Customer Reviews

The People

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I loved this show many years ago and this is the only DVD copy I could find to buy. So, I love the story, BUT, whoever made this apparently has an old reel projector that they are taking a video from. The color is often bleached out and after a pause to change reels some of the sound is wavery and out of sync. I returned the first copy hoping the problem was a single bad copy. No such luck. I'm keeping the second copy because I like the story. Definitely NOT because of the quality of the product.

here is a made for TV movie that so far I have been unable to find on DVD. I hope some one reads this and get it out again. Not just because William Shatner plays in it (and shows his intense acting skills), but also it is after a little known (I hope I am wrong with this statement) Zenna Henderson, who wrote a series of stories about "the People". The Ingathering (available here) is a summarized collection of her ideas about an alien race that stranded on earth after their space ship was wrecked in earth orbit. (Battle Star Galactica, eat your heart out)....she weaves (note the phrase) the story in a tapestry of emotions, events and insights seldom accomplished by "just a science fiction" writer. Recommend you view this and tell me in your review where I am wrong. However if I am right in my views, go out and get some more of her writings and get your local library to start stocking them for a generation growing up that can benefit from her insights. By the way, Francis Ford Coppola helped make this flick, which I belief might help, since he is not exactly a light weight in his later movies. A short synopsis: A young school teacher is hired by a community to teach their children in a one room school house. She notes immediately that they dont behave as ordinary kids (the way they walk, dragging their feet across the ground would be an indicator), slowly she finds other signs that.......and now watch it !!!!! Qrazydutch from Oak Harbor

Just plain terrible is the only way I could describe this dvd. I suspected I was in trouble when I opened my Amazon package and saw a plain plastic dvd container without any any printed cover. The dvd was obviously copied directly from old film without any attempt to upgrade the images, which were washed out, grainy and slightly out of focus. The sound track was out of sync for the second half of the drama. I couldn't decide if the tempo of the drama was too slow because of the direction or because of the poor transcription. I couldn't comment on the acting - that wouldn't be fair to the actors given the quality of the dvd. The story was a mixing of several of Zenna Henderson's charming People stories. I didn't mind that the stories were mixed up - I thought the script showed respect for Henderson's intentions in her stories. I really think the manufacturers of this appalling dvd should be ashamed of themselves for offering it on the market. I don't recommend it to any fans of Zenna Henderson - instead read her stories, now collected together in one volume, and available through Amazon. David Lee-Smith in New Zealand

The quality of this DVD makes me wonder if the makers are selling a pirated copy as new. The video and audio quality are terrible and they actually left in the message to wait while they changed reels. After the change the quality actually dropped further, being greatly out of synch.

I think this movie had great potential but may have been made before it's time. Someone in Hollywood (Spielberg are you reading this?)should watch this original movie and consider the potential benefits of remaking it today. Advances in cinematography and special effects would truly do justice to the book (although the "lifting" scenes in the movie weren't half bad for 1972). Since "The People" is comprised of several novellas and many short stories, even a television series would work, but unfortunately most networks (with the exception of the SciFi network) probably wouldn't give it much of a chance. I'm still hoping for a big screen theatrical remake that would have the big budget special effects but still retain the deeper messages of Zenna Henderson's wonderful books and stories.

As a great admirer Zenna Henderson's work, I was delighted when I discovered that the movie, The People, was available on DVD. The move is a well done blend of the Zenna Henderson stories. But the DVD copy is terrible! To call the transfer of this film to DVD amateurish is a gross understatement. Although the first two thirds of the video is tolerable. In the last third of the movie, the music is unsteady, the sound is out of sync and the picture tends to break up. The production quality of this DVD is a terrible disappointment.

A number of years ago I saw this show on TV and enjoyed it enough that I tracked down the book that inspired it and enjoyed reading it to get additional details and stories associated with "The People". After reading all the Amazon reviews of the DVD, I decided to purchase it in spite of the obvious quality control issues that everyone described just so that I could see the movie again. I was not dissipointed. The movie story line was still what I remembered, but after reading the book, the movie made even more sense than when I saw it on TV the first time. I was, however, very glad I had read the reviews on the poor quality of the DVD itself and been prepared in advance because everything said previously was true. The packaging is a cheap clear plastic container and the DVD looks like it was labled on someone's home inkjet printer. The movie is grainy and so soft in places you can't see the expressions on the actor's faces. Also, the 2nd part of the movie, after the "reel" is changed, is out of sync, similar to old martial art films. It is a little distracting if you are focused and watching the movie but not bad if you like to have the TV on in the background and only periodically look up to watch certain scenes.

I don't regret getting the movie but glad I purchased it knowing what to expect or I would have been VERY disappointed!

THE PEOPLE is a television film produced in the early 1970's by Francis Ford Coppola's company. The quirky, charming story revolves around a young school teacher, played by Kim Darby, who is assigned to a remote mountain area to teach in a one room schoolhouse. Through the events of the story, she learns that her youthful charges possess remarkable talents and that their ancestors share an extraordinary history.

It was so refreshing to see Darby's work in this film and it reminded me of all the reasons I like her as an actress. She has that wonderful knack of playing, such that her lines emerge as completely spontaneous thoughts. Even when she recites Thoreau to one of the students, she has to think it through, remembering each phrase as it comes to mind. Very good work.

Sadly, the quality of the print sold here is atrocious. It seems to be copied from a VHS and the second half of the film is out of synch between picture and sound. This all but ruins Carmen Coppola's score and the entire dramatic climax is severely diminished due to this technical glitch. As a film maker, I cannot believe that the creators of this haunting piece of work would wish to see it screened in this fashion, and we, as customers, deserve better, too. Most of us bought this film, I believe, because it somehow touched us as young people, and we wanted to relive the experience. As much as I wanted to laugh and cry again over the story, I only found myself crying over this desecration of Zenna Henderson's simple, touching work.

I love the stories of the People, by Zenna Henderson. In fact, it was this movie that first introduced me to the stories. It remains my favorite movie because I love the story and the music. The choice of actors was good. The children were well cast, and did a great job. But the acting of the adults was definitely flawed. I'm familiar with the work of some of them, for example, William Shatner and Kim Darby, and know they have more ability than shows in this movie. I can only guess the director was at fault. The dialogue is often stilted, and sound quality, even on a new tape, is occasionally muffled, making it difficult to catch everything that is said. (I've watched it hundreds of times, and I still don't know what Obla told Valency, when Valency told her it was time for the old ways to change.)
Nevertheless, the performances of the kids, the wonderful music, and the power of the actual story make this worth watching again and again.

Agree with the others here... I've been a Zenna Henderson fan forever, and the movie, while dated, is a sweet interpretation of her stories.

The DVD looks like it was a 3rd generation VHS copy transferred to digital format. Plain white label that looks like it was printed from a home computer. I really wonder if this is really a legitimate copy or a bootleg.