How sad is this?

Great Film overall

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Spencer's Mountain is an old fashioned drama about a family living on a mountain. It's very dated and unlikely to appeal to modern audiences but it does have a certain charm which makes up for the relative lack of action. Personally I'd have preferred the film to follow the family over a longer time period which would have given the viewer more interest. Instead it is slow moving and whilst there are a few decent moments of pathos, it does get weighed down by clunky superfluous scenes. Although undoubtedly the star of the film, Henry Fonda merely appears to be going through the motions. The rest of the cast are merely adequate with no-one really standing out. This however, may have been more to do with the unimaginative characters and dialogue than their acting ability.Worth watching for an old slice of gentle drama but unlikely to live too long in the memory.

When you see Donald Crisp sitting at the head of the table, you immediately think of the strong family ties shown in his memorable "How Green Was My Valley," which also starred Maureen O'Hara. Yes, we have a loving family with strong ties here in this film, but the characters are so stilted.The story almost boils down to a similar 1945's "The Corn is Green," a memorable Bette Davis and John Dall film depicting a brilliant student facing hurdles to pursue a higher education. Ditto here with James MacArthur as such another student with the same problem- poverty. His dedicated teacher, Virginia Gregg, the "nurse" in I'll Cry Tomorrow, who gave Susan Hayward her first drink.Henry Fonda heads a fine cast but the writing is of lackluster quality. Imagine, MacArthur learns sufficient Latin to gain admission to college over a summer period. Please.

I found the novel Spencers' Mountain in a gas station book rack in 1973 when I was a 14 year old coming of age. The novels main character,unlike the movie,was Clay boy, the son who was a few years older than I was in real life, so I really related to him and loved the book that was a loose memoir of Earl Hamner Jr.s childhood growing up in the hard depression era Virginia Appalachian mining country. The book was told from Clay boys' view point, and He was the narrator of the story. Most of the stories in the movie were in the book but the focus was shifted to the father, Clay, because it had become a vehicle for it's star, Henry Fonda.I didn't see this film till sometime in the 1980's and at first I was greatly disappointed by this change in the stories emphasis. I have now come to enjoy the film for it's own merits, especially the beautifully photographed Teton mountains. In real life Earl Hamner didn't get to go to college till after WWII, on the GI bill. As usual the book is much better than the movie and I even named my second son Clay.

Based on the same source material that was used for the TV series "The Waltons", "Spencer's Mountain" is cornier, shallower, and quite a bit duller than its television counterpart. The basic setup is the same - a poor but proud man lives with his churchgoing wife, his elderly parents, and a multitude of children, including an intellectual eldest son who aspires to go to college. However, this movie takes place in the present day, though (1963 at the time), and the action, what little there is, is moved from Virginia to gorgeous Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Enjoy the scenery, because it's probably the best thing about the film.Unlike the series, the characterizations are not nearly as well fleshed out. Other than the eldest son (here named Clay Boy instead of John Boy), none of the children are given much to do. The grandparents are ciphers as well. Also, it's difficult to make lovely Maureen O'Hara unappealing, but this movie somehow manages - she plays the clan's shrewish, nagging mother, who lavishes most of her attention on her "special" eldest son. Even worse is Henry Fonda as the patriarch, who is prone to spewing corny, down-home platitudes and creepily refers to his "babies".Sure, "The Waltons" had its corny side as well, but the early seasons can be surprisingly gritty at times. "Spencer's Mountain" will just make your teeth ache. Skip it.