Run Wild, Run Free (1969)

7/10

Clearly derivative, but loaded with the appropriate atmosphere

Leofwine_draca20 December 2015

RUN WILD, RUN FREE is a clear entry in the 'love of nature' sub-genre of movies that came out during the late '60s; titles include BORN FREE and RING OF BRIGHT WATER. This one's heavily indebted to the latter as well as KES, telling of a young autistic boy growing up on Dartmoor who finds himself unable to communicate with the human race. Instead, he finds a love of animals and nature which gradually brings him out of his shell.

This was made shortly after the success of OLIVER! and saw Mark Lester's fame riding high. He's certainly a good choice for the role of the protagonist, but John Mills is even better in support, essaying the role of the kindly benefactor with skill and ease. Gordon Jackson and Sylvia Sims play Lester's exasperated parents and the former is particularly effective. Watch out for future Bond girl Fiona Fullerton as a kid, playing a girl who befriends Lester.

Inevitably, it's the creatures who end up being the most enjoyable characters in these productions, and the pony and the kestrel are undoubtedly the best things in the movie, lovable both of them. There aren't too many films set on Dartmoor and the cinematography brings out the best of the rugged locales, which I loved. There are the usual highs and lows, peaks of happiness and moments of tragedy, alongside one of the most gruelling climaxes I've seen in a film. It's well worth a watch if you're a fan of the genre.

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7/10

Mums the Word

wes-connors28 May 2011

"Ten year old Philip Ransome (Mark Lester) is the despair of his parents. From early childhood, he has been unable to speak. His emotions are centered on the wild creatures of the moors where he lives. An elderly recluse (John Mills) helps Philip to tame a wild pony and to train a baby falcon. When the pony is trapped in a treacherous bog, Philip finds at last the adult support he so desperately needs and achieves an emotional breakthrough into a real and loving world," according to the Columbia home video scribers.

Those who write the sleeve notes add, "Beautiful natural settings, a sensitive script and excellent acting makes 'Run Wild, Run Free' a classic of British cinema." The Dartmoor, England setting is indeed beautiful, and Wilkie Cooper photographs it exceptionally well. The story, however, is not entirely satisfying. Apparently, the boy "Philip" played by Mr. Lester is a selective mute. What causes his condition is never clear, so the dramatic climax of the story doesn't quite work; it's a resolution to an unknown conflict.

Secondary to the beautiful location is Lester's characterization, which is good considering the perimeters he was given. While not a better film than "Oliver!" (1968), this appearance shows stronger potential for Lester as an actor. During 1969-1970 he reached a peak level of cuteness in the pages of "Tiger Beat" and "16 Magazine", where newly popular Michael Jackson undoubtedly noticed him. Also interesting is that Mr. Mills, who talks herein, soon won acclaim for his even more mute role in "Ryan's Daughter" (1970).

******* Run Wild, Run Free (7/23/69) Richard C. Sarafian ~ Mark Lester, John Mills, Sylvia Syms, Bernard Miles

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5/10

So sad

wheeliegirl196212 December 2019

Warning: Spoilers

What did that poor little hawk do to deserve such cruelty? Stupid kids.

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Why is this movie not on video?

karendebiasse20 January 2002

My only comment is that when I was a young girl I must have seen this movie three times. I have never done that for any other movie. It was one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen in story line and cinematography. I am very, very disapointed that I will never be able to ever see this movie again, because I can not find it on video anywhere. If any one has information on where I can see it again please let me know. Thank you.

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6/10

Another Great John Mills Performance

boblipton12 December 2019

Mark Lester hasn't spoken a word in years. He and his parents, Gordon Jackson and Sylvia Syms, live by the moors in Devon. Retired Colonel John Mills take an interest in the boy and the moor pony he wanders about with.

Since his starring role in OLIVER!, Lester was the great child actor of the British cinema, a position he would hold through the middle of the following decade. This movie tries to be a bit mystical, but is so obvious about its symbols that it is a bit off-putting. Nonetheless, it held my interest, mostly because of the beautiful cinematography of the foggy moors (thanks to cinematographer Wilkie Cooper), the subplot about the kestrel Mills, Lester, and young Fiona Fullerton are training, and Mills' performance.

The adults in the cast are a sterling lot, and include Bernard Miles in his last screen performance, sporting a stage West Country accent.

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4/10

Grueling...

moonspinner5524 May 2011

Young lad on the English moors, apparently an elective mute since he was five years old, is more fond of animals than people, something which gnaws away at his overprotective mother; a neighboring Colonel nurtures the boy's interest with a pet falcon, though the youngster has become obsessed with a wild albino colt roaming the countryside. Thin, melodramatic adaptation of David Rook's book "The White Colt" is noteworthy for Wilkie Cooper's beautiful cinematography and for David Whitaker's lush main theme, as well as John Mills' sturdy performance as the Colonel. Mark Lester, however, is exasperating in the lead; very popular at time after starring in 1968's "Oliver!", Lester isn't directed well, nor does he have enough material to build a character on (and after awhile, this anxious little boy just seems like a bad example). The child's deeply disappointed parents are uninteresting, creating an emotional roadblock within the film's structure, and the final scenes are pointlessly overextended and overwrought. *1/2 from ****

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10/10

Very moving drama.

moors11 July 1999

I thought the film was very well done. Mark Lester turned in another sensational performance. His portrayal of the disturbed child,Philip,was very believable. The other cast members did fine jobs,too. The ending was solid. Nice family-type movie.

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1/10

animal cruelty is never justified

TexasInMyHeart13 December 2019

Some of the animal scenes were shot with props, but many of the scenes using live animals were absolutely cruel. It is hard to understand whether the boy considered the animals as toy objects or as living beings. Is lack of empathy for animals part of autism? Clarifying this would perhaps make the movie less depressing. The scenery was great.

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10/10

Want to see it again after 36 years...

Cassandra226 October 2006

I saw "Run Wild, Run Free" only once -- when I was 11 or 12 years old (now 49) and have never forgotten the moving effect it had on me. It was the second movie I had ever seen that brought me to tears -- the first was "Bambi." However, it remains indelible in my mind.

In doing Internet research today, I just discovered that he mute boy (Phillip) in the movie was supposedly autistic (something of I had no knowledge back then). Interestingly however, I ended up participating as a para-professional behavior therapist in the UCLA "Young Autism" program run then by Ivar Lovaas, Ph.D. when I was an undergrad there.

Having recently joined Netflix, I was hoping to be able to rent it and view it again, but to my dismay, it's not considered a classic so not generally available on rental.

I am hoping that someday this movie will be available for rental or purchase on DVD.

Regards,

Cassandra2

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2/10

Run away

malcolmgsw14 January 2019

This seems to trade,unsuccessfully, on the success of Kes.The climax reminded me of The Spiral Staircase.The film is just so silly.Good to see Sylvia Simms,John Mills and Gordon Jackson.As for Mark Lester he really doesn't seem to know how to act,which shows what a good director was Carol Reed.This was probably meant for children.I doubt that anyone else would appreciate it.

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3/10

Run wild and stay free of this movie.

mark.waltz23 July 2022

Warning: Spoilers

I can't even use the words "well intended" to describe this film about animals and children that is certainly not a family movie. It is actually very depressing and boring, dark and often creepy, especially the character of Mark Lester's mother, Sylvia Syms, who in one of the first scenes admits that she finds a very difficult to love her child because he is mute. Perhaps if she would show some love to him, he would have started to try to talk long before he met John Mills and the white wild horse, and stop disappearing on her and his father, Gordon Jackson, who just seems to sit back and let his wife do all the complaining and worrying.

There's also the shrill Fiona Fullerton who does nothing but squeal in a hideously ear shattering fashion. When Mills and Fullerton teach Lester how to deal with a tame hawk, the movie comes to life for a moment, but in a scene where Lester, running frantically hanging on to the hawk, seriously wounding it, the film enters into a place of darkness from which it never recovers. And for some reason, when the hawk is better, it seems to instantly forget (or at least forgive) the greatly troubled young boy.

The film has a very murky quality about its photography, set on the foggy moors and never looking clear or vivid in the print. The horse, who really should have been the key to Lester getting well and being able to speak and the mother coming to terms with her lack of emotions for him and begin to try, has very little to do other than when it gets stuck in some muddy terrains where the photography becomes all the even more dreary. After this was over, I felt very depressed, having expected something completely different. I'm sure families who took their children to see this when it first came out were quite disturbed by this.

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8/10

A condition understood

ronarimes11 January 2018

Mark Lester plays the part beautifully of an autistic child. When the film was made in 1969, little was known about autism. The child is locked inside and unable to communicate or understand the ways of people around. Ahead of it's time, we nowadays accept and understand that animals relate to human vulnerability and judge the true nature of the person. Young Philip is aggravating and irritating to those who he has to live with. The parents try hard to help but are unable to get a satisfactory relationship with the boy. Being accepted by the horse helps the child to communicate and understand the meaning of relationships. When Philip harms the falcon inadvertently, he is stricken with grief. Fiona Fullerton is totally believable in her role. I think all the actors were first class. It's a beautiful and realistic story and a study of life with autism. The scenery is wild and beautiful yet chills the soul when the fog falls. A very enjoyable film for young and old.

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2/10

Autism portrayal is bad

pickleweezlejones27 February 2020

I have read many reviews praising this move and quite frankly, I don't understand it. We did not know as much about autism in 1969 as we do today, which is evident in this film. The only symptom of autism is the fact that he was non-verbal, which apparently was "cured" by connecting with a horse. He doesn't lack social skills or engage in repetitive behaviors. Even though not much was known about autism even 15 years ago, one can still see the behaviors exhibited and portray those accurately. At best this child has selective mutism, not autism. I just do not see this movie as heart-warming. I see it as a ridiculous portrayal of people on the spectrum.

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8/10

Run Wild and the Autistic Child.

Mandyjam2 August 2005

I enjoyed this movie, and indeed it was moving. But it was not Mark Lester's performance, good though it was, that impressed me. When one watches movies, here and there one sees a few brief moments in which an actor gives absolutely all they've got, when they just let go and some deep primeval emotion erupts from them. It doesn't happen very often. It happens with Juliet Stephenson's grief in Truly Madly Deeply. It happens with Michael Caine's fear in Sleuth, It happens with Anna Calder-Marshall's desperate passion in Wuthering Heights. In Run Wild, Run Free we see this rare phenomenon for a few moments in the acting of Fiona Fullerton when she fears that Philip will be lost in the bog. Her frantic, desperate attempts to control a child for whom she feels responsibility but who is totally beyond her control are to me absolutely unforgettable. This moment alone makes the movie worth watching.

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10/10

Everyone should be made to watch it, first as child and again as adult.

darrenpearce1115 March 2017

Film just cant get more emotive than this. Its scenario may seem dated now, but nonetheless with a vividly atmospheric setting and soul-stirring music its a beautiful and cathartic journey. Mark Lester is fantastic as the autistic Phillip. The story highlights the desperate and frustrating difficulties for parents to communicate with a child with autism. Sylvia Syms as his mother twice says 'I want to love him', truly heartbreaking. The natural (well-meaning) errors of the parents are well delineated as they try to understand what's best for Phillip.

I give nothing away about the ending except to say it left an enormous and yet serenely gentle impression on me watching the first time as a child.

The Colnol played by John Mills (bless the great actor's memory) believes that wild animals may help to unlock the running-wild nature of the boy. Yet the strength of the story, for me, is much more than the love of a boy for a blue-eyed white colt. Most importantly I think the film presents the need of close attention to and understanding of a child who isn't 'normal', rather than thinking out of fear for their well being. The world is more beautiful for people like Phillip. I hope you will enjoy this film.

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