Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

lasttimeisaw A Disney's vintage live action mounted with magnificent Technicolor treatment, running more than 2 hours, POLLYANNA is a life-affirming fairytale directed by old-hand writer David Swift as his feature debut, while accidental tragedy sweeps under its carpet.A young girl named Pollyanna (Mills), who has lost her parents and is adopted by her aunt Polly (Wyman) in Harrington's Town, where she is not just a prim wealthy matriarch, but also the mighty decision-maker of the whole town, yes, she is the sole heiress of Harrington family. So up from the mayor Karl (Crisp), the minister Paul Ford (Malden), down to her house staff, assistant Nancy (Olson), cook Tillie (Shaw) and maid Angelica (Canfield), everyone is either intimidated by her supremacy or surrendered to the vested interest involved.Therefore, Pollyanna's arrival is destined to break the unhealthy equilibrium and bring her ingenuously sanguine school of thought into the town by winning over everyone! It will hardly work in an authentically cynical world, but thankfully it is in Disneyland, the stranger- shunning recluse Mr. Pendergast (Menjou in his final silver screen presence) is actually a Mr. Nice Guy, and the cantankerous bed-ridden Mrs. Snow (Moorehead, shines in her scene-stealing bellyaching) is no more than a big baby just needs a little bit of motivation. Even Reverend Ford can be generously granted a thorough catharsis through Pollyanna's seemingly unintentional chit-chat. The point is in Harrington's Town, there is no evil, even for Aunt Polly, she is never malevolent, in fact she is just shackled by her self-appointed lofty duty to act as a role model for the townsfolk, as discreetly as possible. Her strong intention to maintain the ancient orphanage is more for the building's legacy other than her own sake, albeit a better solution is to build a new one. So, things can have been tread lightheartedly until DP Russell Harlan's ominous overlooking shots raise no less fear for agoraphobic than Hitchcock's VERTIGO (1958, 8/10), also amps up the suspense is Paul J. Smith's ferociously taut accompanying score which in most of time is as jolly as a bumblebee in the spring. For those who haven't read the novel from Eleanor H. Porter (me included), it is a shocking twist, and in one second, we may even believe we will lose her forever, only if it was true, the film would be worshiped for its groundbreaking bravura and gutsy dare to defy Disney's family-friendly quintessence. Although it turns out to be a bluff, the movie is excellent in at least tricking me into believe it even for a split second. Hayley Mills won a Juvenile Award in the Oscars, which in my opinion, the Academy should keep it aside from the usual acting branch (in that case we could have avoided the glaring category fraud cases such as Hailee Seinfeld and Tatum O'Neal), Mills is quite distinctive from other cherubic child sensations, she is neither a pretty doll nor a resplendent princess, she is plainly approachable, Mills illuminates the screen with her refined line-delivery and urgent sincerity without ever over-acting or dumbing down to memories by rote. Jane Wyman also establishes a powerhouse omnipresence in her absolute wheelhouse, never flaunts in the abysmally ambiguous "villain" categorization where she is, her aunt Polly is a victim of overpriced dignity, she enriches her with every bit of nuance which may not in the script. Most supporting characters are cartoon-ish, Richard Egan is quite a dull as Dr. Chilton and Nancy Olson is unprecedentedly harsh at the beginning, but Karl Malden's hectoring Sunday sermon is very amazing to watch and not to go deep into religion, people are either too devout or put-upon to hear it for three years, still is not long enough to brainwash their simpleton minds.

MARIO GAUCI I watched this as part of my ongoing Oscar marathon, since it landed child actress Hayley Mills in her U.S. debut (and only second official role) an "Outstanding Juvenile Performance" Honorary Award; incidentally, it was the last time such recognition was bestowed by the Academy and in all, there had been 11 such occasions and 12 recipients – oddly enough, in only a handful of cases (as here) were specific movies cited, namely Margaret O'Brien for MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944), Ivan Jandl for THE SEARCH (1948) and the Jon Whiteley-Vincent Winter team in the recently-viewed THE KIDNAPPERS (1953)! Anyway, this is among the better regarded (getting a ***1/2 rating from Leonard Maltin!) and more prestigious of the Walt Disney live-action productions (based a much-filmed children's literary classic – including an anime series from the mid-1980s I recall being shown on Italian TV in my childhood days! – and featuring a splendid cast) and obviously made an international star of Sir John Mills' elder 14-year old daughter (who had already impressed audiences opposite her father in the acclaimed British thriller TIGER BAY {1959}). The expected double dollops of Disney mawkishness and corny Americana are here, to be sure, but thankfully kept largely at bay by first-time writer/director Swift (whose own career was pretty short-lived!) for the overly generous 134-minute duration: there is only one brief song interlude (sung by Mills, of course) and a lengthier dance number at an all-important bazaar sequence. The film has been issued as a 2-Disc "Vault Edition" DVD, but I only acquired the main feature from ulterior sources.All that remains for me now is to talk about the stellar cast: Mills herself (a very pleasing and natural performance as the titular orphan girl who literally enlivens the fabric of the morose town she visits), Jane Wyman (her embittered matriarchal aunt), Richard Egan (the rebellious doctor and prodigal son of the community who is in love with the latter), Karl Malden (the hellfire-and-brimstone preacher who eventually softens his Bible-thumping grip on the townspeople), Nancy Olson (Wyman's liberal maid and Pollyanna's confidante), Adolphe Menjou (his last film role, as the proverbial hermetical town ogre with a heart of gold), Agnes Moorehead (an inveterate hypochondriac and the feminine counterpart of the latter), Donald Crisp (Egan's uncle and the ineffectual mayor), Kevin Corcoran (a freespirited orphan who befriends Pollyanna and is ultimately adopted by Menjou), Edward Platt (the typical henpecked husband who gradually finds his spine) and Ian Wolfe (an elderly citizen).It is worth noting that, apart from setting off Mills on a brief run of Disney movies – THE PARENT TRAP (1961; a dual role), IN SEARCH OF THE CASTAWAYS (1962; one of the studio's best efforts), SUMMER MAGIC (1963), THE MOON SPINNERS (1964) and THAT DARN CAT! (1965) – it also meant a follow-up for Corcoran to TOBY TYLER (1960; his most notable 'vehicle' among a handful of other Disney films). Apart from several members of the cast being themselves past Oscar winners (Wyman, Malden and Crisp) and nominees (Olson, Menjou and Moorehead), most also ended up doing stints in long-running TV series: Mills in THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA (1981), Wyman in FALCON CREST (1981-90), Egan in CAPITOL (1983-87), Malden in THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO (1972-77), Moorehead in BEWITCHED (1964-72), etc.

Chase_Witherspoon It's surprising how long this epic actually runs - almost two and a half hours - given it doesn't feel like an endurance to watch Hayley Mills as the blissfully naive Pollyanna, barely tolerated by her childless Aunt Polly (Wyman), going on to win the hearts of her adopted community after life-changing encounters and a terrible accident.Steve Corcoran is memorable as the rosy-cheeked little rascal whom Pollyanna befriends, as is Agnes Moorhead as the 'cantankerous' bed-bound spinster with an apparent heart of ice, slowly and surely melted by the unassuming youngster. Others may prefer Adolphe Menjou and his refracted light crystals, while Nancy Olson has a reasonable supporting role as the kindly housekeeper. Richard Egan plays Wyman's love interest, frustrated by her obstinate and negative attitude for which, Pollyanna is just the antidote she privately craves but publicly rejects.It's a typical feel good movie, although the climax is quite confronting if you're ten years old. Plenty of colourful characters of contrast and light-hearted child's play that should entertain the whole family. Not so sure about the patriotic national anthem solo at the film's finale, but otherwise, it's a substantial film that benefits from great performances by Wyman, Moorhead and Mills and consistently watchable.

misctidsandbits It's a film that brings you into the setting with the players. It's fun being in the kitchen with the irascible cook, both before and after her transformation. Didn't you enjoy running around with Nancy as she sneaks her kisses with her handsome beau - James Drury (sigh). What a relief when Pollyanna relieves the tension (just by being a natural girl behind the palm, etc.) at the town meeting and other occasions when Auntie is being her typical unbendable stick in the mud. Pollyanna's eye popping reaction to the brimstone sermon helps out there as well. Now for something really different ... Somehow, thought of "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" - the situation in reverse. In "Ivers," the niece goes the other way with an arbitrary aunt - very much the other way. She makes the very worst of the situation. Pollyanna's way is much more powerful. Both positive and negative attitudes are contagious. There is a draw in both cases. In Pollyanna, you are drawn up, and people come back for that.