Bless the Beasts & Children

The recent passing of another of the 'great' directors prompted me to look back at Stanley Kramer's career. And that lead me to reflect upon my teenage experience of sitting in one of Melbourne's grand old picture houses one Saturday afternoon and viewing this movie for the first of what has now been many times.

Perhaps it was my age at the time, or my love of the outdoors, or my regular weekend hikes, or my love of animals... whatever it was, that 2 hours looking at the enormous screen was one I can recall with vivid clarity even 30 years on.

I remember how awesome the cinematography was it captured the beauty of the environment in those scenes where the misfit teenagers headed out across the plains to rescue the bison.

The music also evoked the essence of the outdoors for me. For many years after whenever I came up over a hill in the forest the Carpenters' music seemed to play in my head. It is just a shame that someone let the theme be [mis] appropriated to other less noble ends.

I have shown this movie to many teenage groups in the years since it opened. Although time has certainly moved on and much, especially the dress and manners has changed I have rarely found any teenager who has not been able to identify with the movie and the themes it seeks to explore.

Stanley Kramer made some wonderful, no some great movies. And while this may not rank as his greatest, for me it was and 'is' great as it allows this writer to revisit his teen years and relive a truly memorable period of his life.

I read the book when I was just 12 years old. I loved it. Then I saw the movie...and loved the movie just as much. This is NOT your standard coming-of-age movie. Anyone who claims otherwise is full of buffalo doo (!) because there is no comparison here. As for statements that troubled kids aren't tender-hearted when it comes to animals, again, buffalo chips! This movie is dead-on when it comes to adolescent worry and the way that young people (and older folks too) treat one another. Swarthout has it right.

I have just now re-read the book and am dying to see the movie again. It's been at least 15 years or more (probably closer to 20) so everything is fresh again. Ironically for me, I now live just down the road from Prescott and Jerome and Flagstaff. All those locations from the movie and from the book are right down the road.

I saw this movie on TV when I was very young, only 7 or 8. The final scene was powerful, even though at that age I didn't fully comprehend what it meant. I remember seeing it several times afterward as I was growing up. I recently saw it listed on Comcast On Demand as a free movie, so I thought I would watch it. What an odd feeling to look back and realize how the meaning of certain movies dawned on you over time. I knew the first time that the kids were doing something good, setting the buffalo free. As a pre-adolescent and a teen, I understood that they were misfits, much like the buffalo they were trying to set free, and that their views weren't in line with the views of the authorities. They did what they thought was right, and one of them died doing it. What I remember as being so powerful about the final scene of the movie was not the sight of Cotton's being shot, but rather the image of the remaining boys standing on the hill and facing the hunters. The emotion of that moment was one of the most powerful movie moments I've ever experienced. I don't remember crying, but I remember the "feeling" of the first time I saw that scene – the only thing I can equate it with today as an adult is the feeling you get when all the blood rushes out of your face and you get a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. I think it was one of the first times in my young life that I realized that there was a scary world out there beyond my yard and that there were bigger things than me out there and that people could actually die for believing in them. Seeing it now, 30 or so years after the first time, I see the campiness of it, the forever-70s-ness of it, but I still "get" the message at the end. I wonder, though, in this world of high tech and instant gratification if there are many people today who are as passionate about the things they believe in as the kids in that movie were about those buffalo. Sadly, I doubt it.

I saw this film when it was released in 1971 (when I was eight) and it made quite an impression on me. Some really nice acting, great music, and an interesting (yet simple) story. It's amazing how it has stayed with me all these years. But meaningful films tend to do that. I was lucky enough to see this film again tonight. Though I viewed the film through 42 year-old eyes, it still had an impact. I was saddened to hear that Barry Robins (who played "Cotton") passed away in 1986. He was quite an amazing actor. (It's interesting to note that Robins, who played a 16 year-old, was 26 when the film was made!) He reminded me of Sal Mineo, another fine actor who left us far too soon. Anyway, I just wanted to comment on this fine little gem of a film. If you get a chance to rent it, I hope you will...and enjoy.

My name is Robert Kramer. All I want to say is that I am very proud of this film. I loved working on it and even now I can't believe that I worked with Stanley Kramer. He has worked with most of the biggest stars that ever lived. Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Spencer Tracy, Judy Garland. I'm not as talented as those actors but I am grateful he gave me the chance to be in his film and I guess I did ok. He told me that I did, so I guess it must be so. Bless the Beasts is available on ITunes in HD, and looks great. Also my reading the comments on here about what people thought about the film, I appreciate the kind complimentary ones and the ones who didn't like it. Stanley Kramer was a great Producer, Director. I was lucky to be able to work with him. Also, I am not at all related to Stanley Kramer. It was just an average regular guy, me, who got the job. Also, to find a great copy of the film in HD, go to ITunes, you can buy it or rent it. It looks great. Won't be ever in Dolby Vision but it still looks great.