Customer Reviews

Baker's Hawk [VHS]

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

 

 

When a twelve year old boy (Lee Montgomery) finds an injured hawk, he takes it to a recluse living in the hills, having heard the fellow was good with animals. The two become friends, together train the bird, but when it attacks a bully fighting our young hero, a group of local vigilantees decide to take it out on the old man, always considered him strange. Might the boy and his father rescue their elderly friend before the mob lynches him? A good, solid drama that well addresses issues which are sadly still with humanity today.

Really fine family movie. Good story, beautiful scenery. It's wonderful to watch fine actors like Clint Walker & Burl Ives ply their
craft. This is a keeper that I'll watch many times.

When a twelve year old boy finds an injured hawk, he takes it to a recluse living in the hills, having heard the fellow was good with animals. The two become friends, together train the bird, but when it attacks a bully fighting our young hero, a group of local vigilantees decide to take it out on the old man, always considered him strange. Might the boy and his father rescue their elderly friend before the mob lynches him? A good, solid drama that well addresses issues which are sadly still with humanity today.

This film is a heart warming, family friendly movie for children over 12.

There is one scene where the mother (Diane Baker) swears at her husband, and then tells her son to disobey his father. Parents of young children may wish to discuss this before the movie.

Later there is another scene concerning vigilante justice which starts out as if it will become violent, but it defuses and is not violent in the end.

The musical score is touching and appropriate; the outdoor filming is well done.

Clint Walker gives an outstanding and believable performance as the boy's
father. Burl Ives gives an excellent and interesting portrayal of a recluse who has been misunderstood. Young Lee Montgomery is well cast as the son. Diane Baker gives a mediocre performance as the boy's mother.

Love Burl Ives & Clint Walker! The scenery is beautiful!

What I enjoyed the most is the fact that a father stood up for his beliefs and rights and tried his best to explain to his young son why following the crowd is not always the right thing to do.

The son, trying to understand all that is happening around him and himself, naturally finds friendship with the town's outcast - a very loving and caring recluse who takes care of injured animals.

The boy himself is feeling pretty injured, unable to completely understand his father decisions against the town and then being shunned by the town because of his father's decision not to participate in their mob style retaliation.

But in the end father and son learn to understand each other. The son sees and understands the importance of believing in yourself and your decisions and learning how to think for yourself-not with the crowd. The young boy grows in confidence.

The father is ever so thankful that his young son finally understands him and his decision and realizes that he always loved him, but this decision - which turns out to be right - was his and he stood up for it because that is the way he is. He is his own man, the only way to be.

I think Clint set a wonderful example in this movie.

Growing up can be tough, but you have to have faith in yourself.

If right should prevail as the ending to this movie, why did the old man from the mountains (Burl Ives) have to leave his place and the mob burned it down? If the sheriff and Clint Walker had turned back the mob, where did the other mob come from that burned the cabin. All told, the story is pretty good but the ending does not support what should have been right. I was hoping to pass this along to children, but did not like the conclusion of the movie. Also, maybe the only four letter word in the whole movie was said by the Mother using a "damn" in anger. Beautiful scenery and the little boy did a good job in his part and Burl Ives was very good.

This poorly made production features Clint Walker as Dan Baker, a homesteader in 1876 Utah who refuses to join a local vigilante organization, led by the town dry goods grocer (Alan Young), and the resultant effects his independent actions have upon his son Billy (Lee H. Montgomery). Ancillary plots involve Billy's nurturing of a wounded fledgling hawk, abandoned from the nest, and the boy's friendship with Mr. McGraw (Burl Ives), a recluse whose vocation is the preparation of damaged wildlife for their return to freedom. It is not possible to include a kind word about the direction, screenplay and editing, as all are at levels which might, at best, approach that of student-made cinema. The acting is wooden, due largely to the rambling script and weak direction, with Montgomery embarrassingly inept, and only Ives rises above his shrunken material, giving some meaning to his scenes. Although there is precious little to like about this film, the scenery is remarkably beautiful, as the production was located within two of Utah's National Forest regions.

This is a TV Movie so the quality is OK, but the story is as current then as what is happening right now in the USA coming up to the 10 anniversary of 9/11. Whenever one group of people decide that their way is the only way, and that they are willing to hurt and kill others over it, than you have nothing more than Al Qeada, the Taliban, the KKK, or the 2011 Tea Party.
Clint, Burl, Diane, and the Boy do a great job of promoting tolerance, in the face of intolerance, and religious bigotry.
Great family movie!

Thanks, The Rich Monk.

From the back cover:

Winner of a Motion Picture Association of America "Family Film of the Year Award" and filmed in the magnificent Rocky Mountains, this is an adventure-filled frontier drama set in 1876. It is the summer young Billy Baker finds an injured baby hawk and subsequently befriends an old hermit. Because the old man shares his remote, mountain homestead with various animals in need of attention, many of the people who live in the town have labeled him as "crazy."

When the townspeople start assuming that he and certain other newcomers are a threat to the safety of the community, they begin an effort to oust these "tramps." In an attempt to stem the tide of vigilante activities, Billy's father is persuaded by the local sheriff to act as temporary deputy. And Billy makes some important discoveries about prejudice, responsibility, courage and friendship.

Great family flick and I am a big Clint Walker fan shipping was good glad to have it as part of my collection.