of course, in "To Kill a Mockingbird." If ever there is a film role model for fathers today, it can be found in these two films. Peck's love for his son, his desire to protect his world and let him be a boy for just a little bit longer, is beautifully portrayed.Whenever this film is shown on television I will indeed watch the beginning up to when "Flag" is found, but then I do turn the channel before the end. My daughter is nearly twelve now, and I see the transition in her from child to adult and the film has influenced me, as a loving father, to hope she enjoys that childhood as long as possible before having to let go of it. And yes, we've seen the first half of the film together, we both get a teary eyed and then switch to something else.I adore the soundtrack based on the work of Delius and highly recommend his "Florida Suite."The cinematography award is well deserved, stunningly beautiful, again with a dream like quality to it.As to some of the critics. Please. . .you have no concept of life in 19th century Florida after the Civil War. It was hard scrabble, and if a man was disabled, his family literally could starve, thus forcing Jodie to face his terrible decision regarding his pet. Our politically correct sensibilities of today had very little room in the 1870s, and yes this statement is from an animal lover but also an historian of the period. I'm almost amused by the critics who casually say, build a barn, or make a bigger fence. . .try it some time, using the tools of the period in the climate and eco-system of Florida. I think the scenes where Jodie and his "Ma" do attempt that in order to save Flag, are heart breaking and realistically portrayed.So, if you haven't seen this one, do so, but even you tough guys, you better have a box of tissues handy. A warning though, if you have children who are sensitive to animals, think twice or preview it first, it can be very traumatic.

loss of innocence and the price of responsibility.I so wish that the whiz kids at Disney and DreamWorks would stop wasting their time and effort on computer animated feel-good trash, and reach into their hearts and make a film this wonderful.

but there are moments in it . . . the boy's night in a treehouse, with an ethereal little lame friend, when the boy discovers the faun, when they both gambol in the everglade. By all rights, scenes like these - and some of the lines - ought to make one cringe, but they don't. They are transcendent.This is a family film. This means one for the whole family. See it with your kids. Learn from it as they do.

a child actor. Perhaps some of you prefer the standard set by the child actors in Home Alone or Harry Potter. The book and film are timeless masterpieces.

performance as the young boy who simply adores his pet deer. His emotional range was spectacular and unlike many child stars I hate the list is pretty long , this kid could really act. He did such a great job his performance even over-shadowed the great Gregory Peck--and that's some achievement.PS--a final word of warning. Although most people already know this, the film falls into the "dead pet" category--just like OLD YELLER. So, if you don't want to see this type of film, I could understand why.

dialogue is fearsome, and, yes, it's a corny picture in an old-fashioned vein, however it is certainly worth-seeing, even for cynics. *** from ****

died? He shows three graves and that's it.Jane Wyman's part is certainly the most difficult:when she finally smiles,the viewer feels happy that this kind of scene can be possible. But my favorite scene has always been Peck's speech in the little cemetery "because we do not know any prayer" where Fodderwing is being buried :it echoes the crippled boy's dreams when he and Jody spent the night in a tree -one of those magical moments of childhood-.Today's children are used to action-packed violent movies: I hope they will enjoy "the yearling" all the same.