User reviews

I have a parent that is not allowing their child to watch Johnny Tremain. I don't understand why. I have noted that in some cases where language was a problem, I can understand that. This is based on an authors book about the American Revolution. Why would anyone want to keep their child from watching it? It is a clear depiction of the book and gives a good representation of the historical events. It also shows the dress and the attitudes of the time rather well too.

Is there something that was done that make it a bad movie, the language or what? Do others object to Disney movies as well especially the early ones?

The true story of the gallant American patriots that took part in the American Revolution . The film being dedicated to the youth of the world. Set in 1773 Boston when the valiant patriots participated in the Boston Tea Party, this deed signed the initiation of American war of independence . Based correctly on historical events with inclusion of various known happenings, as the notorious feat carried out by Paul Revere .Well recreated the beginning hostilities in April 19, 1775, skirmishes among the British troops and the colonial militia in Lexington and Concord. The first battle of the American war was in Lexington , Northwest of Boston .Anticipating a rebellion , general Thomas Gage sent 800 troops to seize stores at Concord and arrest John Hancock and John Adams , two prominent American rebels. An advance party encountered a party of about 50 minutemen , American rebel militia , on Lexington . They refused to disperse when ordered to do so, and then Brits to open fire . 8 Minutemen were killed and the remainder retired . Fervent patriots against redcoats were led by Salomón Chandler .The British party turned back for Concord and was later ambushed , it was only saved by reinforcements sent out from Concord . The total losses in two actions were 73 British troops killed and 174 wounded , 49 Americans killed and 39 wounded . While Johnny Tremain , Hal Stalsmaster , is drawn into the war . Along the way , he falls for a beautiful girl , Luana Patten , befriends a Revolutionary young , Richard Beymer , and learns about life, being caught up in the dangerous events of the revolution . As he joins the Sons of Liberty, a group of colonists who get together secretly and scheme their strategies against the tyrannical British rule.

The picture is a good adaptation upon the notorious historic events, being colorfully shot with great cinematograpy by Charles Boyle and rousing musical score by George Bruns . Directed with tenderness and carefully cast and appealing to history aficionados and sentimental susceptibilities . In the movie appears several historical characters as Samuel Adams , Paul Revere, Otis , Josiah Quincy, Joseph Warren , all of them played by notorious actors. The motion picture was well directed by Robert Stevenson . He was a fine craftsman from Walt Disney studio who made several movies and hits , such as Mary Poppins, The darn cat , Monkey's uncle , Gnome Mobile , BlackBeard ghost, The love bug , My dog the thief , The Island at the top of the world, Our Dinosaurio is missing , The shaggy DA, In search of castaways, Herbie rides again , Old Yeller, Kidnapped, Darby O'Gill, Bednobs and broomsticks, among others. The flick will appeal to American history buffs.

In the 1700's, England had in it's possession perhaps the most lucrative colonies in the world, securely in its grasp. However, due to poor management and a royal arrogance, it instead created enough resentment to establish a growing uprising which led instead to The Revolutionary War. That is the setting which author Esther Forbes used to write her book. The Walt Disney film directed by Robert Stevenson, which used her book is called " Johnny Tremain. " The story follows the exploits of young silversmith apprentice Johnny Tremain (Hal Stalmaster) as he does his best to stay out of the approaching conflict, seek his mother's brother and keep to his trade. Unfortunately, events soon engulf him and his country, beginning in Boston with a rebellion over an imposed Tea Tax. Thereafter, the movie traces the growth of the Sons of Liberty and their efforts to secure their rights as Englishmen. Thrown in for good measure are the key figures of the Revolution including Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Adams, his cousin Quincy and James Otis (played by Jeff York). Key events like The Battle of Lexington, Concord Bridge and the "Shot Heard round the world" are added to coincide with American history. Although, his life is central to the story, it's added only for continuity to the War and it's place in history. Nevertheless, it's a good and wholesome movie and easy for students to learn of the important segments of our early country. Easily recommended for the entire family. ***

I've loved this book since I was a boy, and still think it's a wonderful way to get children reading about the birth of our nation. The movie does a good job of keeping the important historical facts front and center. Unfortunately, much of the book's richness, and darker shades, are cut away to make this more of a film for the entire family, five year olds included. As is often the case, entire characters are omitted in the interest of time and simplicity. On its own terms, though, a fine film and worth seeing.

My History Through Film class watched this movie for a brief introduction of the American Revolution. This movie follows the main character Johnny and his journey with the Sons of Liberty. At first, he was an apprentice, but ended burning his hand which left him out of work. Nobody else will take him in because of the work he cannot do with one hand. After being accused of thievery and lying after trying to reach out to his wealthy uncle, he finally finds where he can help. He finds out that his good friend is apart of the Sons of Liberty, which he then joins and does small tasks for them. He sends secret messages to the other members throughout the town and helps when they have meetings. The movie displays historical events such as the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere's Ride. I think the film covered these events as accurately as I remember them aside from the fictional aspect of it. I was able to follow what was going on pretty well. It was made in the 50's, so the acting and everything else overall is quite cheesy, but I think that's what made it a little more enjoyable. This was the first movie I've ever seen that was about the American Revolution. I will probably look up more movies about this part of history so I can see other ways filmmakers have told the story. There were some parts that I found a little boring and I almost lost interest. But, there were also some parts that I really enjoyed. I think it was a good movie overall. I don't think I'll watch other movies by this director, but only because it's difficult to find ways to watch movies from this long ago. It's a fun film that covers a part of history in an entertaining way. You get to learn about the American Revolution in an educational way as well as follow a fun fictional character on his journey.

When I was 7 years old I was taken by my older brother to the local 'flea pit' to see a double feature, the main film was 'Bambi' and the supporting film was 'Johnny Tremain'. Being only an ankle biter at the time, the film I was looking forward to seeing was Bambi, I had never heard of Johnny Tremain and had no interest whatsoever in watching it, however, once the lights went down in the cinema and the film started, I found myself enchanted by what I was watching, being an English boy I knew little or nothing about the American War of Independence, I had never heard of the Boston Tea Party and had always presumed that Britain and America had always been on friendly terms, we were never taught about it at school, which is hardly surprising I guess, seeing as the Colonists took on the might of the British military and won! The story of Johnny Tremain was told in such a simple and enjoyable way, in a way that only Disney could tell a story, that even a 7 year old English kid could understand the plot and historical background. It is 52 years now since I saw the film but it made a such a lasting impression on me that I can still remember the words to the song (which admittedly being a very short song with few words, is probably not saying much). I would assume that to todays youngsters this film would prove to be dated and uninteresting, after all there is no sex,no bad language and the violence is sanitised, but it was made in a time when values were a lot different and Disney was the king of family movies. Times have changed, but for all the digital special effects and hype, I for one, reckon you can't beat a good old fashioned movie telling its story in an uncomplicated way, standing or falling on plot, direction and good acting.

I watched this movie to get my grade and because it was from Disney.I liked how they told the story of the years in Boston, Massachusetts , prior to the outbreak of the American Revolution. I would recommend to watch this movie because the actors and the movie is good.

Disney makes another book-movie in 1957 with "Johnny Tremain," based on Esther Forbes' award-winning novel of the same name. It is about a boy named Johnny Tremain, who worked as an apprentice until his hand touched hot molten silver. Now he had to find a new job, until he decided to go into battle. This had taken place in Boston back during such wonderful events in history like the Boston Tea Party and the invasion of the British (One if by land, Two if by sea).

I have read this book in Calvert School back in 7th grade, I believe. It was such a wonderful book; my mom even enjoyed it, too. Our library had a classroom version of this movie on DVD (although a regular version can also be purchased), and we had just checked that movie out and we enjoyed it so.

"Johnny Tremain" is real good Disney, indeed: a great book made into a great movie portraying terrific American history.

Ten stars.

I saw this movie originally on the "Wonderful world of Disney",long before I read the book for an education class in college. I also taught my 8th grade language arts class part of James Otis' wonderful speech about the price of independence. I do not remember if the speech is in the film,but if it was it was wasted because the powers that be at Disney in 1956 decided to change the ending. A previous review mentioned the same thing... by not allowing the character of Rab Silsbee to die after the Battle of Lexington, the entire perspective of the film disappears. I once had a father ask me if it was OK if his son,who did not want to read the book, watched the movie , I told him sure, if he wanted to fail the class.... the teacher would have known immediately that he had not read the book,because he would have no clue about "that a man can stand up".

That said, the movie is well cast,especially the characters of Dr Warren, Paul Revere and James Otis.(Jeff York as always was wonderful).

Hal Stalmaster, who never to my knowledge made another film is just fair as Johnny.Dick(Richard)Beymer is a little goofy as Rab and has fun with the part(unfortunately it doesn't go anywhere.)Luana Patten as Cilla was too old for the part. A previous reviewer said that this film is ripe for a remake. I totally agree. Lets make a film(made for TV or otherwise that really does this literary treasure justice!

I watched Johnny Tremain because I'm taking a history through film class. This was one movie that we all watched together in class. The movie is about the Sons of Liberty, it contains the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere's Ride. It tells the story about Johnny, a boy who worked for a blacksmith until he had an accident and was unable to use one of his hands, and his journey joining the Sons of Liberty. We learn about their secret meetings they had and all the plans they made. Some of acting was really cheesy and the lines were kind of funny. You can tell the movie was made in the 50's due to that and the screen quality. There was bad lighting and the screen was slightly fuzzy so it gave it an older kind of look. I feel like the film followed history as I know it pretty well. It made sense and it followed the stories that I've always heard and had the right people. Something I did realize was different was Paul Revere's ride. It wasn't as big a deal as I've always heard it was and I'm pretty sure he isn't alone on his mission to watch for the light. I once watched a Suite Life of Zack and Cody episode where they reenacted the Boston Tea Party. Aside from that I've never really watched a film about this that I can remember. I really liked this film because it had a good sense of friendship and community among the Sons of Liberty. It always makes you feel good to see the good guys win and even though this is history and so it must follow the storyline, it was still something I like to see. I also liked the fact that they had children and teenagers in it instead of a bunch of old guys, I didn't like that some parts were very uneventful and I got bored and distracted easily. As a movie overall I think it was a good way to educate people on this history of those stories in an understandable and entertaining way. Although it didn't follow history quite exactly, it still had most of the correct facts. This isn't a movie I would watch more than once because it wasn't very exciting. I also probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they were trying to find a way to learn some short history quick and easy. It was interesting but not enough to make me want to rewatch it.

Johnny Tremain is quirky Hollywood at its quirkiest. I really liked it though, for all of its uncalculated moves. I enjoyed the fictional character's journey through real events. The battle scenes are okay and the story is serviceable, but what wins it over is the charisma of the main character. Quirky and flawed, but never unengaging or lacking in any sort of good American entertainment, it may not be that well remembered, but I still found it likable. For all the pleasures of 1957 Hollywood including 12 Angry Men and The Bridge on the River Kwai, this is limited, but it still does not fail in being a good time killer and entertainment device.

I taught US history for 39 years. I also had my classes READ the novel. When done, we'd show the movie. Over the 15 or so years we did this, I can't remember a single student who liked the movie compared with the book. They (7th and 8th graders) were totally insulted at how Disney gutted the story, way beyond the need for making it into a "family" movie. Whole, important story lines were omitted -- Dove and the chalice, for instance. For those poor souls who have said in other reviews how this movie teaches them about American history -- SAD, SAD!

One of my students was able to point out, literally, two dozen MAJOR historical inaccuracies -- The Tea Party took place in Boston in December, yet people are dressed like they're in Orlando in August; the Battle of Lexington took place outside Boston in April, when there is usually snow on the ground, yet the movie shows beautiful New England fall foliage! If THIS is how people learn about American history, no wonder most of our population knows NOTHING about our history!

People who think this is a wonderful movie obviously live in a Disney-created bubble world where every day is sunny and no one ever dies. They'd LOVE Disney's version of "The Civil War", played by Mickey and Donald, where North and South sing together happily while the bluebirds sing.

If you want a good laugh then, READ the novel, then (if you can stand it), watch this movie!

Johnny Tremain took a reverse process in attaining success as one of the best films about the American Revolution. It was a two part program on Walt Disney's television show and then later it was stitched together for theatrical release, so popular did it prove. Just like Disney's Davy Crockett. You can plainly see the seams, but that really doesn't matter.

The fictional character of Johnny Tremain who is an apprentice silversmith and his struggle to establish his birthright to the satisfaction of his loyalist uncle Sebastian Cabot is set against the background of Boston in the 1770s. As we well know the seeds of the American Revolution were planted there, it was a hotbed of latent treason to the British crown.

As Johnny Tremain started as a juvenile novel the issues of the American Revolution are quite simply laid out so that even the lay historian can follow the issues and the events of the Boston Tea Party and later the Battles of Lexington and Concord pretty much as they actually occurred.

And the personalities of the Sons Of Liberty come wonderfully alive in this film. Walter Sande as Paul Revere, Walter Coy as Dr. Joseph Warren, Rusty Lane as Samuel Adams step right out from the textbooks. But in the few scenes he has Jeff York as James Otis steals the movie.

There was a touch of genius in the casting of York and who would have suspected it because York normally played rough hewn frontier type characters. It was totally against type that York was cast as the Back Bay Patriot with both genius and madness in his running in his veins. Otis and Johnny Tremain define the real issues of what became the American Revolution in the best acted scene in the film.

Hal Stalmaster was a fine and earnest Johnny Tremain and was 'introduced' in this film. Why his career went nowhere after that is still a mystery. Luana Patten plays the daughter of Will Wright and Virginia Christine the silversmiths that Stalmaster is apprenticed to and Richard Beymer plays Stalmaster's original tutor in radical Sons Of Liberty politics.

If grade school teachers are not using Johnny Tremain as a teaching tool when the kids are learning the American Revolution, shame on them.

I am watching this movie for my History Through Film class. It's definitely not the best movie I have ever seen. The filmmaker is telling the story of Johnny Tremain and how he helped with the Boston Tea Party. He started out as an apprentice and wanted to start his own trade. But, after burning his hand, he wasn't much help anymore. So, he set out to find something else he could do for work. The acting really wasn't that good in this movie. The camera quality was also pretty bad as well. Special effects weren't the best either. I didn't question any of the historical accuracy, because I actually do not know what really happened at the Boston Tea Party. I think that this movie connects to many of the other movies that are about the Boston Tea Party. They're a little different, but basically the same story line. I liked the song "sons of liberty", it was really catchy. I honestly didn't like much of the rest of the movie. I didn't like how in some parts of the movie, you couldn't follow the story. I did not like this movie. It was boring and not interesting. It didn't make sense. I don't think I would watch another by the same director or by the starring actors.