Sequoia (1935)

The greatest movie ever made..!

terrible... so disappointed.

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Like most of the reviewers, I recall this film as a beautiful childhood memory, and of course, the scene I vividly recall is the "recognition scene" between Malibu and Gatu. I also remember crying my eyes out and it may have contributed to my love of animals as well. I have been lucky enough to have seen it more recently and, even with the romantic sub-plot, it did not disappoint.Amid the beautiful panorama of the giant forests, a drama is unfolding. Two baby animals, a mountain lion and a deer are left orphaned and are found by Toni (Jean Parker) whose father, Matthew Martin (Samuel S. Hinds) is a writer. He feels that it is only through sheer necessity that animals kill each other. Toni is determined that Malibu, the deer and Gatu, the puma, by growing up together, will love each other. The ranger scoffs at the idea that wild animals can be tamed and he is soon proved right. Chickens start disappearing and Gatu is the chief suspect. Toni and her father are due to return to town, so it is with great sadness that she sets them free, hoping they will always remain friends.Of course, "that scene' when Gatu is just about to strike but realises it is his childhood friend Malibu, sent me running for the tissues. They grow older - Malibu finds a partner, who is shot by Bergman (Paul Hurst, of course) the evil poacher, and leaves his own fawn to be looked after by Toni, who is back in the forest. There is a very exciting scene where Bergman is just about to shoot Malibu but Gatu comes to the rescue. There is a tussle and together they (Bergman and Gatu) roll toward the cliff. The movie ends very optimistically as hunting is finally prohibited in the National Park - every year thousands of deer were slaughtered until the whole country was up in arms. The last scene is Malibu and Gatu frolicking together in the snow.Jean Parker was one of MGM's "sweet young things" discovered in the early thirties. Usually only required to blush prettily and to wipe her tears away coyly, her roles didn't require much pep (she was the angelic Beth in "Little Women" (1933)). "Sequoia" was different and required her to be a bit more spirited. Surprisingly, she had a long career that only petered out in the 50s.Recommended.

"Sequoia" has haunted me since I was about 10 years old. I saw it on black-and-white television, and all I really remember about it is the scene of a mountain lion lying down and a buck deer standing close by. This fascinated me no end, though I joked about it in later years ("The camera was shut off just before the mountain lion got up, jumped on the deer, and killed it!" ha) For many years I was beginning to wonder if this film was just a dream, because I could not find it listed in any of my "movies on TV" type books. I even tried movie search services before I found the right one and they described the plot to me and I finally knew that "Sequoia" did exist! However, I am saddened to learn the information given on others of these postings--that it does not exist anymore, or has been lost. I sincerely hope this is not so, because I'd snap it up in a minute if it became available!

I saw this when I was in grammar school, in the 50s not realizing it was already 20 years old! I would love to see it again. I seem to remember reading an article about film preservation that said prints for Sequoia were not available anymore. Let's hope one pops up and a video and dvd follows. I picked up a Sequoia "big/little book" at a book sale with stills from the movie on every other page. If you are familiar with the movie you will know what big little books are, I guess.

This movie has some of the most stunning animal photography I have ever seen. It is amazing to get an adult male deer and bobcat to work together as well as the very impressive scenes of deer and other animals in the wild.