Bless the Beasts & Children

… One more obviously underappreciated film.

I have watched this movie for the first time when I was in the age of heroes of a picture. Probably, therefore I felt myself to be intimate with them. And also may be because in each of them I has found, may be very small, but a part of myself: I am also not absolutely "correct", according to many who surrounds me.

Later I watched this film five times. Of course I did not hope that this time all will end well. Simply each time I thought out all new and new variants how to help "Chamber-pots". And regretted that I can not join them.

By the way, in that version that was demonstrated at our cinemas in the early seventies, they had been appropriated an insulting nickname "Pee-peeings", instead of "Chamber-pots". Also that version was a bit shorter than the original. For some reason Soviet movie-releasers cut out scene of bison’s head abduction and followed it the douche by urine, and a scene of a church ceremony in Judaic church. I cannot understand even today, why these two scenes did not satisfy ideologists of that time from film service: neither sex, nor a policy. And at the same time I think, how many, probably, films, including masterpieces we watched in the truncated version.

Having watched today this film once again, I was glad that I’m, as well as forty years ago, eager to join this six of "wrong", "abnormal" children. And at the same time it became sad from comprehension that in the present world they would become, from the point of view of the majority, even more wrong. Of course, because they, as it was told about one of them by name of Goodenow, «read books». From all camp only they, abnormal, have decided to rescue, despite of everything, from execution the old and weak bisons. Such idea even could not come to a head of correct boys. Correct for the blessing consider the given possibility, having paid only any 40 dollars, without any risk to do some shooting sick, old and weak animals. And, I guess, if him to pay so they can shoot people. Sick, old and weak. Because they are – NORMAL.

Cinema-goers of my country have enough highly appreciated this film by Stanley Kramer and, thereby, as though made common cause with this six of "wrong" boys. On Kinopoisk this film has received a rating 7,8. Film experts of Europe too highly enough have estimated it: on the Berlin film festival of 1971 the director has been nominated for the «Golden Bear», and the film has won the Prize of the international evangelic jury and the Prize of the International Catholic organisation in the field of cinema (OCIC), but in the USA, in the homeland, the film has received only modest nomination for the best song. Certainly, it is possible to understand members of American Academy: that year too many film masterpieces competed for awards in more powerful nominations. There was «French connection», and «Clockwork orange», and «The Last Picture Show», and «Fiddler on a roof», etc. and etc. But, mainly, concerning this film has most of all disappointed me the American cinema-goer. Only 6,3 – such is its estimation according to IMDB. Probably, most of all "normal" and "correct" live in America. Or there are other opinions?