The Little Minister

Infobox Film
name = The Little Minister


image_size = 250px
caption =
director = Richard Wallace
producer = Pandro S. Berman
writer = J. M. Barrie, Jane Murfin, Sarah Y. Mason, and Victor Heerman
narrator =
starring = Katharine Hepburn
music = Max Steiner
cinematography = Henry W. Gerrard
editing = William Hamilton
distributor = RKO Radio Pictures
released = 1934
runtime = 110 minutes
country = USA
language = English
budget =
gross =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0025409

"The Little Minister" is a 1934 American drama film directed by Richard Wallace. The screenplay by Jane Murfin, Sarah Y. Mason, and Victor Heerman is based on the 1891 novel and subsequent 1897 play of the same title by J. M. Barrie. It was the fifth feature film adaptation of the works, following four silent film versions. The original novel was the third of the three "Thrums" novels (a town based on his home of Kirriemuir), which first brought Barrie to fame.

Plot

Set in rural 1840s Scotland, the plot focuses on labor and class issues while telling the story of Gavin Dishart, a staid cleric newly assigned to Thrums' Auld Licht church, and Babbie, a member of the nobility who disguises herself as a gypsy girl in order to interact freely with the local villagers and protect them from her guardian, Lord Rintoul, who wants to keep them under his control. Initially the conservative Dishart is appalled by the feisty girl, but he soon comes to appreciate her inner goodness. Their romantic liaison scandalizes the townspeople, and the minister's position is jeopardized until Babbie's true identity is revealed.

Production

Katharine Hepburn initially rejected the role of Babbie, then reconsidered, against the advice of her agent Leland Hayward, when Margaret Sullavan was offered the role. The film was budgeted at $650,000, which at the time was considered a high amount, and much of it was spent on exterior shooting in California's Sherwood Forest and Laurel Canyon and on the elaborate village set constructed on the RKO back lot. (It later was used in a number of films, including Laurel and Hardy's "Bonnie Scotland").

The soundtrack includes the traditional Scottish tunes "The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond," "Comin' Thro' the Rye," and "House of Argyle." The 3-CD set "Max Steiner: The RKO Years 1929-1936" includes ten tracks of incidental music Steiner composed for the film [ [http://www.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm?ID=2846 "Max Steiner: The RKO Years 1929-1936" at ScreenArchives.com] ] .

The film had its world premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Cast

*Katharine Hepburn ..... Babbie
*John Beal ..... Reverend Gavin Dishart
*Alan Hale ..... Rob Dow
*Donald Crisp ..... Doctor McQueen
*Andy Clyde ..... Wearyworld
*Beryl Mercer ..... Mrs. Margaret Dishart
*Billy Watson ..... Micah Dow
*Dorothy Stickney ..... Jean Proctor
*Frank Conroy ..... Lord Milford Rintoul
*Reginald Denny ..... Captain Halliwell

Production credits

*Producer ..... Pandro S. Berman
*Original Music ..... Max Steiner
*Cinematography ..... Henry W. Gerrard
*Costume Design ..... Walter Plunkett

Reception

In his review in the "New York Times", Andre Sennwald described the film as "a tender and lovingly arranged screen edition of Sir James's rueful little Scottish romance . . . in its mild-mannered and sober way, "The Little Minister" proves to be a photoplay of genuine charm." [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9901EEDA173CEE32A2575BC2A9649D946594D6CF&oref=login "New York Times" review] ] However the film ultimately lost $9,000 and contributed to Hepburn's reputation as "box office poison." [ [http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article.jsp?cid=158609&mainArticleId=158602 "The Little Minister" at Turner Classic Movies] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025409/ "The Little Minister" at the Internet Movie Database]