Sammy Going South

1965 "Incredible Adventure in a Land That Knows a Thousand Dangers!"
7.1| 2h8m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 12 February 1965 Released
Producted By: Paramount
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

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.

... View More
Stream Online

The movie is currently not available onine

Director

Producted By

Paramount

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Images

Reviews

Alicia I love this movie so much
Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!
Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
fung0 It's a great shame this film isn't better-known, especially outside the UK. It has recently (fall 2010) been re-released on DVD - at LAST. And it truly is worth seeking out.The story is equally reminiscent of Rudyard Kipling's 'Kim' and Nicholas Roeg's 'Walkabout.' A young boy, suddenly on his own, determines to rejoin his family, at the opposite end of Africa. Along the way, he meets a number of interesting characters, including Edward G. Robinson, in a small but pivotal part.The story is told without sentiment or sensationalism. Shot on location, it shows an Africa that may hardly exist any more, in which wild animals were still a greater danger than armed humans. The scenery is often breathtaking... but the focus is always on Sammy. Despite the trappings of epic adventure, this is really a very intimate film, about one boy's journey from loss to self-reliance.I'd rank Sammy Going South amongst the great children's adventure films of all time: Treasure Island (any version), Captains Courageous, The Wind and the Lion, In Search of the Castaways, and others. But it has a unique magic all its own. It gets inside the soul of a child like few other films, and perfectly captures a quintessentially British vision of childhood.See this film if you possibly can. You'll be glad you did.
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.
michael-993 I saw this movie by myself as a young boy - and for years I thought I had dreamed the whole thing. As an adult (an psychologist) years later I realized how the movie impacted me and touched something deep in myself about how a boy who has lost everything - must make a long journey 'south' (symbolic of the unknown - unconscious - what better metaphor than traversing Africa) to find himself and the man who is living inside of him. I have looked for years for a copy - and wonder why to this day it has not been released on VHS or DVD - if anyone knows where it can be found I would LOVE to know. For those interested the book is wonderful as well - but doesn't have the 'feel' and 'power' the images in the movie left upon me.
Aldanoli A ten year-old English boy's parents are killed in Port Said during the 1956 Suez crisis, and so, in the British way, he sets off--alone and on foot--to travel the length of Africa to find his only relative, an aunt in Durban, South Africa. A children's picture filled with delights, especially the lovely location cinematography; the inspired casting of Edward G. Robinson as a wily soldier of fortune; and the engaging Fergus McClelland as the boy, Sammy, whose own innocence somehow mirrors an Africa which, even in 1956 (or 1963), was already quickly passing away.