In 1840s Missouri, young Huckleberry Finn, wanting to escape his violent drunkard father, joins Black runaway slave Jim on a quest for freedom down the Mississippi River on a raft.In 1840s Missouri, young Huckleberry Finn, wanting to escape his violent drunkard father, joins Black runaway slave Jim on a quest for freedom down the Mississippi River on a raft.In 1840s Missouri, young Huckleberry Finn, wanting to escape his violent drunkard father, joins Black runaway slave Jim on a quest for freedom down the Mississippi River on a raft.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Mark Twain purists might take issue with the changes made in the story of the
classic Huckleberry Finn. But I rather like the approach that was taken here and also the performance of Jeff East in the title role.
This was East's second film, he debuted the previous year in Tom Sawyer also playing Huck Finn. Later on he would be young Clark Kent in the blockbuster Superman film.
Harvey Korman and David Wayne are nothing short of brilliant as those two rogues the 'king' and the 'duke'. Both look like they are having a great old time. Gary Merrill is superb as Huck Finn's white trash Pap.
In this post civil rights era film particular emphasis is placed on Huck's relationship with runaway slave Jim with whom he shares that raft on the Mississppi. The optimism of Twain's work stems from the white trash background that Huck has, but that how he thinks and reasons and generally tries to rise above it. Some very good scenes are shared with East and with Paul Winfield as Jim.
The Sherman Brothers musical score is serviceable for the film, but nothing outstanding. The sets and cinematography really do convey life in the ante bellum souh and border states.
You can't go wrong with this adaption of Huckleberry Finn.
This was East's second film, he debuted the previous year in Tom Sawyer also playing Huck Finn. Later on he would be young Clark Kent in the blockbuster Superman film.
Harvey Korman and David Wayne are nothing short of brilliant as those two rogues the 'king' and the 'duke'. Both look like they are having a great old time. Gary Merrill is superb as Huck Finn's white trash Pap.
In this post civil rights era film particular emphasis is placed on Huck's relationship with runaway slave Jim with whom he shares that raft on the Mississppi. The optimism of Twain's work stems from the white trash background that Huck has, but that how he thinks and reasons and generally tries to rise above it. Some very good scenes are shared with East and with Paul Winfield as Jim.
The Sherman Brothers musical score is serviceable for the film, but nothing outstanding. The sets and cinematography really do convey life in the ante bellum souh and border states.
You can't go wrong with this adaption of Huckleberry Finn.
Talented filmmaker J. Lee Thompson stages this musical version of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" with artificial verve, and nothing in it looks quite right or plays at the appropriate tempo. Stolen from his guardians by his delinquent father, Huckleberry Finn stages his own death and hits the Mississippi River with friend Jim the Slave (why the two don't return to the sisters whom Jim works for is never made clear--both he and Huckleberry would certainly benefit from their generosity). Songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman, who also adapted the screenplay, seemed to lose their way musically once their mentor, Walt Disney, died; here, their songs are like leaden chapter stops in the narrative, not that the actors have much musical range. Teen star Jeff East doesn't even have music in his speaking voice, and he crawls through the picture lethargically, talking through his nose as if he had a cold. Paul Winfield fares better as Jim, though this pictorial, phony journey must have seemed quite a comedown after his "Sounder". Cinematographer László Kovács gets some beautiful shots of the raft on the water, but the limp direction and editing makes nearly all of Kovács' compositions look poorly framed. The color schemes are gloppy, with day scenes appearing as dusk and vice-versa. Director Thompson, who makes the white folks look like doddering scoundrels and the black folks look like grinning simpletons, can't work up a cohesive pace for the picture, and it jostles about from one poor vignette to the next. This was a follow-up by financiers Reader's Digest to 1973's "Tom Sawyer"; as with that film, a TV-version was right on their heels, in this case 1975's "Huckleberry Finn" starring Ron Howard and Donny Most. * from ****
Huge Mark Twain fan. In my opinion this is the very best production of Huckleberry Finn. Great choreography, costumes, and sets. It does have a musical element but it doesn't detract from the production but instead complements it. The movie does not have a juvenile feel to it and could be enjoyed by the entire family but with parental discretion as this deeper cultural issues are explored. If you enjoy this movie you should check out Tom Sawyer. It features cast reprisals and is a bit more lighthearted. Enjoy.
Actually, not a bad film that follows the Twain book pretty well (probably because it's a Readers Digest production), but is about as dated as the book actually is and a product of the era in which the story takes place. This doesn't mean that the overall film doesn't hold a place in either American literature or film history. It's a musical without being an overpowering musical (which is good for me since I'm not a musical fan). Unfortunately, I see modern audiences avoiding this film without appreciating its innocence and morals and original intentions. If you've seen this film, what did you think of it?
Unnecessary and unsatisfying musical rendering of Mark Twain's classic "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". At least, it captures the genuine friendship between Jeff East (as Huckleberry Finn) and Paul Winfield (as Jim). However, these two performers are much more likable in other projects. Interestingly, Mr. East portrayed "Huck" in 1973's similarly presented re-make of "Tom Sawyer", which was considered the better film. In my opinion, East would have been a better "Tom" than "Huck". Some of the photography is rather nice, especially during the more moody ending. The Sherman-Sherman musical numbers are well below standard. The movie doesn't seem much like the book. Roberta Flack sings "Freedom" to end it all, at last.
*** Huckleberry Finn (1974) J. Lee Thompson ~ Jeff East, Paul Winfield, Harvey Korman
*** Huckleberry Finn (1974) J. Lee Thompson ~ Jeff East, Paul Winfield, Harvey Korman
Did you know
- TriviaThis was the first musicalization of Huckleberry Finn. The next one happened 10 years later in 1985, on Broadway; it was "Big River." a hit show which ran for several years and won seven Tonys, including Best Musical.
- Quotes
Huckleberry Finn: I don't give a damn what the whole world says, 'cause if I'm doin' wrong--well--well, I hope I roast in hell forever.
- ConnectionsFollows Tom Sawyer (1973)
- How long is Huckleberry Finn?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn: A Musical Adaptation
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime
- 1h 58m(118 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content