Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
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Stars

Little Lord Fauntleroy
Overview
Suddenly, into the poor, but happy lower-class Manhattan home of the widow Errol and her son Cedric, aged about nine, comes an agent from Cedric's mysterious grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, asking them to move to England so that Cedric can learn aristocratic ways and inherit the vast estate. Cedric's mother consents with misgivings, especially for having to live in a house nearby, rather than in the castle with her son. The Earl proves to be a penurious misanthrope, hated by almost everyone who knows him. But from the beginning, Cedric sees only good in him, can't imagine that he would ever treat his tenants and villagers poorly, and wins their hearts with kindnesses, giving all credit to his grandfather's wishes. Soon the dour old man finds that he loves this cheerful little boy so dearly, that he wants to live up to this new image of himself. The sudden appearance of a vulgar, ambitious American claiming that her son is the true heir to the title is a more grievous blow to him than anyone would have thought possible.
Little Lord Fauntleroy Film Details
Overview: An American boy turns out to be the long-lost heir of a British fortune. He is sent to live with the cold and unsentimental Lord, who oversees the trust.
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Review: With a star like Alec Guiness and a screenwriter like Blanche Hanalis (The Waltons) it can’t be a typical made for TV movie, and it isn’t. Director Jack Gold manages to stay away from the cloying sentimentality and excessive wordiness of the badly written novel by F H Burnett. The relationship between the young boy (Schroder) who refuses to see the selfishness in his crusty and ill-tempered grandfather (Guiness) and the lonely old man, is developed reasonably well considering the budget and time restraints. The plot concerns a young, fatherless boy, growing up on Hester Street in the low income district of New York as he rises to wealth and social position by the whim of an old man after his three sons die. Cedric’s father, the youngest son, would have been the last to inherit his father’s Earldom in rural England. But his unfortunate death when Cedric was very young, means the nine year old will be the next Earl of Dorincourt. His grandfather does not approve of his son’s marriage to Cedric’s mother, and sends for the boy to live with him, putting the mother up in a cottage on his estate because he fears what others will say if he does not provide for her in some way. The boy is not told of his grandfather’s disaffection for his mother and gradually thru his trust and fondness for his grandfather, the boy transforms the selfish Earl into a kinder, more compassionate person. When the Earl suddenly hears of another claim to the Earldom thru the illegitimate child of his middle son, Beavis, he is shocked and outraged to discover the boy and his mother are ignorant and mercenary. Shamed by his grandson into doing good deeds, the old Earl realizes that he is not as good a man as he should be and begins to mend his ways. The story is well told, and from a strictly critical viewpoint may be a bit too sentimental. But compared with the actual novel this film is derived from, the story has been made vastly more enjoyable by the removal of the hundreds of unnecessary adjectives in Burnett’s badly written novel. Although the story was brought forward in time a few decades, this does not lessen the impact of the plot, or decrease the enjoyment factor. THe language used by young Cedric sounds a bit stilted in the mouth of Ricky Schroder, but it is the fault of the author and not the director. I definitely feel this film is well worth viewing, so make some popcorn, call the kids into the living room and sit back and enjoy Alec Guiness, Ricky Schroder, Eric Porter and Patrick Stewart in LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY.
Country: UK
Language: English
Duration: 103 min
Genre: Drama, Family, Romance
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