Little Lord Fauntleroy | |
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Directed by | John Cromwell |
Produced by | David O. Selznick |
Screenplay by | Hugh Walpole |
Based on |
Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett |
Starring |
Freddie Bartholomew Dolores Costello C. Aubrey Smith |
Music by | Max Steiner |
Cinematography | Charles Rosher |
Production
company |
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Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $590,000 |
Little Lord Fauntleroy is a 1936 drama film based on the 1886 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The film stars Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello, and C. Aubrey Smith. The first film produced by David O. Selznick's Selznick International Pictures, it was the studio's most profitable film until Gone With the Wind. The film is directed by John Cromwell.
The film was critically well received and is now in the public domain. In 2012 it was released on Blu-ray Disc by Kino Lorber, following a restoration by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department.
Young Cedric "Ceddie" Errol (Freddie Bartholomew) and his widowed mother, whom he calls "Dearest" (Dolores Costello), live frugally in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's prejudiced English grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt (C. Aubrey Smith), had long ago disowned his son for marrying an American.
The earl sends his lawyer Havisham (Henry Stephenson) to bring Ceddie to England. As the earl's sons are all dead, Ceddie is the heir to the title. Mrs. Errol accompanies her son to England, but is not allowed to live at Dorincourt castle. For Cedric's happiness, she does not tell him it is because of his grandfather's bigotry. The earl's lawyer is impressed with the young widow's wisdom. However, the earl expresses skepticism when Mr. Havisham informs him that Cedric's mother will not accept an allowance from him.
Cedric soon wins the hearts of his stern grandfather and everyone else. The earl hosts a grand party to proudly introduce his grandson to British society, notably his sister Lady Constantia Lorridaile (Constance Collier).