Little Fugitive

A naive little boy is fooled by his older brother and his friends into thinking he has killed his brother so he won't pester them anymore while their mother is away. He escapes to Coney Island which the brother had planned to do before mama had to go take care of grandma out of town. Now, the petrified little boy ends up having the exciting day his brother had planned on having. He plays games, eats more than he can handle, and most importantly to him, gets to ride the ponies. The pony ride worker becomes concerned that he's a runaway, investigates, and notifies the brother to his presence. Now horrified by his own actions, older brother makes it his business to rectify his prank. These kids are natural non-actors, and deliver their lines as if a camera was following them around while such a scenario took place. If we have reality TV today, this is reality cinema, and outstanding. It doesn't matter that not a name appears in the cast. It's also fascinating to watch the younger brother use what he sees to survive-gathering bottles to collect money in order to survive. The photography of 1953 Coney Island is wonderfully realistic and doesn't appear either too cinematic or too cheap. This is a family film that is as gritty and realistic as the film noirs made about New York during this era, and shows New Yorkers at their best. A subplot between the older brother and one of his friends ending their friendship is sadly never resolved, but that's minor in the final product which is really about the two brothers coming to terms with each other. This is a must for families with two or more boys struggling to learn to get along with each other.

When did I see that movie? I was 15, maybe? It played in a theatre for young people. Yes, in the fifties, in the communist Czechoslovakia, there were theatres named "For youngsters". It was one of the first, if not the first American movie that appeared in Czech theaters since 1948. Even at that age I was already tuned to the "American lifestyle" and the "Little Fugitive" fully satisfied me. It showed me "America". I could sense the difference. The kids dressed differently, they had toys I could only dream about. Seeing all this was truly exciting for me. To see the movie again I had to buy it on eBay. I watched the movie now, after more than 50 years, with controlled expectations. I remembered the movie, but not quite. Certain scenes played in my head in different surroundings, some even in a different context. What bothered me right from the beginning was the acting, Everybody in the movie, except for our small hero, Richie Andrusco, is really, painfully bad. It proved again that you cannot enter the same river twice. There are parts in the movie that remind me, for some reason, Jacques Tati. It doesn't really help, because Jacques Tati movies, just like this one, are marked by time. The attraction and the charm has evaporated...

Still photographer Morris Engel co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed this independent film about a little boy on his own at Coney Island, even photographing the movie in a then-revolutionary format (using a hand-held 35mm camera sans tripod). Influtential and often beautiful in moody black-and-white, no one could rightfully dispute Engel's gifted eye for scene composition, design, and intimate action. However, the dubbed-in voices sound disembodied, the amateurishness of the film's conception (including the actors) is a handicap, and the harmonica music is grating throughout. There are some stunning and lovely moments: a sudden cloudburst sending all the sunbathers under a pier, their silhouettes intermingling; the youngster learning how to make pocket money--by collecting recyclable bottles on the beach--and using his change to ride the ponies; a pony-wrangler understanding the boy's situation and calling his older brother, but not getting the cops involved (a nice change of pace); the brother writing messages all over the park in chalk, hoping to get the tyke's attention. Engel uses impressively long takes to draw us into the visual narrative; he had some great ideas, and uses the Coney Island locals to his best advantage, and yet the movie never really soars. It dawdles along with hearty moments and ends on a 'cute' note, though it made a big impression on the French New Wave. One might think this could have been the launching pad for Engel as a major Hollywood talent--but, alas, four years later he was still doing the same thing. **1/2 from ****

This film has a haunting quality to it; the Noo Yawk accents are genuine and the settings are evocative. It's one-of-a kind, a look at Brooklyn in the 1950's. I wore the same clothes you see Joey wearing, played the same ball games, had the same furnishings in my home. Great shots of Coney Island, too.

When you first start watching this movie, you think the director has a budget of $10, but what you discover is a pioneer of the independent film. This little gem is a whimsical tale of 7 year old Joey Norton, who's duped by friends into thinking he's shot and killed his older brother, Richie. Upon believing this, Joey exiles himself to Coney Island, with Richie in hot pursuit. The film does a wonderful job of catching the innocence of the 50's. If you can get them away from the computer, video games and MTV, I truly believe that even kids today would enjoy this little piece of "Americana"

If you want to know the plot of this excellent little film, read all of the other very well put comments. All I want to say is: I was just a little younger than the Joey of this film when it was made. I lived in the same neighborhood in Brooklyn where he lived. I took the same train he took to get to Coney Island. At Coney Island, I did all the things he and his brother did (except ride the Parachute Jump - too scary, and anyway they stopped allowing small children on it soon afterwards -- too dangerous), including collecting empty bottles to return to food stands to get a little pocket change. I rode those very same ponies. I waded through those same Coney Island streets that got flooded every time it rained. It always makes my heart jump a little when Lenny is in the candy store and says "Give me a chocolate pop." He doesn't mean soda - in Brooklyn, a "pop" was ice cream on a stick (that's why a Popsicle is called a "Pop"sicle). That is how we looked, that is how we talked, those are the games we played (BB guns were like forbidden fruit to city boys). This film gets everything exactly right, in the most charming way, and I love it.

As children growing up in Brooklyn in the 50's, this was my brother's and my very favorite Sat. afternoon movie. As an adult, reaching back for things of value to proffer to my children, I was delighted to find that this was still available, though bemused by the high critical acclaim and near cult status. I loved this movie because it spoke to me- I knew how the beach smelled after a rain, how much Joey longed to ride that pony, how the peculiar torture by an older brother could be forgiven and forgotten by a moment's offhand kindness (and a little guilt). Cinema verite notwithstanding, this was the truest movie of a real adventure I'd ever seen, and wonderful

This little gem takes its time to explore a world through the eyes of a young kid. His curiosity leads him on a little journey in and around Coney Island, full of wonder and fascination, while underneath, the guilt of something he's done lurks and lives. What works best here is how everything is so innocently depicted, the way a child truly would do, and nowhere will you find hyped up gimmicks to enhance things. From an era now long gone, it is probably that that keeps it pure and honest throughout the story. Little Fugitive is a great example of how a lot can be said if the viewer is allowed to come along.

A brilliant masterful one of a kind film. Morris Engel's beautiful photography and Ruth Orkin's talented editing take this film to heights rarely seen. An innovative camera allows for a `documentary/candid' quality to this film about a 6 year old boy (Richie Andrusco) who runs away to Coney Island because he thinks he accidentally killed his brother. Beautifully composed shots under the boardwalk a images never to be forgotten. For any serious film student (in fact for anyone) this is a `must see'. French New Wave cinema must be incredibly indebted to this poignant, sensitive and insightful film.

Because my 11 year old is pretty open-minded, I've taken her on adventure of watching b/w movies, just as my mom did for me. She actually enjoyed some of the old-time "horror" movies and loves the "Twilight Zone". I also introduced her to what would be considered "art house" movies. She didn't really like "The Bicycle Thief" but I did, and this movie was recommended by Blockbuster. So I put it in my queue- and it was not a mistake. OK, so some of the acting is stilted and unprofessional and sometimes the movie feels longer than 75-80 minutes (depending on which version you view). But, whether you're a big or little brother or sister, you can definitely relate. Even my child, who's my only child, can relate because she has younger cousins. I agree with many of the posters that the children act like children and act like how they would act in that situation. If you're blessed to get the DVD with the commentary, it evens add to your viewing pleasure. What most gratified me was when my daughter, who has gone to almost every kiddy-themed entertainment center, said about several of the rides that they looked fun! This movie about Coney Island helped me visualize what my mother always talked about Riverdale, a Chicago area amusement park from the 40's and brought back memories of Funtown, Old Chicago, and Santa's Village, the local amusement parks of my day from the 70's.