Product Details

• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: April 10, 1991
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301328507
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,792 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A WHIMSICAL CURIO., January 6, 2003

By 

"scotsladdie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Minister [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This curiously little-know Hepburn film is a fine, respectable version of the play by Sir James M. Barrie. In 184O, in the village of Thrums, Scotland - whose main industry is weaving - the local villagers anticipate the arrival of their new minister, Gavin Dishart (Joan Beal) with great enthusiasm. Soon after his arrival in Thrums, the little minister meets Babbie (Hepburn). Her proper name is Barbara: she is actually the well-educated fiancee of Lord Milford Rintoul, but she makes Dishart believe she is indeed a brazen, bewitched gypsy.....Contrary to what a previous reviewer noted, Hepburn was a full 26 years old when this was filmed - NOT a teen-ager! Barrie's original novel dates from 1891. Maude Adams played Babbie on the stage with great success. Margaret Sullavan badly wanted to play Hepburn's coveted role of Babbie. The film was not a financial success for RKO: it lost $1O,OOO at the box office.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars charming classic, July 30, 2001

By 

"mugwump_99179" (Washington,USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Minister [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an underrated,but charming film version of J.M.Barrie's classic novel.The part of Gavin is very well done,and,though Katherine Hepburn showed her lack of experience at this point in her career,her performance as "Babbie" is spirited.The youth and innocence of the main characters is clearly shown,and they eventually,if somewhat clumsily,triumph in their love for each other.I recommend this movie,but don't expect it to follow the original story as well as it could have.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A disquieting vision of Scottish society, November 11, 2003

By 

Jacques COULARDEAU "A soul doctor, so to say" (OLLIERGUES France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Little Minister [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film is a poignant vision of Scottish society in the 19th century. It is centered on a new young minister arriving in a village in Scotland. He has to face two things : the greed and inhumanity of the lords who exploit the workers and the residents in the village, to the point of getting the army to help them. He preaches peace but he is not listened to because a gypsy girl is agitating the population. His second ordeal is love. He falls in love with the gypsy girl who manipulates him to the point of making him ring the alarm when the soldiers are coming and of protecting her in various situations. This leads him to missing a prayer session, being dismissed, getting involved in a scuffle at the church and getting wounded in the process. But the girl is not a gypsy at all, or nearly not at all. She is the abandoned girl the local lord has saved and nearly adopted, at least raised as his daughter and he wants to marry her. But he is not in love and she is with the little minister. Love of course prevails and she changes her loyalties. This raises two questions in Scottish society. The power of the Elders in a church. They can dismiss the minister as they please and they do not take into account any circumstances that could explain some events. They are extremely authoritarian and strict and their only aim is to keep the peace in the village, even if it means abiding by the decisions of the powerful against the powerless. In other words, they defend an established institution and not Christian morality. The second question is that a local lord can marry a girl under his position, but a man cannot marry a girl over his position. The minister could not marry the girl if she were a real lady. He can only do that becasue she is an abandoned child raised by the local lord. Social stratification is extremely strict in this society too. Finally this film reveals a brilliant and young Kathryn Hepburn and that is definitely a good thing.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU