The First Seven Years

THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS wouldn't have worked as well with a musical score. Though the background silence is probably a sound equipment problem fluke rather than an artistic decision, it gives the illusion the onscreen events are actually happening. This might not have worked with most Rascal pictures, but it complements FIRST's natural, leisurely tone, with Jackie and his friends seeming more than ever like everyday kids. The story is interesting though, unlike certain OUR GANG sequences where it seems they probably did film whatever might be happening at the moment (and then forgot to edit it). I wish they'd tried this kind of thing more often.