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Friday, September 11, 2020

LADYBUG LADYBUG 1963

One of the greatest American films ever made!!

Yes, I have written about this movie before and I just received the DVD and finally got a chance to see it again. It NEVER fails to make me think. It's a great film with a very disturbing message.

This is a tale about a small rural school that suddenly one morning gets a Yellow alert which means nuclear attack is coming within one hour. Everyone is understandably concerned and the principle John Calkins (William Daniels) has no choice but to follow procedure and send the children home.

Some of the children get to take the bus home, but others have to have a teacher walk them home because there isn't enough transportation. During the walk the children talk to each other about their likes and dislikes as well as their individual fear of the bomb and death itself.

As each of the children arrive home they try and get their disbelieving parents to understand that a nuclear attack is coming. The parents don't believe them and one little girl is so frightened she hides under her bed in mortal fear. Several other children share a fellow students bomb shelter and their behavior takes a turn for the worse.

One young girl returns home and her mother isn't home so she flees in terror and locks herself in an abandoned refrigerator. Everyone watching this will immediately feel the terror of that scene. It's very disturbing.

There are other unforgettable set pieces, but I will leave that for you to see if you get a chance to view this excellent film directed by Frank Perry.

Today's generation cannot understand the terror people lived in during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but for those of us old enough to remember, this film REALLY strikes a cord. The black and white photography really helps add a certain "feel" to the movie. It's heartbreaking to watch these innocent children turning on each other or being scared to death by mans foolish folly.

This DVD was bought for me by my wife Ginger and I cannot thank her enough. The quality is very, very good and I am not going to name the source as I prefer to keep it quite for now.

All I can say is that everyone over 50 simply must see this film if you're a fan of great cinema. It's sad that this film is still not very well known as it ranks as an all time American classic that is still timely today.

The rest of the great cast includes James Frawley, Judith Lowery and Estelle Parsons. VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

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