THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE (1977)

The Burgomaster · October 07, 2005, 07:27:57 AM

I saw this movie on TV a few times back in the late 1970s/early 1980s and I always enjoyed it for some reason. I bought the newly released DVD and watched it last night. I still think it's a good movie.

Jodie Foster plays Ryn, a 13 year old orphan living alone in a small town. Before he died, her father had leased a house for 3 years. Ryn lives there pretending that her father is still alive so that the local adults will leave her alone.

Martin Sheen is excellent as a pedophile who tries to seduce Ryn. Scott Jacoby (who also starred in a made-for-TV movie called BAD RONALD) plays her boyfriend, an amateur magician.

This isn't really a horror movie (the TV and newspaper ads back in the 70s made it look like a horror movie) . . . it's more of a psychological character study. The dialogue is crisp and tense and the movie would make a great play because most of it takes place in the living room of Ryn's house.

The movie is rated "PG," but it does have a few instances of profanity and mild violence and a brief scene of Jodie Foster nude.

Gerry · October 07, 2005, 10:30:36 AM

The Burgomaster wrote:

> The movie is rated "PG," but it does have a few instances of
> profanity and mild violence and a brief scene of Jodie Foster
> nude.

For the nude scene, Jodi Foster was doubled by her then-21 year old sister. Foster was only 14 when the movie was released. Still it's very edgy stuff for a PG movie, even dropping the f-bomb at one point. Don't you love what could get by with a PG back then?

BoyScoutKevin · October 07, 2005, 03:34:05 PM

I saw this years ago on TV, and I still remember it. (IMHO) Jodie gives one of her best performances, and one of the best performances by a child, I have ever seen in a film.

I never knew that, Gerry. But, how would you like to be 21 and have a body of a 14-year-old?

Shadowphile · October 09, 2005, 12:06:08 PM

I'm 40 and I have the body of an 18 year old.

I have to get rid of it soon. It's starting to smell...

The Burgomaster · October 12, 2005, 04:32:46 PM

Gerry wrote:

"For the nude scene, Jodi Foster was doubled by her then-21 year old sister. Foster was only 14 when the movie was released. "

I should have known that. Jodi's sister also doubled for her in TAXI DRIVER.

akiratubo · October 15, 2005, 10:16:19 PM

I thought the ending of this movie was done wrong.

((((((((((SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER))))))))))))

In my humble opinion, it would have been better if Martin Sheen hadn't thought to switch cups (he really wasn't that bright) and Jodie, knowing that it was really going to be impossible to live on as she wanted, reluctantly drank the poisoned one ... or maybe that was her idea all along. That would have been more powerful and poetic to me.

Shadowphile · October 15, 2005, 11:03:08 PM

Why does the 'battle of wits to the death' scene from A Princess Bride come to mind? The one where Vincini is trying to figure out which cup was poisoned.....

The Burgomaster · October 16, 2005, 01:30:35 PM

Shadowphi9le wrote:

"Why does the 'battle of wits to the death' scene from A Princess Bride come to mind? The one where Vincini is trying to figure out which cup was poisoned....."

They also had scenes like this in a couple of 3 Stooges shorts . . .

Shadowphile · October 16, 2005, 09:57:19 PM

3 Stooges = Evil

For some reason I have never liked them. I much prefered the comedy of Laurel and Hardy.