Little Fugitive (1953)

Think I've seen enough movies about boys for the month? Well, it hadn't occurred to me that I should rearrange my queue to put off another. The next one on the way counts, too. But only this one stars a kid in his single digits.

With their mom making a sudden visit to an ailing grandma, 12-year-old Lennie is assigned to look after 7-year-old brother Joey for about 24 hours. Lennie resents it, so his rather nasty friends talk him into a trick that makes Joey believe he accidentally killed Lennie. Joey runs off to the not-too-distant Coney Island, and Lennie starts to worry that he won't return before Mom does.

The presentation is not as dramatic as it sounds. Joey never seems sad about his brother's alleged death, only worried what the police would do. Even that thought doesn't stay in his mind for long. Indeed, about 80% of the 80-minute runtime consists of him simply enjoying the amusement park, when he isn't collecting bottles on the beach for rebates.

Before long, I started wondering what the point of the movie was. It's pretty slow even before Joey reaches Coney Island. It doesn't evoke much of any emotion except maybe boredom, nor does it have much of a moral. How the heck did it get so popular?

I got a hint afterward when I discovered that two of the filmmakers were better known as photographers. In retrospect, the cinematography is good for the time. Add the basic realism and it feels like the cinematic equivalent of a Norman Rockwell painting. It had a sizable influence on the French New Wave, tho the examples I know of don't relish innocence to the same extent.

If you're not into childhood cuteness or cinematic education, probably the most you'll get out of LF today is in viewing it as a period piece. It's kind of interesting to see what's changed since the '50s and what hasn't. For example, good luck making $6 go so far today. Or finding three American boys in horizontally striped, logo-free shirts hanging out together. Or finding a New York kid who dreams of being a cowboy. (Get used to hearing "Home on the Range" on a harmonica a lot.)

I'm not surprised that the 2006 remake didn't fare well. It simply isn't the sort of thing that can work anymore. If you want to see someone having fun in 1953, I'd sooner recommend Roman Holiday.