Where the Red Fern Grows (1974)
#32 on my Top 100 List
There be spoilers ahead.
Forget Littlefoot's mother. Forget Bambi's mother and the dog in I Am Legend and Marley. The animal deaths in this movie are the most heartbreaking of anything that I have ever seen. I can't really judge this movie, because it's been a favorite of mine since I was little. They showed it to us in elementary school - 2nd grade I think? Then I found the book and read it and loved that too. The end monologue is touched with just enough nostalgic sorrow while also rounding out the story and providing closure for the character and the audience. Its lesson is an interesting one - you have to meet God halfway - but it doesn't feel heavy-handed. I'd be interested to know how they filmed the climatic fight in the end, because this was pre-CGI and I'm pretty sure that that's a real mountain lion fighting a dog in some of those shots.
My Netflix rating: 5 stars
I recall that the book is quite a heart-wrenching work as well!
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