What makes it different from others?

Well Deserved Praise

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

I just watched this movie on Turner Classic Movies and I really enjoyed it. I don't know how closely it follows the book, as I haven't read this book, just "Tom Sawyer", but I find the movie to be a great family movie. It was fun watching Huck get out of one scrape just in time to get into another. He was always on the run, along with the Widow Douglas' slave, Jim. It made think back to my boyhood days and honestly, it made my boyhood adventures look dull. The plot hearkens back to a time when life was simple and offered more freedom to boys then today's world does. I'm not sure the movie is entirely realistic, but that's quite all right with me. The acting was well done, the colour quality was great for 1960, and the whole plot flowed quite smoothly. I didn't quite understand the ending, which I won't spoil for you. If you like tales of boyhood adventure from an America the world will never see again, you have to see Huck Finn. And it's got some of the greatest actors of the day in it as well. What more can you ask for.10/10

Michael Curtiz should have been thoroughly ashamed of himself when he was finished with this production. I can understand why directors will shorten or paraphrase certain adaptations from well-known literature, but to make wholesale changes in an American masterpiece is unforgivable. Huge and important parts of the novel were totally absent, or switched around and added to other parts of the movie that made it incomprehensible. Eddie Hodges (and Archie Moore) were terrible choices for the two main characters. Aside from never coming even close to a realistic dialect from that time and locale, neither actor were truly up to the task. There were some bright spots, though - notably Mickey Shaughnessy and Tony Randall (but even these were wasted.) Overall, a very poor effort and a waste of any true film buff's time. It leaves a very bad taste in one's mouth. Twain deserves better. If you want to see a better version, check out the 1939 version with Mickey Rooney.

All the acting was superb. The sets were...well, it was 1960. But the script! To hear Mark Twain so joyfully transposed, and so artfully accurate for the film characters and actors! What a straight, simple joy to see this film, made to entertain and doing it proudly, with all concerned -- actors and director mainly -- working on the same premise. And tell me Tony Randall didn't go home whistling after every day on the set! But this was Mark Twain done proud. How many other great writers so easily lend themselves to film scripts? What a writer! What fun he had with phrases, sayings and words. And how well all that was put to use in this movie. And PS Archie Moore was a great heavyweight.

From the man who directed "Casablanca" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy" comes a colourful, humorous video version of Mark Twain's timeless novel. The casting is superb. It's hard to think of any other actors from the early 1960s in these roles, they are so well chosen. Especially impressive is pro boxer Archie Moore as Jim. His scene where he's talking about his deaf child is heart-wrenching, quite a feat for a cross over athlete. The child actor who plays Huck is very good as well. My honourable mention goes to Tony Randall and Mickey Shaughnessy who make a great comedy team as the King and the Duke. They are simply hilarious. Although many of Twain's adventures are deleted, most of the better known and interesting characters and scenes are included. Many of these characters are played by Hollywood legends like Sterling Holloway(the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Jiminy Cricket), Judy Canova, John Carradine, Neville Brand, and Buster Keaton. All in all, a highly recommended family film.