MovieChat Forums > The Learning Tree (1970) Discussion > Share your thoughts about the film

Share your thoughts about the film


I saw it this past week.

I grew up in the Deep South in the 1960s and this movie, while written about the 1920s, was shot in 1969 and felt very relevant to that time period.

My reaction to the film after viewing it:

Painful, heart-wrenching. Unflinching look at brutal subject matter. It was well-cast and beautifully filmed by writer/director Gordon Parks, the first black photographer of "Life" magazine. Kyle Johnson's portrayal of the young protagonist Newt was sensitive and believable.

One of the first 25 films to be nominated for the National Film Registry, in the 1980s when film restoration and preservation efforts finally began to take hold.

It had aspects that reminded me of "To Kill A Mockingbird."

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Yes, it was relevant, that's why it impacted me at that time.

I love the beginning, it just looks so Kansas......the prairie, the tornado.

Cherokee Creek is a fictional variation of Fort Scott, Kansas, where Gordon Parks was from, if I remember correctly.

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I LOVE this movie-it is one of my all-time FAVORITES!! It truly had some heartbreaking parts of the story, but VERY realistic. I loved the story, l thought it was well acted, shot, and the score was perfect, too! I still am stunned that some people still think and act that way, and this movie played it perfectly. Kyle Johnson was PERFECT for this part.

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