Little Lord Fauntleroy

1980

Drama / Family / Romance

8
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 80% · 2 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 80% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.5/10 10 6113 6.1K

remake lord

Plot summary

Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept Cedric as his heir.

Director

Jack Gold Photo
Jack Gold

Top cast

Bill Nighy Photo
Bill Nighy as Officer
Patrick Stewart Photo
Patrick Stewart as Wilkins
Colin Blakely Photo
Colin Blakely as Hobbs
Alec Guinness Photo
Alec Guinness as Earl of Dorincourt
720p.BluRay
910.07 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
25 fps
1 hr 39 min
Seeds 9

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by HotToastyRag 7 / 10

Alec Guinness provides a different take

While there's just no comparison to the magic of the original, if you don't like black and white movies, you'll do well to pick 1980's Little Lord Fauntleroy as your second choice. Ricky Shroder is just adorable, and since he's very clearly American (unlike Freddie Bartholomew) he can effectively provide the culture clash when he travels to England.In the classic tale of a poor American boy who inherits an Earldom, Ricky and his mother, the beautiful Connie Booth, say goodbye to their friends and sail across the pond. Alec Guinness is the forbidding grandfather who refuses to speak to or see Connie, but wants to train Ricky to learn his duties. So while Connie lives in a house on the estate, Ricky lives with Alec in the main castle. He instantly takes to his grandfather, and his natural charm, innocence, and broad-mindedness makes a difference in the county. When Alec is about to evict a tenant for being late on his rent, Ricky shows more compassion by suggesting he allow the man to rest from his illness and take care of his family. Alec's performance is very good in this movie, because you're able to glean so much from his little glances. You can tell he feels old and that the new generation will run things differently, he's reliving the childhood of his deceased son, he feels the need to cater to the boy because of parenting mistakes he made in the past, and he appreciates the innocent trust and love the boy has given and doesn't want to destroy it. He turns the traditional "curmudgeon turns soft" character into something different, and it's very interesting.Unless you're unflinchingly loyal to Freddie Bartholomew (which I totally understand), you can rent this one to see Alec Guinness's unique interpretation. Keep your eyes open, though: if you blink, you'll miss seeing Patrick Stewart for a few minutes!
Reviewed by Andreas_N 7 / 10

Decent adaptation, worthwhile as a whole, only slightly overdone

This adaptation of F.H. Burnett's novel features a very convincing Alec Guinness and manages to deliver the story in a very decent manner.Ricky Schroder was at the beginning of his "child star" period. His part in the movie is a bit overdone to my mind, but this might be due to the story and is probably done deliberately.I particularly liked the camera work. The wonderful British countryside was stunningly captured. This serves as a means of illustrating the strong contrast between the boy's urbanized life in New York and the rural dwellings in England. The audience is presented not only with picturesque images but also authentic depictions of how the poor peasants had to live in those days. This was conveyed as adequately as it was possible for a low budget production like this.The story is interesting and nicely staged, but again, maybe a bit overdone occasionally. This makes the movie a story for children rather than adults. The changes Alec Guinness goes through could have been presented in a more credible manner - he sheds his aristocratic rigor and austerity too quickly. Ricky Schroder again seems totally unaware of his grandfather's real character and is apparently living in a kind of ideal world he creates with his childish naivety. Again - this aspect and the interaction between the characters based on this premise is slightly surreal.The strengths of the movie are the messages and the exciting quest of Little Lord Fauntleroy to settle in to his aristocratic life - which he does in a very straightforward manner and with disarming charm.It is basically a very solid movie with a clear message: We need to look at things unbiasedly and make us aware that we can change the world for the good of all if we just make an effort. The movie does not aim at lofty commercial objectives but stays true to the novel and thus gives a considerably decent account of how even the most old-established system can change if you admit fresh air.Sometimes all it needs is a little fair-haired boy from Hester Street, NY.
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