Customer Reviews

All Mine to Give

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

WARNING, SPOILERS, etc.

This DVD's cover art, which is original to the movie's release over fifty years ago, has a tagline that reads: "Six kids on a true and wonderful adventure!" This is one of the most misleading teasers in cinematic public relations history. It has the reader imagining a sextuplet of young ones perhaps sledding on particularly icy mountains or facing down some Scrooge-like, anti-Christmas archnemesis. In fact, it's about children losing both parents to highly contagious diseases and having their family rent permanently asunder.

This tale is based on a true-life story set in Wisconsin. Robert and Mamie Eunson (Cameron Mitchell and Glynis Johns) are Scots who have just landed in America (the year is 1856), having been invited there by Mamie's uncle. They arrive in the tiny logging village of Eureka, only to be informed that both uncle and his cabin have been incinerated in a house fire. The Eunsons are assisted by the friendly locals in reconstructing the house and Robert takes to tipping timber. It should be noted Mamie is heavily pregnant upon their reaching Eureka; she delivers baby Robbie soon after the cabin is completed. Robert eventually starts a successful boat building business and Mamie gives birth to five more children: Jimmy, Kirk, Annabelle, Elizabeth, and Jane. The Eunsons are prospering and happy--until little Kirk is diagnosed with diptheria. Mamie and Kirk are quarantined while Robert takes the other children away. The boy recovers, but the goodbye kiss he gave Dadda before his departure proves fatal, and Mr. Eunson succumbs.

Mamie takes to working as a seamstress and Robbie becomes the man of the house. Things stabilize, but only briefly: tired and work-worn, Mamie contracts typhoid. Knowing she won't survive, she charges her eldest with finding good homes for his siblings. After her death, Robbie does exactly that, dispatching his brothers and sisters to kindly townsfolk. Stoic and resigned during the process, he does break down when he's alone and sees the tree outside the homestead where his father had carved the names of the children into the bark. Baby Jane is the last to be handed over--Robbie stands at the door of a house and asks the woman who answers, "Will you take my sister, ma'am?" Pathos, lachrymose, mourning, and gloom! (It reminds me that in Great Britain, this movie was released under the title The Day They Gave Babies Away...*gulp*!)

He then turns and trudges, solitary and struggling, up a hill in a snowstorm. You may ask, "What does this horribly sad tale have to do with Christmas?" Robbie is breaking up the clan on Christmas Eve, wisely thinking people are more likely to accept taking in an orphan while filled with the holiday spirit.

I remember having my grade school show this film when I was a kid and half the auditorium was weeping openly by the end. While many people would avoid something this maudlin during a time of year we're enjoined to be merry and bright, I find it triumphant and warm-hearted. Trade a viewing of this classic release for one of the bubble-gum, toothless cinematic confections Hollywood releases every year in December...

All Mine to GiveI first sought this movie when I was about 14 years old. Today I'm 55 and still have it in my head as the best movie ever. My older brother and I cried every time during the five times we sought this movie on TV back home in Brazil. I looked for it under it's name in portuguese " em cada coração uma saudade^ which has nothing to do with the original title, but it gave me the name in english ( thanks to the internet ). I want to see it again, in english this time, to see how much I cry. I will get my 15 year old daughter and her friends to watch this with me to see their reaction compared to mine some forty years ago. I highly recommend this. If it stayed in my mind for forty years, it must be great.

It's about time someone released this on DVD. This story is loosely based on a true story in Wisconsin. Everyone should watch this once to see how a young person has to put himself to the side and make sure that his brothers and sisters are placed in proper homes on Christmas Eve after his mother died. If you have a heart and soul, you "will" have a few tears running down your face. Buy this and watch it on Christmas Eve instead of the other garbage on television.

When I was growing up in the Philippines back in the 50's we had no movie house, much less a TV set. All we had for entertainment was an old Phillips radio and magazines that my father subscribed like Reader's Digest, Saturday Evening Post, Philippine Free Press. There is one movie that I've always wanted to see and that's "All Mine to Give". Our papa would tell us the story over and over again about the orphans and how the oldest son gave his siblings away one by one. It's where I learned the word Diphtheria which killed the children's dad. I guess what my papa wanted to emphasize to us was to love one another and not to abandon or forget each other should anything happened to both of our parents. I am now an R.N. living in the U.S. for the last 37 years. My father died but my mother is still alive at age 94.Part of my monthly budget is monetary help to my mother who lives in the Philippines and my older sister who is not doing well financially. All the rest of my brothers and sisters are here in the US. Thank you for keeping this old archived movie.Finally ,I got to watch it and in color too!

I was asked on one of those facebook question and answer sections to name 5 of my favorite movies of all time. My first thought was of "All mine to give". I saw it for the first time as a young boy, and have searched for it every year since. Friends have asked why I recommend it so highly, and I only tell them to come by and watch it, or I will send it to them to look at as long as they promise to send it back. I still get all verklempt every time I think of the scene at the top of the hill at the beginning of the movie.
Watch it. Don't be afraid to cry, and pass it on.

I saw this movie in a theatre house when it first came out.. I made a copy of it on VHS when it was played on a local station. On Thanksgiving night, we would put up the Christmas tree. This was played along with Meet Me In St. Louis, and Auntie Mame. How gay can you get? Every feature contract player you would want to see is in this movie. (Alan Hale, Reta Shaw).
Glynis Johns is just beautiful. I had the good fortune of meeting her in Toronto in the 70's when she was on tour...The story is simple, a little corny, but like watching A Christmas Carol, at 62 I find myself sniffling, perhaps for a time when things were a little more simple... Thank you for putting this on DVD. My tape is getting a little shakey.

I remember watching this movie back in the 60's on the late show. I was babysitting for my neighbors kids so my sister and her girlfriend came over to keep me company. This movie came on and before the ending we went through a little over a box of kleenex. What a beautiful movie everyone should watch and many would learn a lot in life like character, strength, death, letting go, etc. This movie is so moving that I looked for it in the TV guide every year during the Christmas season. I was very happy to be able to catch it most of the time. Two yrs. ago my neice and I looked everywhere for the movie and only found one tape movie for VCR for an extremely high price and decided not to get it. At the time we were looking for this to give my sister for a Christmas presant. Christmas of 2008 my neice not only surprised my sister with the movie on DVD, but she also gave me one. I was so excited that I finally had a copy of one of my top 5 movies of all time. Based on a true story it makes it even that more a beautiful movie. I only wish that on the DVD it explains what happened to the children later in life. I remember from the first time I saw it at the end of the movie it stated that the oldest son Robbie never went back to see his brothers and sisters again. I can't remember if it stated what happened to the others.

To me, this is a great movie. It shows strength in character; how people handled life in general. Strong character in handling sickness and death. The oldest child, barely a teen had to find homes for his younger sibling and then go off to work to take care of himself. I recommend this movie to everyone.

This film is definitely a buried treasure and deserves to be discovered and placed in the pantheon with "The Bishop's Wife" and "It's a Wonderful Life" as essential holiday viewing. The makers of the film are working with tricky material and succeed in capturing your heart. Some would dismiss the film as mawkish and overly sentimental but I did not feel the least bit manipulated. Whatever tears the movie engenders are earned. Be forewarned that it's tough viewing at times but you will feel rewarded having seen this film.

I picked a fine time to watch this movie. I've been away from home for two months and really miss my family. On the one hand it probably was a bad decision to watch a movie like this when I was emotionally "on edge." On the other hand, it helped me release some of the emotions I've been feeling!

***Spoiler alert?*** This is an incredibly sad movie about a family of six kids left alone through tragedy. I can't imagine this is really a spoiler, as the whole concept of the movie is based on this simple fact. You can see the events unrolling a mile away as well, so I don't think it should come as a surprise. Come to think of it, you might want to be forewarned as any surprises of this nature may well turn this movie experience into a very bad one...

All of the actors do a fine job, but this movie is really special because it's true and the story is full of love and good solid characters. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes old, wholesome movies--as well as to anyone who likes a good cry watching a movie. Definitely get a box of Kleenex...