Vincent Spletinckx The Truth About Spring recounts the adventures of Tommy Tyler, a lazy sailor and his tomboy daughter, Spring, as they meet William Ashton, a young lawyer cruising the Caribbean. They soon join forces and engage in the search of a buried treasure also coveted by menacing pirates. This film, shot off the Costa Brava coast in Spain in the spring of 1964, is an excellent entertainment for the whole family and arguably one of Hayley Mills' best movies. Indeed, the 18 year-old British actress delivers one of her finest performances. Her on screen chemistry with both her father (John Mills) and James MacArthur is delightful. Most of the scenes are funny, witty, sweet and moving. Even our heroes' encounters with the competitive pirates are amusing rather than really violent. It's a shame this little gem of a movie has not been officially released on DVD. Nevertheless, if you happen to find it in any other format, do not hesitate! Enjoy it! And that's the truth about it!

ricochet67 This was my favorite movie when I was growing up. Even now, as a middle-aged mom, every time it's on I try to catch it. I haven't seen it on the tube or cable in years and my old VHS copy that I managed to tape the last time it was on (in the middle of the week at 2:00 a.m.) is deteriorating. There are some really good lines - the comic relief provided by Cark & Cleary is very well done - Lionel Jeffries was excellent. But on the cable showings, they put in so many commercials that some of the most memorable lines / clips are ruined by the crappy editing. Last time I saw it, there were 7 minutes of commercials and 7 minutes of movie in the two hour slot. Some of my favorite remembered lines were missing. I've got a bunch of James McArthur's and Hayley Mills' DVDs - I buy them all - whether they are produced by Disney or someone else - JM was my favorite actor as a teen - what's taking so long to issue this The Truth About Spring? We need more old family movies / classics to be available! Karen Davie, FL

burmafrd Considering how cheap it is to make DVD's-and how much of a market there is out there for family films- why this is not out is truly puzzling. If they did a bare bones without commentary, etc, it probably would not cost more then a few thousand to produce it. Charge 9.99 for each and I bet you would sell 10,000 easy right off the bat, and a steady sale for years after. There are a lot of grandfathers and grandmothers out there that remember Hayley Mills, and would love to give something like this to their grandchildren. She was just growing up in this film, and fit it just right. James McCarthur fit right in; and what can one say about John Mills that has not already been said. The collection of English character actors also enrich this film- a separate delight all their own. The innocence and fun that this film displays so beautifully is not something you will ever see again. To say no one makes 'em like this anymore is a gross understatement.

zpzjones I saw this on tv many times while growing up in the 70s. Strange it has never been released on home video of any kind and even stranger it doesn't show up on tv or cable or satellite much these days. The film stars father and daughter John and Haley Mills about a crusty old 'sea captain' with a teen daughter whose plum for leaving the nest. The girl has grown up basically as a Tomboy crew cut and all, plying the sea lanes in and around the Florida Keys and living a sea-going nomads life with her father, but is now physically looking more like a woman. She's rounding out and is about 17 or 18 years old, Mills's true age in 1964. A young man called Ashton(played by James MacArthur) comes into their lives and he is taken with and falls in love with Spring(Haley's character). As all birds do young Spring must leave the nest which means Spring and Tommy(John Mills) have to separate. This is touching as the only life this girl has known has been living on one derelict boat after another in and out of the Florida Keys. After pondering her decisions, Spring decides to accept Ashton's marriage proposal and Tommy gives his blessing as he approves of Ashton.The movie is well photographed with bright rich easy colors and could almost pass off as any of the Disney movies Haley Mills is best remembered for. Very family friendly even though modern day pirate action is supposed to denote a touch of menace to the picture. Tommy and his cohorts are much too lovable for any 'Yo Ho Ho'. A cast of well-known British character actors add to the fun of this 'pseudo' pirate adventure ie: Harry Andrews, Niall MacGinnis, Lionel Jeffries as Tommy's cronies. This is a fun-for-all tale of a girl coming of age and for me it reminds of the tv show Flipper. It takes place in the same area that Flipper does(Florida Keys vicinity) and was released around the same time Flipper premiered on t.v. in the mid-60s. Yep a good fable about coming of age for the children to sit down and watch.