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everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Best movie ever!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

John Mills' daughter, Hayley, leads a sterling British cast of adults and children in this touching story about seriously confused identity.Alan Bates is a dangerous escaped criminal. Wounded and exhausted he takes shelter in the barn at the family's farm. Hayley Mills plays Cathy, a not-to-bright girl on the cusp of puberty who mistakes the criminal for Jesus Christ. It's a bit of a pose; but if you can get your head around it, the rest of the movie is a delight. Cathy has a younger brother and sister who quickly learn the secret, and pretty soon every kid in the neighbourhood knows it too - but not the grown-ups.As the story develops, we see critical elements of Biblical storyline reprised in the lives of the children. The local bully - otherwise in ignorance - forces a younger, weaker child to deny his existence three times, clearly without realising the irony of his actions.Ultimately, their secret escapes. The adults lock him in the barn and call the police. He surrenders without a fight, and whilst being frisked by officers, with his arms outstretched, his posture resembles a crucifixion from a distance, which only cements the belief more completely in Cathy's mind.This movie hails from the heyday of so-called kitchen-sink dramas. Set in the remoteness of north Yorkshire, the scenery is bleak but wonderful. The bleakness is emphasised by filming in black and white, which was almost de rigeur for kitchen-sinkers. Every detail is finely observed, with a farm yard of such cloying muddiness you can almost feel it, and a house that surely smells of fresh bread, preserves and dampness.The script, like the acting is entirely believable and natural. There are no bum roles in this movie. A vicar more spiteful than pious bellyaches about vandalism. Both he and a teacher prove unequal to the questions about life and death that the children raise. The kids themselves never put a foot wrong. A 1960's working-class Yorkshire family is very convincingly recreated, though the rural dialect has clearly been sanitised for broader audience appeal. I am tempted to say over-sanitised, because a little more authenticity might have made 'foreigners' have to think a little, but there are (or perhaps were) some great little nuances of pronunciation that wouldn't have hurt to be included, even if subtitles were needed. But perhaps that's just nit-picking.This is a movie that's as relevant today as it was then. It concerns the great divide between childhood wonder and adult cynicism. Belief, hope and misunderstanding compete with pragmatism and responsibility.All of the technical issues of lighting and editing are up to the standard and evidently modest budget. And finally, there is that haunting theme tune that lingers in your memory as much as the movie itself.Highly recommended viewing for all ages. Every generation can learn something from it.

The direction by Bryan Forbes, and the fine screenplay, help to make this poignant little story avoid sentimentality and cuteness in its presentation. The film is brilliantly realized, with wonderful performances by the children, who are all completely natural. The movie does not idealize children, but shows them honestly, in all their petty arguing and jealousy, as well as their capacity for kindness and innocent affection. SPOILERS AHEAD: There are some truly touching sequences showing the youngsters' loving, caring natures. When the little boy is devastated at the death of his pet kitten, and can't understand why Jesus didn't look after it, as the Salvation Army lady had told him, Hayley Mills as his older sister shows real concern for his grief, and tries to get the disinterested local vicar to explain it to them. When the middle sister picks up the dead kitten in the barn,and cradles it in her arms, gently saying to it " You've gone to Heaven, haven't you?", I completely broke down and wept, even though I've seen the movie dozens of times. Perhaps it's partly for the children we once were that adult viewers are moved to tears by this quietly powerful drama. The child actors are the heart and soul of this movie, with excellent support from Bernard Lee as the kindly, harried father, and Alan Bates as the hunted murderer the children believe to be Jesus. The cinematography, music, real towns and farms in the north of England used as locations, are all superb. The film has plenty of gentle humor, as well as the sad moments. It's a unique film, in my experience, and well worth seeing. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't find it both charming and deeply affecting. Hayley Mills is absolutely radiant as Cathy, and her sister Diane Holgate and little brother Alan Barnes are equally fine. This is simply one of the best movies to come out of the English cinema in the early Sixties and a wonderful movie, period.

I love this film and it can move me to tears. When Hayley Mills and her siblings (all of them yet to reach their teens) discover a man hiding in their family's barn, they jump to the wrong conclusion and think they have stumbled upon Jesus' second coming. This is their secret and we are drawn into their world, in which adults are the enemy (after all, look what they did when Jesus last called...) and innocence rules. Of course, the story is highly allegorical and some of it is rather heavy-handed - the betrayal as the distant train whistle/cockerel crow is heard and the final 'crucifixion' scenes spring to mind, but overall it is a delightful 'little' film. I challenge anyone with childhood memories not to choke a little when the hundreds of local children come charging to the farm at the end. Marvellous all the way, this film - made just up the road from where I live - is a mini-classic, just what British film-makers of the period did best.

A truly beautiful, beautiful film. I'm in my 30's and would describe myself as an emerging film buff. I've seen all the classics, past and present, and have to say this really is up there as one of my favourites. Filmed nearly 45 years ago, set in the wonderful Lancashire moors, around the town of Burnley, England. This film will do nothing other than warm your heart. The innocence of the lead characters coupled with the respect shown in a bye-gone day, gives you that sentimental feeling, embossed with a sense of pride . I'll spare you the details of what you may watch, but give it a go, and imagine times nearly 5 decades ago, with a simple but interesting plot, and enjoy!