Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9133 in VHS
• Released on: 1992-12-11
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Black & White, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 99 minutes

Customer Reviews

"Where the woodbine twineth..."
This unforgettable fantasy from the 30's is about a crotchity, salt-of-the-earth grandfather who loves his grandson, Pud. Troubled by apple theives, Gramps makes a wish that anyone climbing his apple tree would have to stay there until he lets them down. Death, in the form of Mr. Brink, comes to visit Pud's parents and Granny, and then it is Gramps' turn, but Gramps traps him in the apple tree, so he can stay alive to raise Pud. However, no one else in the whole world can die now, either. Sounds good, at first, but what about all those who are suffering and praying for the relief of death?

Eventually Gramps lets Mr. Brink down in a conclusion that is guaranteed to bring tears. Barrymore is utterly convincing as the cantankerous, warm-hearted Gramps. He played the role in a wheel chair due to painful arthritis; the ending is therefore especially poignant. Sir Cedric Hardwicke is the chilling and yet wise Mr. Brink who takes people to Eternity, which, as Gramps says is "a right smart piece of time."

This movie is not dated or corny; it is sweet, timeless, and ultimately uplifting. If you love someone or have experienced loss, this movie will definitely affect you deeply. It will give you hope and you'll want to see it again and again.

Get out your hankie, this is a good one
This film is absolutely charming. Lionel Barrymore is Julian Northrup or Gramps, a likeable curmudgeon who dotes on his grandson, Pud (Bobs Watson), a precious little boy. Miss Nellie (Beulah Bondi), Pud's gramma is always happily aghast at the trouble that Gramps and Pud gets themselves into.

Pud's parents die tragically in a car accident. They've been taken by Mr. Brink, the living embodiment of death, played by the very dapper Cedric Hardwicke. Mr. Brink isn't done with their family however, and visits Gramps home.

Through a chain of events, they discover that anyone who goes up into an apple tree in the backyard cannot get down until gramps tells them they can. They trap Mr. Brink in the tree, and the story only gets better from there.

I left watching this movie with a wonderfully comforted feeling, that loves knows no bounds. I recommend this film to all my friends and family, it's a charmer.

Don't let the color picture of the box displayed fool you, it's in it's original glorious black and white.

If you enjoy the "love conquers death" movie genre, check out "What Dreams May Come" and "Death Takes a Holiday" which inspired the film, "Meet Joe Black".

Delightful!
That this film is not as well known as the equally sentimental and ever popular "It's a Wonderful Life" is an absolute shame, as this film is one of the most "charming" movies ever made.

Fans of the movie should invest the time to find the book by Lawrence Edward Watkin upon which the film and the play were based. It too is a joy.