littlegirlwholivesdownthelane

THE SYNOPSIS

Rynn Jacobs (Foster) is bright, 13-year old girl who lives with her author-father in a big house situated in a sleepy New England town. Rynn, wise beyond her years, spends much time alone, as her father is constantly working. She shops for groceries, cleans the house and hits the bank for cash every now-and-then. But where’s Poppa?

This is the question posed by nosy landlady Mrs. Hallet (Smith), her sleazy, pedophiliac son Frank (Sheen), friendly town Constable Miglioriti (Shuman)--the list goes on. The only one who takes a genuine interest in Rynn is Miglioriti’s teenaged nephew Mario (Jacoby), who harbors a limp due to a case of childhood polio.

One fateful day, Mrs. Hallet comes by to speak to Mr. Jacobs, but is met with resistance by a defiant Rynn. On the pretense of going into the cellar for some jars, Mrs. Hallet makes a grisly discovery and panicked, tries to make her way up the stairs--however, she accidentally bumps the door stand--which comes crashing down on her head, killing her instantly! What to do?

Mario comes to the rescue and helps Rynn bury Mrs. Hallet and Rynn’s own mummified mother (that’s who was hidden down in the cellar). Since Rynn and Mario have created a newfound bond, she confesses everything to him: her father, dying of cancer, set up his daughter to live confortably for years to come.

He then committed suicide by diving into the ocean for a one-way swim. Her ne’er-do-well eventually mother came around and Rynn was forced to poison her with potassium cyanide (KCN) powder--bequeathed to her by Pops.

Mario helps her in her charades by deflecting his well-meaning uncle’s questions and probes--even going so far as donning a mask and pretending to be Rynn’s father to throw off Uncle Mig. Frank Hallet, on the other hand, is not so gullible. Though handsome and smooth (and married with 2 kids), the pervert tries to make the moves on the underage Rynn. He’s also got some hunches about the whereabouts of his missing mother.

Luckily, Mario is there to defend her. They make love and all is well. Or is it? Mario becomes ill with pneumonia and is hospitalized. Home alone, Rynn is confronted by Frank. He figures out that his mother has been offed by the young girl, but promises to keep shut about it if they become “special friends.”

Rynn agrees, and offers to make him some tea. She sits calmly by as Franks drinks the tea--laced with some KCN--and watches the grim effect with stoic abandon. Time to whip out that shovel again...

THE CRITIQUE

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE is one of those lost gems that has been returned to the cinematic consciousness after 30 years; and thanks to the 2005 DVD release, can now be viewed again and again.

What strikes me as interesting is that the movie, while a tad dated, imbues a creepy allegory in regard to the dark underpinnings of today’s “civilized” society. The main protagonist has the face of an angel, but the cunning of a cold-blooded serial killer. Additionally, the main antagonist is a handsome-but-lecherous pedophiliac whose disturbing intentions mirror all that is wrong with us human beings.

Not that I want to get too socio-philosophical in my review of the film, but watching this movie 30 years after originally seeing it (more on that in a moment), I get the sense that while TLGWLDTL is indeed a dated, lost relic--the morally- ambiguous underpinnings still ring true today. In other words, Jodie Foster’s Rynn Jacobs would do well as the main character of a Sam Peckinpah opus!

The heart & soul of the movie is, of course, its cast. For future Oscar©-winner Jodie Foster, 1976 proved to be a big year. She came into TLGWLDTL fresh off of a string of hit movies that included Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, Freaky Friday & Bugsy Malone. Bringing the same gravitas that she portrayed in the Scorsese hit, her Rynn Jacobs is definitely one for the books!

Additionally, a young & handsome Martin Sheen (looking like his own sons here) makes for a creepy and believable child-predator/villain who oozes a sinister charm that permeates all of his scenes. This is the guy who would someday play the righteous U.S. President on TV’s The West Wing. Go figure!

Young actor Scott Jacoby brings a natural charm to the role of Mario; too bad his career never went as far as it should have. Conversely, the late Mort Shuman plays his role as the town constable (and Mario’s uncle) with calm ease and earnestness. [For the trivia hounds out there, the New York-born Shuman was better known as a songwriter who penned hits for Elvis Presley and other popular acts back in the day.]

Lastly, the late Alexis Smith gets offed way too early, as she plays her Mrs. Hallet role quite well--making us believe that this cold, cruel character could indeed spawn a bastard like Sheen’s Frank Hallet.

The screenplay--written by the novel’s author, Laird Koenig (screenwriter of movies like Red Sun/Bloodline/Inchon) --is a spartan, yet thrill-provoking affair that gives both the protagonists & antagonists some personality--although it is thanks to the wonderful cast that Koenig’s words become a reality.

Director Nicolas Gessner (12+1/Tennesse Waltz) is a Hungarian filmmaker who works primarily in Europe. For this Canadian-French-American co-production, Gessner harnesses that European filmmaking sensibility and presents us with an intriguing thriller that moves right along.

In tandem, I also loved the soft-focus cinematography by veteran Canadian DP René Verzier (Rabid/Visiting Hours/Of Unknown Origin) that both complements the movie--yet also acts as its antithesis. What I mean is the soft-focus imagery hearkens the Golden Age of Hollywood films yet also stands at odds with the portrait of a young serial killer.

Though set in New England, TLGWLDTL was actually shot in Quebec, Canada; its cold, misty locations adding the right amount of atmosphere and dread.

On a personal note, I had the pleasure of seeing TLGWLDTL with my parents when it opened here in America, back in 1977 at the legendary Stanley Theater in world-famous Jersey City, NJ. Babysitters must’ve been expensive, cause Mom & Pop brought their wide-eyed 5-year old son to see a mystery-thriller. While I do not remember specifics, I do recall that the movie was interesting...

...a sentiment which brings us to the modern day. Having re-screened the movie for the first time since the Ford Administration (that’s Gerald Ford, our 38th President--for all of you kiddies out there reading this), I was both amazed at the movie’s simple plotting and the way that it kept me riveted all the way through.

Not that TLGWLDTL is the greatest mystery-thriller ever made (my vote goes to a wide spectrum of genre films that vary from 1951’s Sunset Boulevard to 1992’s Basic Instinct and beyond). Yet, something makes this one a flawed gem that deserves a place in the pantheon of mystery-thrillers.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Simply put: an atmospheric, intriguing gem. Not the greatest mystery-thriller of all time, but a perfect example of the way they used to make ‘em. The cast is solid, Martin Sheen is creepy and the location shooting kicks the mise-en-scene up a few notches. The ending proves why you should stick to drinking coffee--instead of tea.

CAST: Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Mort Shuman & Scott Jacoby

CREDITS: Director: Nicholas Gessner; Screenwriter: Laird Koening, based on his novel; Producer: Zev Braun; Director of Photography: René Verzier; Editor: Yves Langlois; Costume Designer: Denis Sperdouklis; Music Christian Gaubert

AC/AL 1976 92m ENGLISH
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