Sammy Going South
Sammy Going South
NR | 12 February 1965 (USA)
Sammy Going South Trailers

After he is orphaned by an air raid on Port Said during the Suez Crisis, a young boy attempts to go by himself from the Suez Canal to Durban in South Africa where his nearest relative, Aunt Jane, lives. On the way he meets a variety of different people who help or hinder his journey - including an ageing diamond smuggler.

Reviews
Micitype Pretty Good
Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way
Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense
Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
KnockKnock1 My Father took me to this movie at the old Rialto Theatre in Pasadena. It horrified me, but in a good way. The opening scene shows a Woman complaining to her Husband that She doesn't want to do something. The photography focuses however on a small boy, lying on the floor playing with toys. His ears prick up when he realizes that She (we later realize this is his Mother) is talking about sending him away. Seconds later an air raid siren sounds. The Boy runs downstairs to follow the commotion. Pandamonium reigns in the streets. He literally has to dive for cover after being strafed by enemy planes.(Spoiler coming up) When he returns to his apartment, He finds both his Parents dead in the rubble of what used to be his childhood home. The sequence is reminiscent of Luke finding his Uncle Owen and Aunt Baru dead in Star Wars. It's a huge emotional moment in both films, and in the lives of two young human beings.This is not a movie for children. It's a movie for Men reminiscing about when the tumultuous boundaries of their childhood were broken. Excellent movie, powerful and under rated. I also cannot seem to find this on DVD anywhere. I hope it comes on bluray some day.
willb65 I saw this film when I was ten when it was first released. I have only seen it once but can vividly remember it. My father had already died and Sammy's experience of returning to his home and finding it bombed and his parents dead had a profound effect on me. I lived the fear as Sammy travelled south. I have often thought about the film but have never seen it again. I have tried to find it on DVD but unsuccessfully as I assume it's never been released. I remember Sammy's resolve and determination to complete his journey but I can also remember lying awake at night wondering if I would be orphaned. A fantastic film, release it on DVD.
Petie3-2 I saw this in the 60s and it captivated me. All the characters were realistic, it could have happened. I probably spend two decades trying to locate a copy; bid for one on E-bay for $80 and lost, then finally lucked out and got one for $35 a year later. It was worth the wait and is just as good as it was. According to a poster it was originally almost an hour longer and had different music, which I don't know anything about. Also the use of guns by a kid is probably looked on as politically incorrect, especially since he saves Eddie Robinson by shooting a leopard. Can't have that. Just another reason to re-release it.
Fred My review is based on my one viewing of this movie. I saw it in 1967, two years after its release. I was seven years old. My elementary school was showing it after school. I went because the title intrigued me. The title in this country was A BOY TEN FEET TALL. There was a poster on the wall, made by a student (or a teacher) with the title in big letters next to a line drawing of an extremely tall boy. The actual movie was disappointingly realistic to me. I was expecting something like a Popeye cartoon. Ever since seeing it I've asked fellow movie buffs if they remember a movie in which Edward G. Robinson gives sage advice to a boy in the jungle. Nobody I know has ever heard of this. Maybe the fact that it is also called SAMMY GOING SOUTH has caused confusion, because I have always referred to it as A BOY TEN FEET TALL. In the half-a-lifetime since seeing this, I've come to realize that Edward G. Robinson gave it his all. Late-career Edward G. was truly a scene-stealer. He's the reason we remember SOYLENT GREEN. I'll give it 7 stars because I saw it when I was seven and seven is a lucky number. I was lucky to see what has become a rare performance by a great actor.