Product Details

• Actors: Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, Claude Jarman Jr., Chill Wills, Clem Bevans
• Directors: Clarence Brown
• Writers: John Lee Mahin, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Paul Osborn
• Producers: Sidney Franklin
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Digital Video Transfer, NTSC
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 128 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304546327
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,255 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Child actor Claude Jarman Jr. won a Special Oscar for his lead performance as the boy hero of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' novel, which concerns a lad's love of a fawn in the post-Civil War era. Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman are memorable as his parents, their emotions divided in the aftermath of so much tragedy and their lives affected by the boy's passion for his yearling. Clarence Brown (National Velvet) directed this 1946 heartbreaker, which will not leave a dry eye in the room. A handsome, leisurely drama at more than two hours, shorter versions simply don't cut it. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic That Must Be Seen, May 17, 2000

By 

Michael Puckett (Little Rock, AR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Yearling [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This wonderful film is one of a handful that has the power to call me back to my childhood days and wrap me in warm memories of my Mom, Dad and little brother sitting around the television on Saturday night, watching the late show.

From the opening scenes of this beautifully photographed movie I found myself caught-up in the intriguing post Civil War story of a boy and his pet faun and their fantastic adventures on a scruffy Florida Everglades farm. The film stars Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman and Claude Jarman in the lead roles, with some of Hollywood's best character actors in the colorful supporting roles.

Peck gives an Oscar caliber performance as the warmhearted father who tries his best to make a better life for his family, with absolutely no help from the elements, which surround them. Jane Wyman plays his wife Orry, the hardened mother and wife who is so embittered by past tragedies in her life that she refuses to show any love for her one remaining child for fear of losing him too. And Claude Jarman plays Jodie the wistful young son who is just one summer away from adolescence and all the hardships that come with growing up.

This story is chock-full of excitement and adventure sure to please the kids, and each of those adventures is also a great lesson on life that will stay with them for years to come. Just watching Jodie romp with his pet faun for that one fleeting summer is a joyous site to behold and the touching scenes where Orry finally begins letting herself love her son will bring tears to your eyes. And of course the heart-rending scenes of Jodie trying his best to get the yearling to run away so he won't have destroy it, all come together to make this movie one of the most emotional experiences of my childhood and I must say I believe I'm a better person for the values I learned from this timeless story.

Experience this film with your children, you won't be sorry you did.

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible story, wonderful performances, August 8, 2003

By 

Schuyler V. Johnson (Lake Worth, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Yearling (DVD)

This movie really could not be improved upon; every single performance, from Calude Jarman Jr to Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman and Chill Wills are astonishingly believable; you never think you are watching a movie, this is truly a window into a real world. The boy who plays Fodderwing is extraordinary, almost unearthly, in his role. The dream sequences with the deer are breathtaking, as are all the scenes which have animals interacting with people. You really get involved in this one; it is not merely a spectator event; you are THERE, with Jody and his parents, and Flag, his little deer. I have seen this too many times to count, starting when I was about 6 years old, and have never lost one iota of awe when I see it again. It is a shame that movies with this kind of heart, emnotion and inner strength/courage are not made anymore; there are simply no stories now to equal this one, and that is a pity. Still, you can go home again when you see this movie; it never loses its appeal, even through repeated viewings, and you are always immediately caught up in the story and the characters. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings grew up in the Florida Everglades, and waa a master at describing the unique flora and fauna which proliferate there; it is a very unusual place, and this story takes you right to the center. A must for every DVD/VHS library, and a family classic for years to come.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Director Clarence Brown's best movie., May 24, 2001

By 

Stewart (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Yearling [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"The Yearling" is a 1946 family classic with Gregory Peck, Jane Wyman, and Claude Jarman, Jr. It's also a movie that has grown on me each time I have watched it. Of all of director Clarence Brown's films, including "National Velvet", "The Yearling" has the most chock-full of enjoyable and memorable scenes. Even though the story is centered around Jody (Jarman, Jr.) and his pet fawn Flag, for me it's more about Jody and his father Penny Baxter (Peck). Their relationship is the best father-son relationship I've seen in a film. Gregory Peck can play fathers in movies better than most actors because his characters always listen to their children. Claude Jarman, Jr. received a special Academy Award for this film, and deserved it. During the last half of this movie, I was so amazed by how well he could cry. His performance ranks among the very best performances from child actors in movies. The ending both breaks my heart and fills me with hope, when the father tells Jody about life and when the mother (Wyman) finally opens up her love to Jody. This is what quality family entertainment used to be, and I love it.