The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane: Difference between revisions
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Later in the evening Rynn and Mario have dinner together at Rynn's house. Officer Miglioriti stops by to tell them that Frank Hallet has reported his mother missing; again, he asks to see her father, but Mario tells him that Rynn's father has gone to bed. This act of loyalty cements the bond between Rynn and Mario. |
Later in the evening Rynn and Mario have dinner together at Rynn's house. Officer Miglioriti stops by to tell them that Frank Hallet has reported his mother missing; again, he asks to see her father, but Mario tells him that Rynn's father has gone to bed. This act of loyalty cements the bond between Rynn and Mario. |
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Frank Hallet makes a surprise visit that same night, suspicious and looking for answers about the whereabouts of his mother and Rynn's father. He tries to scare Rynn into talking by torturing and killing her pet [[hamster]] with a cigarette, but eventually Mario chases Frank away with the help of a [[swordstick|sword]] hidden in his cane. Rynn now trusts Mario enough to show him the cellar. Down in the cellar are two corpses: Mrs. Hallet, and Rynn's own mother. |
Frank Hallet makes a surprise visit that same night, suspicious and looking for answers about the whereabouts of his mother and Rynn's father. He tries to scare Rynn into talking by torturing and killing her pet [[hamster]] with a cigarette (the throwing of the hamster in to the fire and Jodie Foster's nude scene are now cut from most releases), but eventually Mario chases Frank away with the help of a [[swordstick|sword]] hidden in his cane. Rynn now trusts Mario enough to show him the cellar. Down in the cellar are two corpses: Mrs. Hallet, and Rynn's own mother. |
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Rynn fixes tea and tells Mario everything. Rynn's father had a terminal illness. He and her abusive mother had divorced long ago, and he wanted to protect Rynn from winding up back in her mother's custody after his death. He moved them to an isolated area and made plans to allow Rynn to live alone; finally, he committed [[suicide]] in the ocean so his body would not be found. He left Rynn with a jar of powder, telling her that it was a [[sedative]] to give to her mother if she ever came for her — but really it was [[potassium cyanide]]. Rynn coolly describes how she put the powder in her mother's tea, how her mother remarked the tea tasted like [[almond]]s and she replied that it was only the almond cookies, and how her mother died. |
Rynn fixes tea and tells Mario everything. Rynn's father had a terminal illness. He and her abusive mother had divorced long ago, and he wanted to protect Rynn from winding up back in her mother's custody after his death. He moved them to an isolated area and made plans to allow Rynn to live alone; finally, he committed [[suicide]] in the ocean so his body would not be found. He left Rynn with a jar of powder, telling her that it was a [[sedative]] to give to her mother if she ever came for her — but really it was [[potassium cyanide]]. Rynn coolly describes how she put the powder in her mother's tea, how her mother remarked the tea tasted like [[almond]]s and she replied that it was only the almond cookies, and how her mother died. |
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Revision as of 10:19, 8 June 2010
| The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane | |
|---|---|
 promotional poster for US release | |
| Directed by | Nicolas Gessner |
| Written by | Laird Koenig |
| Produced by | Zev Braun |
| Starring | Jodie Foster Martin Sheen Alexis Smith Mort Shuman Scott Jacoby |
| Cinematography | René Verzier |
| Edited by | Yves Langlois |
| Music by | Christian Gaubert |
| Distributed by | 1977 AIP - USA, theatrical release 2005 MGM - USA, DVD release |
Release dates | December 25, 1976 (Sweden) January 26, 1977 (France) August 10, 1977 (U.S.) |
Running time | 100 min / 91 min (USA) |
| Language | English (mono) |
| Budget | CAD 1,100,000 (est.) |
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane is a 1976 American-Canadian film directed by Nicolas Gessner and starring Jodie Foster and Martin Sheen. It was written by Laird Koenig, based on Koenig's 1974 novel of the same title; Koenig also wrote a stage play based on his book. The plot focuses on thirteen-year-old Rynn Jacobs (Foster), a mysterious child whose dark secrets concerning her absent poet father are prodded by various nosy villagers in a New England town. The film, though predominantly a dramatic thriller, also blends elements of horror, mystery, and romance.
Plot
During a Halloween evening in a New England seaside town, Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) is celebrating her thirteenth birthday alone in her father's house; her father is a poet, and they have recently moved from England. Frank Hallet (Martin Sheen), the landlady's adult son, drops by; he is a pedophile with an unwholesome interest in Rynn, and although he leaves quickly that night when his stepchildren come to the door trick-or-treating, the next day he is waiting in his car to offer her a ride. She studiously ignores him.
Later, Cora Hallet (Alexis Smith), the landlady, arrives at the house. She snoops about, attempting to find out where Rynn's father is, and discreetly asks Rynn whether Frank has been bothering her. Rynn claims her father is in New York, and taunts the landlady about her son. Rynn's snappy answers and self-confidence unsettle Mrs. Hallet. The situation gets tenser when Mrs. Hallet wants to get her jelly glasses from the cellar. Rynn steadfastly refuses to let her in the cellar, despite Mrs. Hallet's threatening her with truancy; finally, the frustrated Mrs. Hallet leaves.
In town, Rynn again runs into Frank, but he is deterred by the appearance of Officer Miglioriti (Mort Shuman) in a police cruiser. Officer Miglioriti drives Rynn home, and the two strike up a kind of friendship. Miglioriti asks where Rynn's father is, and she tells him that he is working and cannot be disturbed.
Mrs. Hallet soon after stops by to pick up her jelly glasses, and they argue about the absence of Rynn's father. Mrs. Hallet slaps Rynn, and takes the box of glasses which Rynn has priorly retrieved from the cellar; the only problem is, Rynn has forgotten the rubber seals. Ignoring Rynn's warnings, Mrs. Hallet opens the trap door to the cellar and steps down to get the seals herself. Suddenly terrified by something she sees there, Mrs. Hallet screams, and knocks the cellar door support, causing the door to slam down on her head. When Rynn opens the trap door, Mrs. Hallet is dead.
Rynn, after a few moments of shock, tries to hide the evidence; she stuffs Mrs. Hallet's umbrella between the sofa cushions, and goes outside to try to move Hallet's car. Her inability to start the car attracts the attention of Mario (Scott Jacoby), the teenaged nephew of Officer Miglioriti, who is passing by on his bicycle on the way to perform magic tricks at a party. (Mario is dressed in a magician's cape and top hat and carries a cane, but the cane is more than a prop; he walks with a limp due to a childhood bout with polio.) He sees that Rynn is trying to hide something from him, but he agrees to come back and help her move the car after the party.
Later in the evening Rynn and Mario have dinner together at Rynn's house. Officer Miglioriti stops by to tell them that Frank Hallet has reported his mother missing; again, he asks to see her father, but Mario tells him that Rynn's father has gone to bed. This act of loyalty cements the bond between Rynn and Mario.
Frank Hallet makes a surprise visit that same night, suspicious and looking for answers about the whereabouts of his mother and Rynn's father. He tries to scare Rynn into talking by torturing and killing her pet hamster with a cigarette (the throwing of the hamster in to the fire and Jodie Foster's nude scene are now cut from most releases), but eventually Mario chases Frank away with the help of a sword hidden in his cane. Rynn now trusts Mario enough to show him the cellar. Down in the cellar are two corpses: Mrs. Hallet, and Rynn's own mother.
Rynn fixes tea and tells Mario everything. Rynn's father had a terminal illness. He and her abusive mother had divorced long ago, and he wanted to protect Rynn from winding up back in her mother's custody after his death. He moved them to an isolated area and made plans to allow Rynn to live alone; finally, he committed suicide in the ocean so his body would not be found. He left Rynn with a jar of powder, telling her that it was a sedative to give to her mother if she ever came for her — but really it was potassium cyanide. Rynn coolly describes how she put the powder in her mother's tea, how her mother remarked the tea tasted like almonds and she replied that it was only the almond cookies, and how her mother died.
The romance between Rynn and Mario continues to blossom, and they develop a relationship. One day, the two move the bodies out of the cellar and bury them by the side of the house. It starts to rain heavily, and Mario catches a terrible cold. Mario's cold develops into pneumonia, and he is sent to the hospital. Rynn comes to see him, but he is unconscious; she feels lonelier than ever before.
As Rynn is going to bed that night she hears the noise of the trap door slam shut. She goes downstairs and is shocked to see Frank coming out of the cellar. He has put the pieces together and realized that Rynn's father is gone and that Rynn killed his mother. He blackmails her, offering to protect her secrets in exchange for her (strongly implied) unwilling sexual favors. Rynn, seemingly defeated and resigned to Frank's demands, agrees to his suggestion that they have a cup of tea. Into her own cup she places a dose of the cyanide her father gave her, perhaps intending to kill herself rather than be raped (when Frank calls her a survivor from the other room she says, "I thought I was," as she pours in the cyanide). She takes the tea into the living room. Frank, suspicious, switches cups with her and they drink. He remarks that the tea tastes like almonds, and Rynn replies that it is only the almond cookies. Frank drinks more and coughs a little. Rynn watches while Frank talks slowly about how nice her hair shines and continues to cough. The film ends with a continuous shot of Rynn, staring toward dying Frank as the credits roll.
Cast
- Jodie Foster as Rynn Jacobs
- Martin Sheen as Frank Hallet
- Alexis Smith as Mrs. Hallet
- Mort Shuman as Officer Miglioriti
- Scott Jacoby as Mario
Reception
The film received two Saturn Awards (by the American Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films) in 1977:[1]
- Best Horror Film
- Best Actress: Jodie Foster
Adaptations
As a novel by Laird Koenig:
- The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan; 1974; hardcover, 217 pgs.)
- The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (London: Corgis; 1975; softcover)
- La Petit Fille au bout du Chemin (French translation)
As a drama by Laird Koenig:
- The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (New York: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.; 1997; chapbook, 71 pgs.)
Soundtrack
- The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Christian Gaubert (Japan: Polydor Records, 1976; "small press run"). This album has never been reissued on CD or in any other format, and no "official" bootlegs are known to exist.
- Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Eliahu Inbal and featuring Claudio Arrau on piano (UK: Philips, 1968). Side 1 of this record was featured prominently on the film's soundtrack, but was not included on the official soundtrack album. This LP has since been reissued in CD format.
See also
References
- ^ "saturnawards.org". Retrieved 2007-06-08.
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