I think it's kind of cool there are so few comments about this movie. It's like a little jewel of cinema, tucked away waiting to be discovered by those who appreciate it, much like the beauty of the children in the story itself. Anyway- one of the two trivia blurbs about this movie- out of the 21 kids who acted in it, 18 grew up to be teachers. Now THAT is inspiring.
shareI agree with you, that this is a hidden treasure of a movie. It might be Jon Voight's most under-appreciated performanc.e
shareThat is inspiring! I was also very impressed by the quality of the children's performances. They could have had a future in acting had they gone that route – but they made the right choice. I love how all the child actors have their real first names with their characters.
shareI know this is an old original post, but I have been seeing the "18 students" figure a lot in the message board and review section.
However, in 2013, in the Trivia section, it says only 3 of the young actors grew up to become teachers:
In a 2007 interview on the Dennis Miller Radio Show, Jon Voight recalled a reunion that was held 20 years after the release of the movie, with all of the available actors. Of the 21 actors who portrayed students, at the time of the reunion, 3 were teachers.
I noticed that discrepancy too. I wonder if the "trivia" statement should have read "of the 21 kids, ALL BUT 3 grew up to be teachers"? The math would work out that way.
However, I have NO idea which version is correct.
What I DO know, is that I saw "Conrack" as a TV movie when I was 14, and it really stuck with me. I recently listened (almost 40 years later) to "The Water is Wide" as a book on CD, and it was even more compelling (and disturbing that such an educational travesty could have been allowed to persist not that long ago).
It's pretty impressive that the book was published only a few short years after the events depicted, and the TV movie only two years after that. Really gives the story an immediacy.
I was close to your age when the movie came out, and I still love it too. Such a memorable story.
Dini