The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The second screen version of Mark Twain’s classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
starred newcomer Tommy Kelly as the mischievous little scamp with a
heart of gold. The film followed Twain’s story closely, playing up some
of the comedy and danger elements.
Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly in 1850’s Missouri, getting
into trouble and avoiding work whenever possible. The movie (like the
novel) follows Tom from one escapade to another—some amusing, others
thrilling. The famous fence whitewashing scene is included, as are
Tom’s flirtations with schoolmate Becky Thatcher. Tom and pal Huckleberry Finn
skip town for an adventure on an island in the middle of the
Mississippi, returning to find that the town believes they’re dead. The
two boys can’t resist showing up at their own funeral, and the
hilarious consequences are worth any trouble Tom gets into with Aunt
Polly.
Danger comes when Tom witnesses scary Injun Joe murdering another
man. When town drunk Muff Potter gets put on trial for the murder, Tom
comes clean, leading to a heart-stopping climax in which Injun Joe
chases Tom and Becky through a series of underground tunnels and caves.
David O. Selznick produced this film a year before Gone With the Wind,
and he hired the same art director for both films, William Cameron
Menzies. The result was a breathtaking view of mid-19th-century
Missouri that pleased the eye, quickened the pulse and warmed the
heart.
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