The Sign Of The Beaver

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The Sign Of The Beaver (1997)

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A colonial family seeks a new life in the Maine wilderness in 1768. Will, the father, is forced to leave his son, Matt, alone to protect their claim. Matt meets a young Penobscot Indian, and their distrust and hatred slowly turns into friendship.

Movie|Not Rated|1 hr. 31 min.|

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Title Details

Title	The Sign Of The Beaver (1997)
Runtime	1 hr. 31 min.
Studio	Questar
Genres	Family
Description	Academy Award winner Keith Carradine (Nashville) and Annette O'Toole (Bridge to Terebithia) head an outstanding cast in this gripping coming of age survival saga in the tradition of My Side of the Mountain. A colonial family seeks a new life in the uncharted Maine wilderness in 1768. Their hopes, dreams, and survival as a family are put to the supreme test when Will, the father, is forced to leave his thirteen-year-old son, Matt (Brendan Fletcher), alone to protect their claim while Will returns home to retrieve the rest of his family and their belongings. Matt is eager to prove he is not "just a boy," but loneliness, the threat of Indians, a menacing frontiersman (Maury Chaykin) and harsh conditions mark his dangerous vigil. He meets a young Penobscot Indian. Their distrust and hatred slowly turns into friendship that teaches Matt about survival, trust, understanding, and loyalty. The weeks pass into months, and winter approaches with no sign of Matt's family, who have been hit by hardships and tragedy on their way to Maine. Matt must decide whether to wait for them as promised or take shelter with his new Indian friends.

15 days ago

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I had this on VHS growing up. Took me a while to find it here, as I kept looking for the original title, Keeping the Promise. The cast, characters, and many scenes are as I remember them, so I know I found the right movie. However, it appears that a few scenes have been changed or removed, or some combination of the two. I am not sure if this has anything to do with attempting to reconcile the movie with the book in order to get the name changed, or if my memory is simply too far gone, or something else entirely. I haven't read the book, so I wouldn't know.

Regardless, I did enjoy this movie as much as I had as a child. It teaches valuable life lessons, is both child- and adult-friendly, and has no out-of-place scenes or over-the-top acting.

15 days ago

Actually, the original title of the movie was "Keeping the Promise" which marks how far they knew they deviated from the book. This is not a movie-version of the book, but rather a movie inspired by the book. If you look at the movie for what it is, rather than what it looks like it should have been, it's actually a very good classic family movie. It teaches lessons on tolerance, honesty, perseverence, and of course, keeping your word. I give it 4.5 stars, just because nothing is ever above improvement.

about 1 month ago

Nonsense!!! Maybe if you put today's youth in that position, yeah!
It delivered a message of the times, the strenght it took to go forward into a rough new world. How do you think America was built? People had a vision for a better life, knowing that they may die, but still went on. Many did die and those that lived, paved the way for what we have today. This was a good story, in my opinion.

about 1 month ago

I noticed that it said from the book, not based on the book. I feel the movie deserves more credit than you are giving it. Lastly, most movies are usually a stretch from the books they may be based on; liberties are always taken, but I still found this very enjoyable.

about 1 month ago

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I love stories about the early settlers...how they perservered and delt with the unknown new country. The young man coming of age, truly enjoyable, how fast one grows up from child to young man, meeting new people, sickness, loss, ordeals with travel and the never ending hope to making it. I especially love what Matt, the young man, takes away from his relationship with his new friends, the Penebscot.
A beautifully told story, in my opinion, recommend watching; it is a great movie for all.
Very sweet.

3 months ago

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good movie for the whole family

4 months ago

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I have read the book and used it with my students for many years and this movie is not even close to the storyline of the book. It is so far off base that the title of the movie is not even hinted to in the movie. In my opinion, the producers were trying to cash in on an award winning book. Due to the misleading I ranked it a 2 star.

If the movie had been presented with a different title, it would have been a fair movie. The storyline had some holes in the development of the friendship between Matt and Attean. It is a wholesome film that is family friendly.

The book is MUCH more interesting and historically accurate.

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