The Good and the Beautiful Are Not Dead. A Woman’s Portrait from a Forgotten Classic
The Story of the Little Lord Fauntleroy is what’s missing in today’s society
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Little Lord Fauntleroy is an 1885 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, considered the Harry Potter of its time, while its author — a classic J. K. Rowling.
In those times, and the 1900s, it was a major hit of selling and popularity.
If you are interested in other works of this British author, you might read A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911), both had beautiful film adaptations.
Today I saw the Little Lord Fauntleroy film, a 1936 production.
The film stars Freddie Bartholomew, Dolores Costello, and C. Aubrey Smith.
The first film produced by David O. Selznick’s Selznick International Pictures, was the studio’s most profitable film until Gone with the Wind. (source: Wikipedia)
What’s lovely about this film, is the touching relationship established by the Little Lord and his Grandfather.
Even more — the relationship he had with his mother, called “dearest”.
The mother figure appears very dear and tender, like an angel light in the dark.
It is absolutely touching how she had educated him, never to judge anyone, or to speak about inappropriate things. Always act with generosity, sincerity, and bravery.
The story is deeply tender and educative to every child, a lesson of true elegance.
It speaks about what noble is actually about: kindness, generosity, family love. Not greed, not money, not selfishness, not aggressivity, not lust.
When the little lord temporarily loses his position, he doesn’t care about it. All he needs are the people he loves, like his grandfather, and his mother.
The film and characters are full of genuine grace and warmth.
A pleasant surprise to see, in our material, superficial times, full of fear, aggressivity, misunderstandings, and a deep lack of respect and education towards women.
