Summaries

Synopsis

Jason Robards and Eva Marie Saint are an older couple who live alone on a farm. They struggle from the loss of their son in the war and it has taken a heavy toll on the grandfather. Their young grandson is sent to live with them, due to financial hardship his immediate family experiences during the great depression. The grandfather is ill tempered and takes his suffering out on his young grandson. The young boy doesn't understand the brutality from his grandfather and also struggles living on a farm as a city boy. Initially Jason Robards doesn't accept his young grandson and the boy eventually runs away in the cold of night. The grandfather has to search for him and finds him standing poorly clothed in the snow, waiting at a train station to leave. The grandfather is gentle and coaxes the young boy to return, since there are no trains scheduled during the night and the next town is 60 miles away. Over time the grandfather begins to bond with his grandson, and takes on a gentle and positive relationship with him. The two are able to work together to bring a special gift to the community, that had belonged to the son the family lost. Throughout the movie, Eva Marie Saint is a gentle, caring grandmother and a stabilizing force for the young boy. This is a movie you are really drawn into because of the deep struggles the young boy endures from the grandfather. The movie is well written and the cast are all superb. It's a movie that should be on everyone's Christmas list for watching.