Harry et Tonto

"Harry And Tonto" is one of my all time favorite movies. It is a film that is as beautiful and funny as it is poignant and sad. It is also a film that features one of the finest acting performances in the last fifty years given by the late, great Art Carney. Carney shows why he won a well deserved Oscar for his performance as the kindhearted, retired teacher Harry Combes who goes cross-country with his pet cat Tonto as they encounter several eccentric characters and have some truly unforgettable moments. A wonderful film, that truly deserves a DVD release. Hopefully one day.

A wonderful movie experience that speaks volumes with its quiet, methodical pace. "Harry and Tonto" concerns a retired school teacher in his 70s (shocking Oscar-winner Art Carney) who is forced to leave the only home he has ever known when his apartment in New York is demolished to make way for a parking garage. Possibly this will be no big deal as he and Tonto (his faithful cat) decide to go live with his son (Philip Burns). Quickly it is apparent though that the arrangement will not work and Carney decides that maybe it is time to see the nation he has never gotten a chance to see before by heading west (with a little luggage and his cat of course). Along the way he meets back up with his daughter (Ellen Burstyn), has his grandson (Josh Mostel) follow him from New York, encounters a strange hitchhiker (Melanie Mayron) and even has a short jail stay with Chief Dan George. As the trip continues a fine line is developed between Carney's old ties and his new ones. Carney is one of those people who instantly appears to be everyone's life-long friend. The trip is an opportunity to meet new friends and sometimes, very sadly, say goodbye to old ones. In the end Carney's journey does not only take him cross-country, it also takes him to new and sometimes forgotten emotional experiences that he desperately needed to have. "Harry and Tonto" is a simple film that did not rely on a big budget or trivial situations to tell its story. This is a human tale that speaks to anyone who is willing and able to listen. Director and co-writer Paul Mazursky (Oscar-nominated for the latter) created a movie that touches its audience with heart, emotion and smarts. Carney is a revelation. He is basically only known for his silly turn on television's "The Honeymooners", but he proved he could play a part that is very difficult to pull off. Carney, only 56 at the time, plays much older than he was and received much support come Oscar season (some looking suspiciously like sympathy votes). In the end, Carney did win Oscar gold over such other names as Al Pacino ("The Godfather, Part II"), Jack Nicholson ("Chinatown"), Dustin Hoffman ("Lenny") and Albert Finney ("Murder on the Orient Express"). In retrospect, it is still hard to decide which of those five delivered the finest performance of that year. One thing is for sure though, "Harry and Tonto" is one of those rare movies that always seems to stand the test of time. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I can only agree with the preceding praise of this wonderful movie. Art Carney was outstanding and deserved the Oscar. This is a story that relies on realism, fine dialogue, and excellent acting. There is no need for forced sentimentality here... the film's natural progression and true to life experiences provide the heart felt warmth, poignancy, and humor of this classic. I am going to purchase this film. It a movie that of which I never tire. It is sad that they do not produce films of this quality today. Kudos to all associated with it and a 10+ out of 10 rating.

Art La Cues

"Harry and Tonto" is one of those films that surprises you. It seems very simplistic with an old man traveling with his trusty cat, however; there is more to the film than that. Harry(Art Carney) is a 72 year-old man displaced from his apartment building in New York that is scheduled for demolition. This is when his journey begins taking him from his son's home and comes across various people along the way including Ginger, a 16 year-old hitchhiker, a former lover with a shaky memory (Geraldine Fitzgerald), his bookstore owner daughter, Shirley(Ellen Burnstyn) in Chicago, a vitamin salesman, a Las Vegas hooker and an Indian Chief. Harry is an intelligent man in his twilight years prone to fussing over his aging cat. The film is good natured and at the same time sad. It plays as a slice of life movie but one thinks of the old saying, "It is not the destination but the journey that matters." Art Carney gives a very real, complex performance while being understated and I am not surprised that he won an Oscar for this film. I am glad that I finally came across this film and certainly appreciate it more as an adult than I did as a kid.

Art Carney gives a magnificent performance as an elderly patriarch. His family is every slice as real as Thanksgiving dinner with all the extras and idiosyncracies that go with American family values and life. It couldn't have been made at a better time as films enter the gloominess of Coppola's prequel to the Godfather. It is a coming of age film for the connesiour who can relate to dysfunction.