What a waste of my time!!!

Thanks for the memories!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Anyone can make a coming of age love story so why bother? When a subject is handled with such superior abilities and skill I don't really care what the subject matter is. From the first to the last each scene is given the care and deliberation deserving of such a well picked cast and crew. This film has NOT been given its due and I don't know quite what to say about that. Like the Chalk Garden perhaps, the subject is almost taboo and just fierce enough to shock the main stream movie goer. Whatever the case I hope those of you curious enough to read these notes will with the same zeal find and devour this bittersweet morsel.

The world lost one of its actresses with the strongest potential when young Gozzi retired for the screen within a few years of filming this movie. She plays an emotionally-stunted, child-like young lady who lives in a big, bleak house with her stoic father Douglas and a pretty housekeeper Lindblom. Unable to deal with the fast pace and the sophisticated ideas of city life, she wiles away her time playing with dolls or lolly-gagging around on the beach, to the great consternation of Douglas, who seems to resent her for reminding him of his dead wife. The two have occasional showdowns in which she displays tantrum-like behavior while Lindblom tries to keep things in order. One day, circumstances lead a delinquent young man (Stockwell) to their somewhat remote house and Gozzi is enthralled with him. In her regressed state, she comes to believe that he is the human incarnation of a scarecrow she took great pride in creating. Eventually, she blossoms under his attention and begins to evolve and grow out of her previous condition. However, it may not be enough to salvage her happiness since he also has his eye on Lindblom, not to mention her father's stash of money. The deck is even further stacked against them because of an incident that took place just before his arrival to their home. What results is the pleasure of seeing Gozzi mature mixed with the tragedy of seeing her fail to fully succeed in that effort or to find complete happiness. This is a moody, atmospheric film with excellent photography and a haunting score by that genius Delarue. (Fans of "Steel Magnolias" will recognize the ebullient, lullaby-like qualities he brought to that film and others.) It unfolds like a fable or parable with all the romance, fear, humor and unfairness that so many great stories consist of. Douglas, a 30's leading man who later evolved into an indispensable character actor, is very strong, providing the necessary stern qualities, but also the underlying vulnerable ones. When he enters a room unexpectedly, that feeling of being caught by an unhappy parent bursts from the screen. Lindblom adroitly straddles her character's caring qualities as well as the saucy ones. She, like virtually all the cast members, gives a solid performance and is attractive to look at. Stockwell is excellent as well, displaying many dimensions and benefitting from a camera that, at times, worships him, especially in the sunlit outdoor scenes. Gozzi is exceptional. She's playing a role here that could so easily defeat an actress and yet she not only succeeds in the role but soars in it. She is heart-wrenchingly tender, yet believably strong when it's called for. Wearing little or no make-up, she is nonetheless lovely in the same way Juliette Binoche would be years later. It's a shame that the viewing public was denied more from this girl when she abandoned her cinema career to marry and raise a family. She clearly had a great deal to share with movie lovers everywhere. The film is sadly little-known and undeservedly so. It has to rate as one of the director Guillerman's best efforts and has established a small, but devoted, following.

I first saw this movie on AMC years ago and have never forgotten it. The cinematography and acting swept me right up into the melodramatic story. Yes, the plot is melodramatic, but life sometimes is melodramatic. And if that's not enough for you, the performances of Gozzi,Stockwell, and Douglas just won't allow me to question its plausibility. They realize their characters so fully that there's no question whether there are three people could actually exist they way they do, where they do, and behave exactly as they do in this film.The characters of Agnes and her father have such a touching pathos as they blindly find their way to healing through horrible tragedy, mutual loss, and self-discovery, for which Stockwell serves as catalyst. There is such an delicate realism to Gozzi's performance as an emotionally troubled and deluded adolescent that makes the film actually seem far ahead of its time. Trust me--this kid could have been right at home next to Brando in "On the Waterfront" and never been upstaged by him for one second.Most reviewers seem to believe that it's these three sensitive performances that carry the weight of the plot, but how they stumble into learning about themselves and each other is never contrived. There isn't a single scene, as there is in most Hollywood films, with an overwrought catharsis that changes their world overnight. Rather, these are three people trying to act as their hearts and consciences dictate, sometimes blundering selfishly, other times meeting one another tenderly halfway. A visually beautiful and realistically romantic film.

Those who remember kid actress Patricia Gozzi's stirring performance in Sundays & Cybele (1962) will be equally amazed at the remarkable range she displays in this outing. As Agnes (or "Aun-yez", as the French pronounce it) she easily steals the film from headliners Dean Stockwell & Melvyn Douglas. Not a bad feat for a 15-year-old with limited previous film experience -- and none in English language films! Her completely believable performance as the sheltered & confused daughter of an embittered retired judge (Douglas) is nothing less than riveting.The movies' premise in a nutshell revolves around Agnes' conviction that a scarecrow she has made has come alive after fugitive Stockwell dons its clothes while on the run, and the ensuing relationship that develops between the two. Stockwell, whose fine performances have graced so many films, doesn't have much to do this time around. Film veteran Douglas, on the other hand, gets in some memorable scenes. Georges Delerue provides the gorgeous music he was noted for -- perfect for the film.Whether this particular movie grabs you or not, at its conclusion you'll no doubt find yourself wondering why Gozzi -- whose career seemed to come to a grinding halt shortly after this -- didn't continue acting into her adult years and become a major star. It's one of those perplexing mysteries of filmdom!