Customer Reviews

The Little Minister

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This movie is very dear to me...a treasured remembrance of a mother and daughter staying up into the wee hours of the morning to watch it when it would occasionally air on television. The love story of Gavin and Babbie is so endearing. Katherine Hepburn, in an unusual turn, plays Babbie, a young gypsy girl who dances through the forest of Thrums and touches the lives of the poor weavers who live there. For her, it is folly to escape from the confinements of Lord Rintoul, a wealthy lord who rescued her as a child and now intends to marry her. Into her life, comes Gavin, the new minister of the Auld Licht Kirk, played by John Beal. Raised by a beloved mother who sacrificed all for him to pursue his calling, Gavin is very serious and has had little life experience when he arrives in Thrums. The little minister struggles mightily to resist Babbie's charms once their paths cross, but in the end her pureness of spirit, kindness, and innocent beauty enraptures him. For Babbie's part, what starts out as amusement, flustering the young minister and making fun of his prim and proper ways, turns into something she never expected. She experiences unselfish love for the first time, and it is the minister who risks all to show her this. Knowing that she can only bring him ruin, she tries to run away, but a kind old soul intercedes and sets them on a course to their future together. That road is not easy but the character of both Gavin and Babbie as they face the townsfolk and Lord Rintoul, shows how much they have grown in the light of love. Having read the book by James M. Barrie many times, Ms. Hepburn and Mr. Beal beautifully capture the essence of Babbie and Gavin. They are surrounded by wonderful supporting actors who bring to life memorable characters, such as: Rob Dow, Margaret, Dr. McQueen, and Nanny Webster. Add in a lilting Max Steiner score and the dressings of a small Scottish town, and you have a rare gem of a movie!