Plot: What’s it about?
As part of a poor scrubland family, eleven year old Jody Baxter (Claude Jarman, Jr.) knows about hardship, but his life isn’t all that bad. His father Penny (Gregory Peck) is a warm and loving man, who farms the land as best he can, but even when times are tough, he finds ways to provide for his family. Jody’s mother (Jane Wyman) has been turned bitter by the loss of her other children, which doesn’t help Jody, since she is often cold and distant. As he is the sole child in the household, he wishes to have a pet of some kind to keep him company, which his father understands and his mother doesn’t wish to allow. But when his father is attacked by a rattler, leaving him seared with lethal venom, things take an unexpected turn for them all. Penny kills a deer close to the scene, then uses its organs to draw out the poison, saving his life in the process. When the fallen deer’s fawn begins to follow Jody, he begs his father to let him keep the orphan, to which Penny agrees, but warns Jody of the responsibilities. Soon Jody and the fawn are inseparable, but when the time comes to let go, will Jody be able to do so?
This movie is usually mentioned as a family staple, a movie with a good moral, lessons about life, and a solid amount of entertainment. At least, that’s what I was told as a kid before it was put in and played on the television. I can understand why folks love The Yearling, as it has a lot of good moments and good intentions, but I’ve never been too moved by it, perhaps because I saw Disney’s Old Yeller beforehand. In addition, I’m not a real fan of “by the numbers” emotional manipulation, which The Yearling is guilty of, without question. Yes, it has some good performances, a solid premise, and some gorgeous visuals, but it is also predictable to a fault, I’d even go so far as to say it is by the book, hitting all the emotional cliches along the path. I’m all for emotional content in movies to be sure, but don’t be so obvious, especially in this case, where its all wrapped up in a “Disney wannabe” package of wholesomeness. I still think The Yearling is recommended however, as a lot of folks like these paint by number emotional exploitation pictures, so since Warner has issued a solid disc, its worth a look to those interested.
Video: How does it look?
The Yearling is presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. While this visual effort has some flaws, the Technicolor source material is tough to work with, so I think fans can overlook the minor flaws. The print seems to be in good shape, with no severe debris or marks to report, though the Technicolor process has yielded some errors. In a few scenes, the colors pop out of synch and throw off the visuals, but these instances are rare and given the material involved, I think we can forgive them. I found the contrast to be level and consistent also, leaving me to score this one high, a very nice visual presentation from Warner here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included mono track has some years behind it and sound as such, but still covers the basics well enough in the end. I heard some distortion and harshness at times, but not too much and less than I had expected. No real problems seem to surface here, as the basic sound effects and music come across in decent enough form. I heard no issues with the dialogue either, aside from a couple small flaws that didn’t impact the experience much. This is a limited and dated track, but as far as a mono track from 1946 goes, I’d say this one stands up well enough. This disc also includes French & Spanish language options, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes The Cat Concerto (a Tom & Jerry cartoon), a collection of production notes & images, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
