in the Florida swamps in the 1870s.His love for his pet deer is the core of the story.The movie is shot magnificently in Technicolor and the performances under the sure hand of Clarence Brown are fine.Jane Wyman's performance as the mother is particularly good.
Gregory Peck stars in "The Yearling," a warm family drama about a family in the American Frontier where the son Jody befriends a deer,  which causes problems for the family such as eating their crops.
Clarence Brown directed this adaptation of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' award winning novel set in 1870's Florida, where the Baxters(played by Gregory Peck & Jane Wyman) are pioneer farmers, with their son Jody(played by Claude Jarman Jr.) When Mr. Baxter is forced to kill a dear for survival, it leaves behind a young fawn that will surely die on its own, so Jody takes it home as a pet, naming it Flag.
Call me overly sensitive, but The Yearling, was just emotionally overwhelming and always will be for me.I think the acting is superb, Gregory Peck giving one of his two incredible performances as a loving father, the other one, of course, in "To Kill a Mockingbird." If ever there is a film role model for fathers today, it can be found in these two films.
Peck's love for his son, his desire to protect his world and let him be a boy for just a little bit longer, is beautifully portrayed.Whenever this film is shown on television I will indeed watch the beginning up to when "Flag" is found, but then I do turn the channel before the end.
I had watched it because it featured Gregory Peck as the father and I liked him, but it was Jarman's movie all the way.
It's about that horrible mutation every adult has gone through-- from one who (for example) can only see a "boy and his deer" story in this movie into one who mourns for the time when that's all he/she could see.I can't imagine the parent whose guts wouldn't be wrenched out by Pa's words to Jody at the end-- followed by Jody's dream of the two things he's forever lost.The central themes of this movie are well over any child's head, but at the same time "The Yearling" is rich with stuff that's engaging and perfect for viewers of all ages.
Especially Gregory Peck and Claude Jarman Jr. I highly recommend this movie because it truly is a Classic!.
Secondly, I could easily see why Claude Jarman, Jr. won a special Oscar for his performance as the young boy who simply adores his pet deer.
And, the acting here is fine, both on the part of Gregory Peck and the child.One of my complaints about this movie is how such a loving father would be married to such an old grump of a mother.
This family lives in the near-swamp country of 1870 Florida -- Gregory Peck as the stolid, humane pater familias, Jane Wyman as his hard-working wife, a little grim maybe, and Claude Jarman Jr. as their blond, pudding-faced son who finds a tiny fawn and brings it home to raise.
The story is set within the 1870s and is about a young boy called Jody Baxter, played by Claude Jarman, Jr. Jody lives on a farm in the scrub-land of Florida with his father, played by Gregory Peck, and his mother, played by Jane Wyman.
The Yearling shows typical nature-movie scenes for instance, hunting, animal fights, such as a bear attack, and the coming of age for Jody and Flag.
The Cinematography is outstanding, and Claude Jarman Jr. is the best actor in the movie as the young son.
The Yearling is based on Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's 1938 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a boy (Claude Jarman Jr.) and a pet deer in the Florida backwoods in the late 1800s.