Genre:
Adventure
Release Date: 11/11/2008
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD2
Run Time: 80 Minutes
Flags: Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Kino
A lyrical serio-comedy from the writing/directing team of
Ray Ashley,
Morris Engel and
Ruth Orkin,
The Little Fugitive stars young
Richie Andrusco as Joey Norton, a seven-year-old Brooklynite left in the care of his 12-year-old brother Lennie (
Ricky Brewster). Finding the boy to be a constant annoyance, Lennie and his friends devise a plan to make Joey mistakenly believe that he has killed his brother; the prank is successful, and a frightened Joey flees for the fantasy-world refuge of Coney Island. A lost classic waiting to be rediscovered,
The Little Fugitive was highly acclaimed upon its initial release, scoring an Oscar nomination for "Best Screenplay" as well as sharing a Silver Lion award at the 1953
Venice Film Festival alongside such legendary fare as
Kenji Mizoguchi's
Ugetsu Monogatari. Shot on an extremely low budget, the film's innovative use of hand-held cameras and staccato editing techniques establish a rough-and-tumble, documentary-like edge perfectly attuned to its incisive, realistic treatment of childhood wonderment and fear.
~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide