Misty
This 1961 family film, based on the novel by Marguerite Henry, inspired a generation of children to name their pet dogs, cats, turtles, and so on after the lovely colt of the title. Set on Virginia's coastal island of Chincoteague, the film begins on "Pony-Penning Day," an annual celebration that involves rounding up for auction wild ponies on neighboring islands. Two young children, a brother and sister (David Ladd, son of Alan, and Pam Smith), capture an elusive mare nicknamed Phantom and hope to take ownership of her colt, Misty. A stranger has other plans, however, setting his mind on buying both animals, and the disappointed kids turn to their sympathetic townspeople to find a way out of the dilemma. A great-looking film shot on location, Misty is an effusive adventure about that special, even mythic, bond between children and wild creatures. Performances are strong, the scenery is splendid, and the film lingers in the memory for a long, long time. --Tom Keogh
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Last updated: November 1, 2009, 3:55 pm
Misty Cusomter reviews:
Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 25
(T. Branson, 2009-05-30) I was very pleased to find this movie for my class. The seller emailed when the item was shipped, every thing was in a timely manner.
(Judith, 2009-03-09) Two children, Maureen and Paul, are living with Grandma & Grandpa after the deaths of their parents. Grandpa raises ponies. The children fall in love with a wild pony named Phantom, and work to raise money to buy her. Naturally, this movie looks old fashioned, since it was filmed nearly 50 years ago. However, the story still works and touches the viewers emotions. Yes, sex roles have changed a lot. Maureen does protest about girls not being allowed on the pony roundup and demands to ride Phantom in the race, so they were making some progress, but she is still shown as the follower to brother Paul's lead. (Maybe Maureen grew up to be a bra burner. LOL She was definitely feisty enough.) Several reviewers mentioned that the movie was too different from the book. I haven't read the book, so all I can say is that the movie works very well for somebody who doesn't know the book. I liked both children, particularly Maureen. I liked the grandparents, and felt they struck just the right note for grandparents trying to raise children without spoiling them, but realizing that they needed lots of love because of their grief. Some of the parts in the movie are played by the actual citizens of the island, so their acting is amateur. That only adds to the charm of the movie. I thought this was a very sweet movie, worth watching.
(Carol Wittler, 2009-01-27) I am so glad I purchased this movie!.. My 5 year old granddaughter loves it but all horse lovers will love it. It is a true place with a true event that happens on this island every two years. (I think?) It was loaded with caring, sharing, loving and what children can do when they set their mind to it. Also, a great connection of committment concerning grandparents who sometimes have to help with the raising of their grandchildren!
(Harold Wolf, 2008-12-18) This film brings all the excitement found in the book "Misty" (by Marguerite Henry) to the screen. It is beautiful in its setting near the Atlantic. It is safe for any age child. It is a nostalgic rush for those of us who read the book as a youngster. I'd forgotten about the film even though I saw it on TV in the 1960s. It is a great DVD way to see and hear the story of Maureen and Paul Beebe (Pam Smith and David Ladd) in their struggle to raise the funds to buy Phantom, who had never been captured before, and now her foul, Misty. It's a fund-raising event of the Chintoteague community to catch the wild horses and sell off the yearlings to aid the local fire department. A huge challenge for the youngsters. Here's a story for children to learn values, the work ethic, and just plain enjoy a good (one of the best ever) horse story. The film is as classic as the book.
(J. Lovins, 2008-12-10) Koch Vision and 20th Century Fox presents "MISTY" (4 June 1961) (91 ins/Color) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- It has a very Disney/family style, a very solid, down-to-earth plot, a lot of focus on animals and nature, a realistic style, subtle humor, smart pieces of dialog, a well meshed plot, a warm family feeling, and a happy ending --- the film is educational, in the same way that Disneyland used to be educational in the early 1960s: endless tidbits of knowledge are imparted via the dialog, such as that a "hand" is equal to four inches, or that a foal should not be fed sugar since that turns the horse into a biter, or that "breaking" a horse is different than "gentling" a horse --- It's hard to come away from the film without having learned more about horses, or without having developed more of an appreciation of horses. Also, the locations and history of the annual pony roundup are authentic, so a bit of geographical and historical knowledge is imparted, as well --- This is a solid family film that should still be enjoyable for all ages, especially for horse lovers. Under the production staff of: James B. Clark - Director Robert B. Radnitz - Producer Marguerite Henry - Book Author Ted Sherdeman - Screenwriter Lee Garmes - Cinematographer Leo Tover - Cinematographer Paul Sawtell - Composer (Music Score) Bert Shefter - Composer (Music Score) Frederick Y. Smith - Editor Duncan Cramer - Art Director Maurice Ransford - Art Director Stuart A. Reiss - Set Designer Walter Scott - Set Designer Bernard Freericks - Sound/Sound Designer Ben Nye, Sr. - Makeup Stanley Hough - First Assistant Director Story line and plot, Every year the Chincoteague fire department rounds up the wild ponies of Assateague. island, and then auctions off the colts and yearlings to thin out the herd. A young brother and sister, Paul and Maureen Beebe, have set their hearts on owning one particular wild three-year old pony, The Phantom --- Only they have to earn the money, as the Phantom has to be captured in the roundup, and then they have to outbid everyone else for her in the auction --- And even the Phantom herself has a surprise for Paul and Maureen: a foal named Misty --- The scenery is breathtaking, with sandy beaches, sand dunes, coastal pine forest, and open fields with horses running free --- Has that small town feeling with its carnival and everybody knowing everybody --- Other than the old-fashioned clothes and hair styles, this film seems a lot more modern than its 1961 release --- still stands up well in this modern era without seeming excessively sweet or having ridiculous humor --- There are also some gender equality issues thrown into the plot, which makes it ahead of its time.. the cast includes: David Ladd ... Paul Beebe Arthur O'Connell ... Grandpa Beebe Pam Smith ... Maureen Beebe Anne Seymour ... Grandma Beebe rest of cast listed alphabetically: Duke Farley ... Eba Jones SPECIAL FEATURES: BIOS: 1. David Ladd Date of Birth: 5 February 1947 - Los Angeles, California Date of Death: Still Living 2. Arthur O'Connell Date of Birth: 29 March 1908 - New York City, New York Date of Death: 18 May 1981 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California 3. Pam Smith Date of Birth: Unknown Date of Death: Unknown 4. Anne Seymour Date of Birth: 11 September 1909 - New York City, New York Date of Death: 8 December 1988 - Los Angeles, California Great job by Koch Vision --- looking forward to more high quality titles from their film market --- order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector. Total Time: 91 mins on DVD ~ KOCH Vision ~ (11/25/2008)