Tom Sawyer (1917)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Julia Crawford Ivers' adaptation of Mark Twain's classic 1876 novel is faithful to the highlights of the first half of the book, and since the sequel 'Huck and Tom' hit screens just three months later this film was presumably always intended as Part One of a lengthy two part film. We therefore get the whitewashing episode, the introduction of Becky Thatcher into Tom's life, the business with the bible study tickets and the exaggerated reports of Tom's death, concluding with his appearance at his own funeral.But Muff Potter, Injun Joe and the scenes in the caves would have to wait for the appearance of 'Huck and Tom' (1918), in which the amiable tone that has so far prevailed presumably darkens considerably. Robert Gordon doesn't actually have that much screen time as Huck Finn in this first film and presumably comes into his own in the sequel (especially with his name coming first in the title).

Only the second adaptation of the classic 1876 novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain, this is a hugely enjoyable silent comedy adventure film. The first adaptation was released in 1907 and is now lost but it is notable as being the only film version of any of Twain's works made during his lifetime. This film has an excellent script or, use the vernacular of the time, photoplay by Julia Crawford Ivers which sticks closely to the source material. That said, only the first half of the novel was adapted for the screen on this occasion as it ends with the "funeral" scene. The remainder and parts of its sequel "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" formed the basis of the film's 1918 sequel "Huck and Tom", which is likewise lost. The film is very well directed by William Desmond Taylor. Between them, he and Crawford Ivers were able to create a charming slice of Americana which is suitably evocative of the novel. Rather appropriately, the film was shot in Twain's home town of Hannibal, Missouri. Taylor may be best known as the victim of one of the most (in)famous murders in Hollywood history in 1922, which was never solved. At only 58 minutes, the film is very short by today's standards but I think that it was about average for the time. While I have seen a few older Chaplin Chaplin shorts, this is the oldest feature film that I have ever seen but it probably won't stay that way for too long.The film stars Jack Pickford in a first rate performance as the rambunctious title character. The lesser known younger brother of the Queen of Hollywood and brother-in-law of its King Douglas Fairbanks, the great success enjoyed by his relatives eluded him but he nevertheless had a pretty decent career. As was the case with many actors of later generations, it was curtailed by his drug and alcohol abuse and he died of multiple neuritis in 1933 at the age of only 37. The people who worked on this film were clearly not the luckiest bunch. At 21, Pickford is perhaps the oldest actor to ever play Tom Sawyer on screen but I understand that it was a fairly common practice in the silent era for adults to play children. A particularly egregious example occurred when his elder sister, then 27, played the 12-year- old title character in "Pollyanna" (1920). In any event, Pickford is very effective in communicating the young scamp's mischievousness, which is nicely contrasted with his basic goodness and innocence, through his facial expressions. His devilish grin when it occurs to him that he can fool others into whitewashing Aunt Polly's fence is a joy to behold. After a few minutes, I was able to accept him as being a young boy due to the body language that he adopts and the way in which he treats every minor task that Aunt Polly and other adults expect him to perform as a major affront to his pursuit of happiness. The Canadian Pickford was very well cast as the iconic all-American boy.Two of my favourite scenes in the film involve Becky Thatcher. When Tom meets her for the first time outside her house, it is clear - again from Pickford's expressions - that he is smitten with her but that he has to work up the courage to have a proper conversation with her. It is a lovely little moment. When he sits beside her in school the following Monday and he tells her that he loves her, there is a real sense of the awkwardness and shyness that typically accompanies such early adolescent encounters. Thankfully, Clara Horton is just as capable as Pickford in portraying this or the scene would not have been nearly as sweet as it was. Robert Gordon does not have much screen time as the "juvenile pariah" Huckleberry Finn with whom Tom is "under strict orders not to play" but he is very funny in the role. It certainly comes across that Huck is even more of a troublemaker than Tom but just as well-meaning in his own way. Edythe Chapman is pretty over the top as Aunt Polly but it mostly works to the film's benefit and Antrim Short offers good support as Joe Harper. It's a terrible shame that "Huck and Tom" is lost as I'd have liked to have seen more of Pickford and Gordon as the two boys. Almost the entire cast from this film returned for the sequel, as did Taylor and Crawford Ivers.Overall, this is a great adaptation of one of the great American novels.

A remarkably sophisticated offering for 1917, although I have the feeling that the surviving 60-minutes version is actually the Kodascope cutdown and not the original length at all. Some scenes seem truncated and it's hard to believe that a director as sophisticated and acute as William Desmond Taylor would go out of his way to cut scenes off in mid-stride as it were, even though all the pertinent points had been made. This makes the flow of the film somewhat jerky. It would be nice to get hold of the original orchestral music score and find out how long it played. Anyway, for once, Alpha has provided a really good score for the DVD version. So many of Taylor's films have disappeared, it's good to have this one, especially as Jack Pickford so brilliantly overcomes the fact that he's actually too old for the title role. I'd put this down as Jack's best surviving performance.

Mark Twain's immortal TOM SAWYER flirts with Becky Thatcher, goes rafting with Huckleberry Finn on the Mississippi River & generally makes life a sore tribulation for the law-abiding citizens of St. Petersburg, Missouri.Produced only seven years after the death of Mark Twain, this rousing, action packed silent film remains faithful to the original classic novel. The fine production values lavished upon it give it the feel of an old photo album. Many of the favorite episodes from the first half of the book are included and filmed with much charm.Jack Pickford gives a hardy, robust portrayal of Tom, the eternal companion of millions of American boys. Although a bit tall & old (he was 21) to be an authentic portrait of the real Tom, he comes close enough. Tattered, begrimed Robert Gordon as Huckleberry Finn also scores in his small role.The film concludes with the boys interrupting their own funeral, after being assumed drowned while river rafting. Director William Desmond Taylor decided to film the rest of the book and release it as a sequel, which he did the following year as HUCK AND TOM (1918). Four years later, in 1922, Taylor's still unsolved murder would give Hollywood one of its most sensational scandals.Almost forgotten today, Jack Pickford, Mary's younger brother, was a movie star in his own right, appearing in 106 films between 1909 & 1928. Lacking his sister's intense dedication & drive, he gave his life over to riotous living - to the detriment of his career. Personal tragedy & dissipation would haunt him until his death in 1933 at the age of 36.