PamelaShort If you would like to watch the most humblest, kindest, generous child ever on screen, then this 1936 adaption of the classic " Little Lord Fauntleroy " is perfect for you. Freddie Bartholomew is absolutely irresistible as the impeccably polite Cedric, a role that seems tailored made just for him. C. Aubrey Smith's performance is strong and convincing, and even a little scene stealing as the cantankerous grandfather, The Earl Of Dorincourt. Dolores Costello is lovely playing the gentle Dearest. Even the Lord's brusque Great Dane gives in to the charms of "Ceddie." Add Mickey Rooney, Guy Kibbee, along with a host of superb supporting actors all perfectly portraying their parts and the results are a first class, outstanding film of a classic story. A very delightful and heartwarming picture for all ages to enjoy. A must see for your list of early classic movies.

Kathey-728-867550 My sister and I just finished watching the movie again. It is one of our favorites.Not only do I give it a #10 rating - I also give a rating to infinity.I grew up on the 'edge' of earlier, more sane days of our country and world - at least the first few years were more sane, even though it was after WWII.I saw enough of the kind of family life that Cedric had with his Mom, and the love and kindness shown, to gratefully remember it. My Mom continued to show me and my siblings, and others, the same kind of love and caring that Ced's mother showed him and others, with such love, kindness, and gentleness, this present world knows little, if anything, about - and today's world is really missing a lot.All generations has it's good and bad sides, and good and bad people. The kind of morals and love which this movie showed, shows what the majority of society believed and lived, which made life more sane, not perfectly so, but more so. What today's world is missing out on.

pschwens Just a brief comment for now, of all the versions that I watched of Little lord Fauntleroy filmatisations, this one in my opinion features the best fitting actors if you compare with the book. And shining gloriously at the top is Sir C. Aubrey Smith (the old Earl - Cedric's grandfather). No other actor that I have seen so far comes closer to portraying the old Earl as gruff and cantankerous as he comes across in the beginning of the book. A slight minus is the low technical quality of the film, but being made in 1936 it is not bad all things considered. I might add that this was the first filmatisation that I watched and thus my opinion might be a little biased but I think that this film is still on the top shelf in terms of overall quality, a true classic. Don't miss it if you have the opportunity to watch it.

Jim John Cromwell gets a lot of credit for this Selznick Studio release. It is only the second time (at that time) the story had been filmed. The first was a poor silent version. Although Cromwell could have developed the story a bit more, it is well cast. Bartholomew is excellent as young Cedrick and Smith is fine as the crusty old Earl who learns to love his grandson, additionally Rooney as Dick the bootblack, and Kibbee as storekeeper Hobbs are also outstanding.Although heavy with sentimentality, Cromwell has done an excellent job of cutting out all the terrible wordiness of the novel. (Burnett writes as though she is being paid by the word and puts in way to many adjectives.) The story is well told and the scenic effects are good for their time. Unfortunately the film has not aged well and some scenes have darkened with time. Perhaps an enterprising admirer will trouble to restore this film. IF they do, hopefully they will also restore the missing scenes so the film runs its full length.A discount film hawker (Front Row Video, Canada) has the nerve to sell copies of the film (claiming a running time of 1:42) that are so butchered, that two conversations are cut right in the middle with a change of scene. Digiview Productions who states on the front cover "Sometimes the price we pay is too high" and charges only a dollar for their DVD version, has been caught with their foot in their mouth. They only charge a buck, but even that is too much for the hacked up 92 minute version of the film they sell.For purists, I urge you to find a complete copy of this well done film. THe only way you can enjoy something is to see all of it.