Pollyanna

Orphaned Pollyanna is sent to live with her aunt, the richest and coldest woman in town. She applies a game her father taught her: finding something to be glad about in every bad situation. The town slowly changes, and then an accident turns everything over. David Swift wrote and directed for Disney. Hayley Mills plays Pollyanna, Jane Wyman her aunt, with Karl Malden and Agnes Moorehead in the cast. The source is Eleanor H. Porter's novel from 1913. Hayley Mills received the Academy's special juvenile award of the period for the role and signed a long contract with Disney. What still works is that the optimism is not free: her method does not work on herself after the accident, and the film does not avoid showing that. The town sections are long and the pace low; it runs over two hours. Who it is for: viewers who like classic Disney live action and period stories. Who it is not for: anyone wanting something short and fast.