Bless the Beasts and Children (film)
Encyclopedia
Bless the Beasts and Children is a 1971 film adaptation
of the novel of the same name
, by Glendon Swarthout
, that was directed by Stanley Kramer
, featuring Bill Mumy
and Barry Robins
.
in the western mountains. Each of the boys is a misfit in one way or another; the group is ostracized by the other boys at the camp, and form a bond based, in part, on this broader social isolation. After being taken on a field trip to see a captured herd of bison
that is being slaughtered by local hunters, the boys resolve to sneak away from the camp and set the penned bison free.
The film is presented partially out of sequence; the primary narrative of freeing the bison is interspersed with flashback scenes showing the boys' troubled lives both at the camp, and at their homes.
, eventually won by Stanley Kramer
. Kramer negotiated with Columbia Pictures
for the right to produce and direct the film, which made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival
in August, 1971, as the United States
' entry in the international competition. Kramer later commented on Russia
n reception of the film, stating that they "viewed [the film] as a preachment against Kent State and My Lai," when he had envisioned more of a statement about the "gun cult" in America and how "easy availability of weapons contributes to violence."
and Perry Botkin, Jr.
. Their score for the movie included an instrumental selection titled "Cotton's Dream," which was later rescored to become "Nadia's Theme
", the theme song of the soap opera
The Young and the Restless
(produced by Columbia's television division, now Sony Pictures Television
). The soundtrack for the film
also includes the movie's theme song
sung by The Carpenters
.
For their work, De Vorzon and Botkin were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
and the Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special
.
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the novel of the same name
Bless the Beasts and Children (novel)
Bless the Beasts and Children is a 1970 novel by Glendon Swarthout that tells the story of several emotionally disturbed boys away at summer camp who unite to stop a buffalo hunt...
, by Glendon Swarthout
Glendon Swarthout
Glendon Fred Swarthout was an American writer.-Life:Glendon Swarthout was the only child of Fred and Lila Swarthout, a banker and a homemaker. Swarthout is a Dutch name from the area around Groningen, in the Netherlands, and his mother’s maiden name was Chubb, from English farmers of Yorkshire...
, that was directed by Stanley Kramer
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
, featuring Bill Mumy
Bill Mumy
Charles William "Bill" Mumy, Jr. is an American actor, musician, pitchman, instrumentalist, voice-over artist and a figure in the science-fiction community. He is known primarily for his work as a child television actor....
and Barry Robins
Barry Robins
Barry Robins ,was an American stage, film and television actor. He was best known for his leading role as Cotton in Stanley Kramer's 1971 movie, Bless the Beasts and Children.-Early life:...
.
Plot
The story follows a group of six teenaged boys, who share a cabin at a residential summer campSummer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
in the western mountains. Each of the boys is a misfit in one way or another; the group is ostracized by the other boys at the camp, and form a bond based, in part, on this broader social isolation. After being taken on a field trip to see a captured herd of bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
that is being slaughtered by local hunters, the boys resolve to sneak away from the camp and set the penned bison free.
The film is presented partially out of sequence; the primary narrative of freeing the bison is interspersed with flashback scenes showing the boys' troubled lives both at the camp, and at their homes.
Cast
- Bill MumyBill MumyCharles William "Bill" Mumy, Jr. is an American actor, musician, pitchman, instrumentalist, voice-over artist and a figure in the science-fiction community. He is known primarily for his work as a child television actor....
- Teft - Barry RobinsBarry RobinsBarry Robins ,was an American stage, film and television actor. He was best known for his leading role as Cotton in Stanley Kramer's 1971 movie, Bless the Beasts and Children.-Early life:...
- Cotton - Miles ChapinMiles ChapinMiles Chapin is an American actor.Chapin was born in New York City, New York, the son of Betty , a descendant of Henry E. Steinway , and Schuyler Chapin, an author who was the General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera...
- Shecker - Darel Glaser - Goodenow
- Bob Kramer - Lally 1
- Marc Vahanian - Lally 2
- Jesse WhiteJesse White (actor)Jesse White was an American television, film, and stage character actor. He is best remembered for portraying the Maytag repairman in television commercials, a role he played from 1967 to 1988.-Life and career:...
- Shecker's Father - Ken Swofford - Wheaties
- Elaine DevryElaine DevryElaine Devry is an American actress. She appeared in a number of films including A Guide for the Married Man and was formerly married to actor Mickey Rooney.-Filmography:* The Atomic Kid * China Doll...
- Cotton's Mother - David Ketchum - Camp Director (as Dave Ketchum)
- Vanessa BrownVanessa BrownVanessa Brown was an Austrian-American actress who was successful in radio, film, theater, and television.-Early life:...
- Goodenow's Mother - Wayne Sutherlin - Hustler
- William Bramley - Goodenow's Grandfather
Production and reception
A bidding war broke out over the film rightsFilm rights
Film rights are the rights under copyright law to make a derivative work—in this case, a film—derived from an item of intellectual property. Under U.S...
, eventually won by Stanley Kramer
Stanley Kramer
Stanley Earl Kramer was an American film director and producer. Kramer was responsible for some of Hollywood's most famous "message" movies...
. Kramer negotiated with Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
for the right to produce and direct the film, which made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival
21st Berlin International Film Festival
The 21st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from June 26 to July 6, 1971.-Jury:* Bjørn Rasmussen * Ida Ehre* Walter Albuquerque Mello* Paul Claudon* Kenneth Harper* Mani Kaul* Charlotte Kerr* Rex Reed* Giancarlo Zagni...
in August, 1971, as the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n reception of the film, stating that they "viewed [the film] as a preachment against Kent State and My Lai," when he had envisioned more of a statement about the "gun cult" in America and how "easy availability of weapons contributes to violence."
Soundtrack and score
The music for the film was composed by Barry De VorzonBarry De Vorzon
Barry De Vorzon is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and composer. His first composing big hit was the rock song "Dreamin'," sung by Johnny Burnette in 1960, although he had a number-one hit previously called "Just Married," which he wrote for Marty Robbins in 1958...
and Perry Botkin, Jr.
Perry Botkin, Jr.
Perry Botkin, Jr. is an American composer, producer, arranger, and musician. He had a successful career in music for over forty years. As an arranger, he worked with Bobby Darin, Harry Nilsson, The Lettermen, Ed Ames, and Harpers Bizarre, among others...
. Their score for the movie included an instrumental selection titled "Cotton's Dream," which was later rescored to become "Nadia's Theme
Nadia's Theme
"Nadia's Theme" is a piece of music composed by Barry De Vorzon and Perry Botkin, Jr. that serves as the theme music to the American television soap opera The Young and the Restless.-Origins:...
", the theme song of the soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
(produced by Columbia's television division, now Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
). The soundtrack for the film
Bless the Beasts and Children (soundtrack)
The soundtrack to the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children consists of music by The Carpenters, Barry De Vorzon, and Renee Armand. It included The Carpenters' "Bless the Beasts and Children theme song as well as "Cotton's Dream", later known as "Nadia's Theme", which became the theme song to the...
also includes the movie's theme song
Bless the Beasts and Children (song)
The theme song to the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children was performed by The Carpenters, and was featured on the B-side to their then-recent hit, "Superstar". The B-side charted on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually topping out at #67. In order to promote it, The Carpenters performed it on...
sung by The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
.
For their work, De Vorzon and Botkin were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
and the Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special
Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media has been awarded since 1960. Until 2001 the award was presented to the composer of the music alone. From 2001 to 2006, the producer and engineers shared in this award...
.