THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE

Directed by Nicolas Gessner.  Written by Laird Koenig.  Stars Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen.
1976, 100 minutes, Color, Rated PG.

It is difficult to talk about this movie without using spoilers, so I will be cagey here.

In THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE Jodie Foster plays Rynn, a 13 year old girl who is quite able to take care of herself, and she is borderline astonishing in the role. She brings a reality to the character that is impressive. The story is truly original, being compelling and intricately plotted. It is a "small" story in that there are only a few characters, but each is distinct and memorable. True, the villains of the piece are a bit too over the top but this is a minor quibble. The film is bolstered so much by Foster's performance (and character) that it's hard to fault the occasional missteps, such as the funky music that not only dates the film but is inappropriate to the story. Like Andrew Powell's score for LADYHAWKE.

It is only upon reflection that the full implications of the story sink in. What kind of character is Rynn? She is not an innocent by any stretch, but is she "bad"? This is a valid question given the events of the film. I think that she is not bad but I wonder how she is going to turn out. Perhaps I mean that I do not think she is bad...yet. Does she get to put the events of the film behind her and live happily ever after, or has she put herself on the road to becoming a sociopathic misfit? It's tough to say. I'd like to hope she turns out okay, but it's more likely that there will be a price later for dealing with all that she has. Come to think of it, catching up with Rynn now would probably be an interesting story.

I was astonished to find nudity in THE LITTLE GIRL WHO LIVES DOWN THE LANE. Initially, I thought that perhaps we were dealing with a European version of the film, but after doing a little digging discovered that the original US version also contained the scene in question. Why the astonishment? The movie was and is rated PG. The nudity is of Jodie Foster's character (though it is a body double) who is 13 in the movie. Someone also utters the word "fuck", which was also in the US theatrical version. Crazy. The 70's were crazy, I tell you.*

* The MPAA used to allow the word "fuck" in PG-rated films. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN uses the word multiple times, as does A BRIDGE TOO FAR. Both of these instances, plus LITTLE GIRL's use the word in a non-sexual manner, as in "don't fuck it up" or "I'll blow your fucking head off". This seems to be the rule of thumb for the use of the word in PG-13-rated films as well--limited to once or twice and only in a non-sexual context. MANHATTAN was given a R-rating for using the word once, though admittedly the rating may have had more to do with the plot point of a middle-age man having an affair with a high-school aged girl. SIXTEEN CANDLES also uses the word, as well as just about every other profanity, but was only rated PG. In that case it was originally rated R and re-rated on appeal without having to make any cuts.