Little Fugitive (1953)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 80 minuten
Alternative title: The Coney Island Kid
Country:
United States
Directed by: Ray Ashley, Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin
Stars: Richie Andrusco, Richard Brewster and Winifred Cushing
IMDb score:
7,5 (3.239)
Releasedate: 1 October 1953
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Little Fugitive plot
"Morris Engel's All-American Classic"
A twelve-year-old boy finds it so annoying to babysit his seven-year-old brother that he makes up a ruse. He makes the boy believe that he accidentally shot him. Seven-year-old Joey is so shocked that he flees to the Coney Island amusement park. There he goes in search of empty bottles and hands them in for money.
Actors and actresses
Joey Norton
Lennie Norton
Mother
Jay the Pony-Ride Man
Photographer
Harry
Charlie
Woman on beach (uncredited)
Reviews & comments
Movsin
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- 8286 messages
- 8442 votes
Starts out as a youth film, from exactly even earlier than the 1950s, but then, with the antics of little Joey, comes across more as a straight nouvelle vague film that could only have been shot with a hidden camera.
The images of the amusement park and the beach with "the little refugee" in between (he has little remorse anyway) are fresh and cheerful to follow (the photographer) and the naturalness with which the children interpret their roles is remarkable.
Translated from Dutch · View original
mrklm
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- 11629 messages
- 10041 votes
Rarely has a filmmaker managed to bring a child's world to life on the white screen in a striking way without visual frills. This film is often reminiscent of Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959) and François Truffaut cited "Little Fugitive" as one of the main inspirations for his own masterpiece. Seven-year-old Joey [Richie Andrusco] goes on the run when he shoots his brother. Unaware that his brother tricked him so he wouldn't have to babysit him, Joey takes refuge in Coney Island. There he is so absorbed in the magic of the amusement park that he soon seems to forget his worries.
The scenes up to the shooting incident are not very well acted, something that is mainly reflected in the woodenly spoken dialogues. But the scenes in Coney Island are sublimely filmed. Joey ventures into can throwing several times, finding a way to improve his technique after each failed attempt. His encounter with the friendly man at the pony ride is also nice, but my favorite moment is Joey's baseball session in which he tries in vain with a bat that is much too large and heavy for his age to catch the balls that are fired at him at an enormous rate. touch. We see how he tries everything during the session to get a better result... and he succeeds, even seeming to hit the cameraman full in the face - much to his own horror! It is an unforeseen moment that the filmmakers simply left in the film. OK, there's really no story to tell, but this is a masterful character study from a 7-year-old. Plus, this offers a unique look at Coney Island in the 1950s.
Translated from Dutch · View original
scorsese
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- 13237 messages
- 11127 votes
Good film about a boy who is fooled by his older brother. Filmed with little frills and also filmed entirely on location, which makes the film raw and realistic. This also makes a nice time document. Despite the short length, it is a bit long-winded. A narrow 3.5 stars.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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