The Little Kidnappers by Neil Paterson
Eight out
of 10
The Little
Kidnappers is a very endearing story, with children as the main characters,
albeit this is not a Disney, light type of entertainment.
The motion
picture has won two Honorary Academy Awards for the extraordinary boys that give
heartwarming, sensitive, intelligent, exquisite performances that are beyond
reach for most of the adult actors and this for all films, not this one in
particular.
The Little
Kidnappers has also been nominated for the BAFTA Awards for Best British film,
Best Film from any Source and Best British Actor.
Furthermore,
it was on the shortlist for what is for many, including the under signed, the
most important cinematic festival of all:
The Cannes
Film Festival of 1954.
Finally, to
end the accolades received by this great black and white story, it was included
on The New York Times’ Best 1,000 movies Ever Made list:
The
narrative is poignant, relevant in the present, in an age when nationalists are
on the rise, emigrants are rejected by trump and his primitive supporters in America,
where they keep talking about the “beautiful, big wall on the border with
Mexico” which will even pay for it in the minds of stupid people.
Jim MacKenzie
is a Scotsman, a harsh, unforgiving man, strict, inflexible and rather abusive
to the children – although one must take into account the different standards
of that period.
The old man
lives with his family in Nova Scotia, where he takes care of the heroes of this
story, his grandsons, Harry and Davy.
Given that
their father had died in the Boer War, the grandfather has a strong hatred for
Dutchmen, in the way so many people in the world today resent immigrants for
various crimes committed – or often only wrongly attributed – to individuals
from various lands, where, like anywhere on the globe, there are good and some
bad people.
The fact
that some have been involved in violence, even killing, does not mean that we
have to try and take revenge on all that community – especially when talking
about an armed conflict where many, if not most participants have been obliged
to take orders.
Jim MacKenzie
is very quick to threaten anybody crossing, or trespassing as he calls it, onto
his land, even when the law states that another person has rights where the Scotsman
feels it is his property.
Even when the
Dutch local doctor, Willem Bloem, helps Harry he is told by the daughter of the
vengeful MacKenzie, Kirsty, to depart as soon as possible from their house, for
once home, the old father would not hesitate to shoot the good physician.
The doctor
thinks that the young woman feels he is too old for her, but he is wrong, and a
strong feeling bonds the two people, although their love might have the fate of
Romeo and Juliet, given that they belong to two different communities, in that
the Scotsman hates the Dutch as aforementioned.
Harry and
Davy have found an advertisement that states that they could have a dog for
thirteen dollars and fifty cents – that would be a few hundred at the value of
the currency with present rates.
Nevertheless,
grandfather opposes the idea, he is if not an absolute tyrant, and close to a
sadistic ruler at least up to the point where he might change his mind and see
that he was wrong in his loathing of neighbors who are actually very kind and generous
human beings.
However, before
that change might happen, a serious event occurs, when Harry and Davy find a baby
care for him with tenderness, but they are accused of the serious crime
announced by the title:
The Little
Kidnappers
It is so
horrible that in those days it was punishable with death by hanging, only given
the age of the suspects, they could well face other punishments, including
being sent to rehabilitation, reeducation school.
The accused
testify that they have meant no harm, even if the judge and others have
suspected that their intent could have been malicious, considering the
animosity, conflict between the Scots grandfather and the Dutch families.
The result
of the judgment could be a hard blow for the boys, or, on the other hand might
be an opportunity for reconciliation, the discovery of qualities, values,
kindness that have been missed in the fog of war…
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