All Mine to Give

"All Mine to Give" is based on a real story, so it definitely has realism on its side. It's the story of a hard luck family living in Wisconsin during the mid-19th century. You see Mr. and Mrs. Eunson create a family and work hard to raise them until ultimately both parents die from illnesses--leaving six kids and the oldest was only 12. It is then the sad duty of this oldest boy to find homes for each of his siblings on Christmas.

If the film sounds incredibly depressing and awful, well, you'd be right. It's exceptionally made, well acted and worth seeing...but it's also the type film that might send you over the edge! It is not a film for anyone to see who's suffered a recent loss or is dealing with depression. It's definitely a film to see with Kleenex nearby. And I really did marvel at some of the child actors in this one...they were amazing. Though, once again, I should point out that this is one of the most painful films you could see....remember this when you choose to see the movie.

By the way, although I did enjoy the film and do haltingly recommend it, I was left wondering WHO created the fake eyebrows worn by Cameron Mitchell in the film. Could it have been Jim Henson?

I've seen this once- many years ago, buried in a package of old movies the local station owned. For most of the way, it's a good, realistic view of frontier life, like something out of the Waltons or Little House on the Prairie. At the end, however, it becomes something much more special than that. I call the end of this film the "Rock Test". If you can watch it and not cry, you're a rock. The thing that makes it work is that it's not maudlin, just real and human. A rare gem, the sort of thing that makes it worth scanning the TV listings looking for it. Believe me, if you find it, it will be the best thing on the page.

This is a tissue-tugger if there ever was one! I haven't seen this movie in several years but growing up, I always made a point of seeing this movie. It is one of the few movies that as a young man and an adult that I have watched multiple times. I always found it very moving and an emotional experience. I don't normally cry at movies but this one always made me misty. I looked for it for several years, telling my wife what a great movie it was to see and how I wanted to share it with her. I finally wrote to several of the TV networks and got one to respond with the next time it was going to be on television. It was a big night in our household, popcorn popped, tissues handy, and kids to bed as we watched the movie. As the finally credits start rolling and I'm holding back from getting misty, I look to my wife, ask her what she thought and she answered with, "Is that all there is to it?" I was crushed to say the least.

At any rate, it still moved me, though I hadn't seen it in years. You feel for the struggles of the family, the harshness of the wilderness and the era for growing family. You see how adversity makes the family more close-knit and the bond between one another grows. No TV, no Nintendo, none of the amenities of today but the love and understanding that builds in a large family that relies on each other.

When we were in high school and college, my sister and I used to watch this movie every time it came on TV. If it started at 3AM, we were there with our tissues! We watched it so many times, that I would start to cry even before any thing sad happens. My sister and I are trying to find a copy so we can share it with our daughters. So far I've found 14 Video stores nation-wide that still carry it, but I don't know yet if any of them will rent it to me via the mail. I'm hopeful though, because any one who has ever seen this special movie, never forgets it. I now have seven children of my own, and even though none of them have seen it, they all know the story, and the title. It's difficult to summarize ALL MINE TO GIVE, without giving the story away. If you see it once, you'll look forward to seeing it again and again. I don't think there is another movie of this type that elicits such a universal reaction from the viewers.

When my family watched this we had gotten very attached to the characters and wanted to know the whole story (today's films would have followed the tale with "So-and-so went on to do such-and-such"). Knowing that the tale is TRUE made it more powerful but unfulfilled at the end without following up. The local Wisconsin online historical societies had the best coverage of the Eunson's. The writer (who lived to be 98) is one of the grandchildren of the parents in the story.... Clark County Press usgennet.org is where I found what we wanted to know when the film 'ended'. Could be a good propaganda piece for vaccinations!