I've always had a soft spot for PRC Pictures. Producers Releasing Corporation was frequently referred to in most books about the Golden Age of Hollywood as "the lowest rung on the Poverty Row ladder". While on the surface that statement is correct, PRC did manage to produce a number of memorable low budget offerings such Edgar G Ulmer's DETOUR, Frank Wisbar's STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP, and Lew Lander's THE ENCHANTED FOREST all on the tiniest budgets and the shortest shooting schedules. Unlike the other two (and most of PRC's output), FOREST was shot in an inexpensive color process known as Cinecolor.
The company existed from 1939-1947 and churned out 179 movies during that time (that's 22 movies a year!) most of them being Westerns, horror films, or crime melodramas. THE ENCHANTED FOREST was something different. It was an allegorical children's fantasy which plays better today than it did in 1945 thanks to its messages of back to nature, forest conservation, and the evils of encroaching development. The success of THE ENCHANTED FOREST ironically helped to lead to the demise of PRC as the company attracted outside investors from England who transformed it into Eagle-Lion Films in 1948.
The movie tells the story of Old John, a hermit living in the California Redwood forests , who communes with Nature and talks to animals and understands what they are saying. He rescues the 2 year old grandson of a timber baron after a train wreck (his mother and grandfather think he died in the accident) and raises him in the forest teaching him to appreciate and respect Nature. Three years later the contractor returns with his daughter who's still grieving and a doctor who wants to build a retreat there. Harry Davenport shines as the hermit while Brenda Joyce as the mother and Edmund Lowe as the doctor give sincere performances.
The movie hearkens back to an era of innocence and it proudly wears its naivete on its sleeve. Despite its obvious low budget the film is quaint and full of charm and manages to overcome the shortcomings of the script and uneven characterizations. Child actor Billy Severn is annoying but the animal performers (an eagle, a mountain lion, a German Shepherd, and especially a trained raven) more than make up for him while veteran director Lew Landers skillfully balances studio shots with actual footage of the Redwood forests of Humboldt County, California while moving the film along. THE ENCHANTED FOREST clocks in at a little over an hour and doesn't wear out its welcome.
This movie is fondly remembered by those who saw it as children but unfortunately for today's audiences the film is in the public domain and the only available print for viewing has a number of issues including muffled sound and faded color. It would be wonderful to see THE ENCHANTED FOREST be given a full restoration the way that fellow PRC offering DETOUR was so that its simple virtues can be fully appreciated. Back in 2000 there was a decent print available from Image Entertainment but that version appears to be long gone. The current DVD-R from MR FAT-W will do until something better comes along.
UPDATE 2024: There is a currently a print available for viewing on You Tube which is the best this movie has ever looked...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.
