I first saw this film in the early '80s on WBBM-TV Channel 2 Chicago. They were showing it at 2 AM on a Saturday (insomnia). I was familiar with it because I remember the TV ads from '71, Mark Lester sets his dad's newspaper on fire. A friend of mine saw it at the time and said he loved it. What did he know? he was only 14, I was 10 at the time. Anyway when I finally saw it I had to agree. It was like a magical trip to childhood, or in most of our cases a trip back. Although the movie was shot an ocean away from me, I felt like I was reliving my own childhood; the pain of first love, the joy of finding friendship despite social barrier (Middle class vs. lower class), and the wonder of experiencing the world for the first time without your parents. And of course that wonderful soundtrack, when the Bee Gees sang good songs: "To love somebody" and the sadly forgotten "First of May", not Disco. Also, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's "Teach Your Children". WBBM used to show this movie about twice a year(They had a rather poor film library), usually at 2 in the morning. But then they got crazy with infomercials and the parent company, CBS, decide to have its own all night news program so 'Melody' virtually disappeared. Sadly I didn't tape the film when I had the chance. I thought I'd just buy a copy, WRONG! Hey! maybe we could get Redford to show it in his Sundance channel. How about it? you overage pretty boy.
101 Reviews
Remember when...
sibie15 July 2002
What can I say? I love this film! I saw it when I was 8 and living in Argentina. I was later disappointed to find that it was hard to find in the US, but thanks to the wonders of the Internet I was able to find it and own it and noticed it has quite a following. It may not be for everyone, especially if you like action packed, fast paced films.
However, if you like a simple love story, good 'Bee Gees' and 'Crosby, Stills & Nash and Young' music, and a happy feeling, watch this
However, if you like a simple love story, good 'Bee Gees' and 'Crosby, Stills & Nash and Young' music, and a happy feeling, watch this
Irresistible
Andy-2966 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A tale of teen (or rather pre-teen) love. In a very traditional school in England (where corporal punishment is still practiced), a boy and a girl (both about twelve) fall in love. Relatively realistic during most of its running time, during the final twenty minutes it falls into anarchist fantasy, as the children in the school thwart the attempts of the parents and the school masters to prevent their elopement and marriage. Unlike other reviewers, I didn't watch this as a child: it's not filtered by childhood memories, so I think I can judge it better as a movie. It's a good romantic story, sometimes demagogic, sometimes overwrought in its criticisms of traditional England, but it's still irresistible. The actress playing the girl, the beautiful Tracy Hyde, is fantastic (unfortunately, and despite her obvious talents, she never became a major star) The screenplay was by Alan Parker (the director was the unknown Waris Hussein, who would never made a major movie again). There is a great score, mostly by the Bee Gees, but the best song is probably is "Teach the Children" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. The fine color photography is sometimes reminiscent of a 70s commercial, but it also let you see the ravishing London of almost forty years ago (one of the best scenes have the young lovers skipping school and sightseeing around London). A relative failure in England and the United States when released, this nevertheless became a huge hit in Latin America and the Far East (specially, Japan). Incredibly, this movie has been very seldom shown in television, and the DVD is unavailable in many countries (including the US).
What to say?
gga15 October 2003
What to say about this gem that has not been said before?
That it was written by Alan Parker, before he was recognized as a world famous screenwriter/director? And that even then, it is a movie that has unjustly remained without being re-released.
No, that's just theory. It is the feelings evoked that matter.
I watched this movie once, as it played in an Argentinian TV channel at a time when there were only 4 TV channels. I probably watched it because of a recommendation from my father, who during my forming years, had gained my respect for introducing me to Spielberg in films such as Close Encounters and Raider of the Lost Ark. My guess is that I was probably about the same age of the main characters when I sat in front of the set.
I remember also the following day at school, as all the boys and girls that had watched it would whisper about it. Girls would probably whisper if it could happen to them, too... if those stupid boys would wise up one day. We boys... we were not willing to admit we had seen and liked a "love" story -- a chick film. As such, we had to make fun of it. But deep down, all of us could tell... we could tell when we looked at each others' eyes that we were lying. That this movie had told perhaps our own story of first love and touched us in a way perhaps no one else had before, in a way we would not forget, we could not forget.
I am 33 now, I grew to work in the TV and film industry both in Argentina and abroad and have watched literally thousands of films since. It is a testament to this film that after watching it only once, I not only remember the film fondly, but that some scenes are still etched in my mind: The Frere Jacques scene as the two main characters talk about how they feel.... a scene that has no dialog, and it is just played with music and visual narration. The farcical view on authority and that funny ending, which could be called a teenage The Graduate.
I have since been looking in vain for a copy of this movie or for the chance to watch it again and again and again.
--- Update: I found it. In Argentina, this movie is now finally being redistributed, by a small private company. Alas, albeit it is on DVD, the copy is not a very good one, with muted colors and a somewhat jittery transfer.
That it was written by Alan Parker, before he was recognized as a world famous screenwriter/director? And that even then, it is a movie that has unjustly remained without being re-released.
No, that's just theory. It is the feelings evoked that matter.
I watched this movie once, as it played in an Argentinian TV channel at a time when there were only 4 TV channels. I probably watched it because of a recommendation from my father, who during my forming years, had gained my respect for introducing me to Spielberg in films such as Close Encounters and Raider of the Lost Ark. My guess is that I was probably about the same age of the main characters when I sat in front of the set.
I remember also the following day at school, as all the boys and girls that had watched it would whisper about it. Girls would probably whisper if it could happen to them, too... if those stupid boys would wise up one day. We boys... we were not willing to admit we had seen and liked a "love" story -- a chick film. As such, we had to make fun of it. But deep down, all of us could tell... we could tell when we looked at each others' eyes that we were lying. That this movie had told perhaps our own story of first love and touched us in a way perhaps no one else had before, in a way we would not forget, we could not forget.
I am 33 now, I grew to work in the TV and film industry both in Argentina and abroad and have watched literally thousands of films since. It is a testament to this film that after watching it only once, I not only remember the film fondly, but that some scenes are still etched in my mind: The Frere Jacques scene as the two main characters talk about how they feel.... a scene that has no dialog, and it is just played with music and visual narration. The farcical view on authority and that funny ending, which could be called a teenage The Graduate.
I have since been looking in vain for a copy of this movie or for the chance to watch it again and again and again.
--- Update: I found it. In Argentina, this movie is now finally being redistributed, by a small private company. Alas, albeit it is on DVD, the copy is not a very good one, with muted colors and a somewhat jittery transfer.
Two requirements for loving this film...
troydarling3 October 2000
Warning: Spoilers
...You must have once been in love, and you must have once been a child.
I hadn't realized anyone else had seen this film, nor that it had such a similar impact on everybody. I first saw this film when I was a child growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. It would play on the afternoon "Movie with Gus", some local show that picked up movies in syndication. I may have been 10 or 12 years old. I loved it immediately. I could identify with the pain of both lovers, and the friend. It's such a universal story that it rises above the cultural, class, and period distinctions.
I remember staying up to watch the movie again at 1:00 AM. Then when it was repeated on the weekend. From that point on, I made it a weekly ritual to scan through the television guide to see if Melody was on that week. In those days they must have had a pretty set schedule of syndication because, you could count on the film making the rounds again. But with the rise of cable television and video, the movie vanished from the schedule. (Now you have a hundred channels offering identical content on different timetables.)
Years later I found the film on VHS (literally jumped up and down in the store) and proceeded to rent it repeatedly to show to my friends. Everyone who saw it, even as adults, loved it. I found the soundtrack a few years back as a Japanese import. I've searched for the VHS copy everywhere since. There must have been thousands of VHS copies at one time, which have probably all been dumped. I consider myself a cinephile, but with this I'd accept a tenth-generation copy just to have it again. The beauty of this film is in it's performances.
Alan Parker, who co-wrote Melody, revisited the themes again in his later films, which always seem to include a sub-theme of unrequited love. I wonder to this day if Alan Parker has any fondness for this film, or if he sees it as something of a freshman work.
I hadn't realized anyone else had seen this film, nor that it had such a similar impact on everybody. I first saw this film when I was a child growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. It would play on the afternoon "Movie with Gus", some local show that picked up movies in syndication. I may have been 10 or 12 years old. I loved it immediately. I could identify with the pain of both lovers, and the friend. It's such a universal story that it rises above the cultural, class, and period distinctions.
I remember staying up to watch the movie again at 1:00 AM. Then when it was repeated on the weekend. From that point on, I made it a weekly ritual to scan through the television guide to see if Melody was on that week. In those days they must have had a pretty set schedule of syndication because, you could count on the film making the rounds again. But with the rise of cable television and video, the movie vanished from the schedule. (Now you have a hundred channels offering identical content on different timetables.)
Years later I found the film on VHS (literally jumped up and down in the store) and proceeded to rent it repeatedly to show to my friends. Everyone who saw it, even as adults, loved it. I found the soundtrack a few years back as a Japanese import. I've searched for the VHS copy everywhere since. There must have been thousands of VHS copies at one time, which have probably all been dumped. I consider myself a cinephile, but with this I'd accept a tenth-generation copy just to have it again. The beauty of this film is in it's performances.
Alan Parker, who co-wrote Melody, revisited the themes again in his later films, which always seem to include a sub-theme of unrequited love. I wonder to this day if Alan Parker has any fondness for this film, or if he sees it as something of a freshman work.
Sweet as wedding cake.
Stuart C7 November 1998
I saw this film when I was eleven. That was 27 years ago, and I still love it. That's unique because I haven't seen it for 27 years. It was not long after my sister's wedding. I remember this because I went to see it at half term, and I went to see it 5 times that week. I couldn't afford popcorn that many times, so I took a piece of my sisters left-over wedding cake with me each day. It is a gentle story of young love, which ends happily. Simple. What made it so good for me was the way I could identify with the two young lovers (or wanted to). I had a crush on a girl, and this film portrayed for me the fairy tale I wanted to live. And it has a score by the Bee Gees. I still sing "In the morning" (I think that's what the song was called) to myself, a song worth seeing the film just to hear. I've never seen this film on video or TV, and I don't want to. It's one of those films that I know if I see it again, I'll probably be disappointed. To paraphrase Stephen King: I've never seen films like this since, but when you're eleven, who has?
Down Memory Lane
harryelsucio12127 November 2007
I saw this film last night for the first time. It was shown in the original English with Spanish subtitles on a local station which must have got it very cheap if not gratis. I quite enjoyed it for various reasons. Firstly, because, although my own schooldays considerably predate the time it is set in (contemporary with the production date,1971), it seemed, apart from the literally riotous ending, to mirror faithfully what was going on in a "good" grammar school both in that era and mine - alas, difficult to find these days in a England which, regrettably, is generally considered to have the most ill-behaved and foulmouthed children in the whole of Europe. (As a former, normally expatriate, teacher who did odd stints in mainstream British secondary education, I know this from bitter experience).
I was also interested to see James Cossins with whom I used to share a boarding house in Kingston-upon-Hull, when he was in repertory and I was a student. Even then he specialised in old bores who either were upper-class or pretending to be. His face, at age 25, was already distorted by the grimaces he constantly made to achieve this effect. A competent actor, his career never reached the higher echelons but at least he occasionally appeared with the greats of Hollywood and Elstree and in this opus ,which rather unjustly failed at the box office, they at least put him in charge as Headmaster
Roy Kinnear, whose appearances in the satirical show of the 60's, "That was the week that was" with Sir David Frost, and as the fat British Army detainee in "The Hill" with Sean Connery are unforgettable, gives a very credible performance as the somewhat coarse but likable father of the young heroine. Did anybody else notice that his wife mentions he was "out on bail"? Kate Hallet, who plays his wife, is authentic as a loving working class Lambeth mum, which I can vouch for since I come from those parts, whilst Sheila Steafel is good as the slightly snobbish and rather distrait, but basically loving and well-meaning, middle-class mother of the young hero. Jack Wild is not as successful here as he was as the Artful Dodger in the musical "Oliver" but is convincing and interesting.
The pure and naïve love affair between the main protagonists Mark Lester eponymous hero of "Oliver" and Tracy Hyde, a truly lovely child, is handled very well, and - they don't even kiss - would seem improbable today in an England with the European record for teenage pregnancies.
Two points puzzle me, however: 1) Why should a boy get "six of the best" with a slipper(for younger and non-British readers, this refers to corporal punishment)for not preparing his Latin homework, whereas playing truant (Amer. hooky) and going down to the seaside for the day with his girlfriend goes unpunished despite being compounded by gross impertinence to the headmaster?
2) How is it possible that such a crowd of normally well-behaved children should suddenly turn on their teachers who approach the truants on the legitimate task of herding them back to school, half undress the head, and even blow up one of their cars!? Some of the staff seem to be rather incompetent, but hardly deserving of such reprisals, and the head is a softy (perhaps there is a moral there). But as Clint Eastwood says to the injured sheriff Gene Hackman whose brains he is about to blow out in "Unforgiven" :"Deserving has got nothing to do with it".
As a last, quite trivial point ,I was convinced that the man with the bandaged head on the black and white TV screen was Sir John Gielgud, and thought he could only have taken such a minor part for fun, but it appears to have been someone called Neil Hellett imitating him. A good idea because the upper-crust, dulcet tones from the telly contrast with and cleverly underline the mundane, Estuary English conversation of Melody's working-class family.
I was also interested to see James Cossins with whom I used to share a boarding house in Kingston-upon-Hull, when he was in repertory and I was a student. Even then he specialised in old bores who either were upper-class or pretending to be. His face, at age 25, was already distorted by the grimaces he constantly made to achieve this effect. A competent actor, his career never reached the higher echelons but at least he occasionally appeared with the greats of Hollywood and Elstree and in this opus ,which rather unjustly failed at the box office, they at least put him in charge as Headmaster
Roy Kinnear, whose appearances in the satirical show of the 60's, "That was the week that was" with Sir David Frost, and as the fat British Army detainee in "The Hill" with Sean Connery are unforgettable, gives a very credible performance as the somewhat coarse but likable father of the young heroine. Did anybody else notice that his wife mentions he was "out on bail"? Kate Hallet, who plays his wife, is authentic as a loving working class Lambeth mum, which I can vouch for since I come from those parts, whilst Sheila Steafel is good as the slightly snobbish and rather distrait, but basically loving and well-meaning, middle-class mother of the young hero. Jack Wild is not as successful here as he was as the Artful Dodger in the musical "Oliver" but is convincing and interesting.
The pure and naïve love affair between the main protagonists Mark Lester eponymous hero of "Oliver" and Tracy Hyde, a truly lovely child, is handled very well, and - they don't even kiss - would seem improbable today in an England with the European record for teenage pregnancies.
Two points puzzle me, however: 1) Why should a boy get "six of the best" with a slipper(for younger and non-British readers, this refers to corporal punishment)for not preparing his Latin homework, whereas playing truant (Amer. hooky) and going down to the seaside for the day with his girlfriend goes unpunished despite being compounded by gross impertinence to the headmaster?
2) How is it possible that such a crowd of normally well-behaved children should suddenly turn on their teachers who approach the truants on the legitimate task of herding them back to school, half undress the head, and even blow up one of their cars!? Some of the staff seem to be rather incompetent, but hardly deserving of such reprisals, and the head is a softy (perhaps there is a moral there). But as Clint Eastwood says to the injured sheriff Gene Hackman whose brains he is about to blow out in "Unforgiven" :"Deserving has got nothing to do with it".
As a last, quite trivial point ,I was convinced that the man with the bandaged head on the black and white TV screen was Sir John Gielgud, and thought he could only have taken such a minor part for fun, but it appears to have been someone called Neil Hellett imitating him. A good idea because the upper-crust, dulcet tones from the telly contrast with and cleverly underline the mundane, Estuary English conversation of Melody's working-class family.
The most tender movie of my childhood.
danny-12723 November 1999
I am 32 years old now and have not had the opportunity to see this movie since I was 10 years old. Lucky for the few that have. If anyone knows where to find this movie for purchase, please let us know. My heart beats faster by knowing that there are other's out there that were touched and also felt the same warm feelings that these young actors were able to share on the screen. I will still consider this my favorite movie and I am just glad that after several movie searches, I was able to get more details...a 10 year old child's memory is not very good. May we all keep our sweet and tender melody of childhood! Danny
Charming!
cmichaelperry5324 May 2012
I was a senior in high school in 1971 and on vacation in London with my mother. We were having a theatre tour taking in every show we could. We had a spot (a matinée) on our schedule that was empty. I loved OLIVER! and its stars and we decided on this film still in its first run. I was enchanted. My mother was, also. The characters were kids I knew ( maybe even kids I have been at that time in my life!) It is a movie that anyone who has been in love, but especially those who fell in love when they were younger, will identify with. It is not a perfect movie. But it still works. It is too bad that there hasn't been a major re-release with a quality video format for the US and Canada. The print available is scratchy and of poor quality. This is a delightful movie.
THIS HAS A CULT FOLLOWING
YAKRENNIKS1 January 2004
i was fortunate enough to play the part of peggy in this film, it was alan parkers first screenplay and david puttnams first film, i had previously worked with alan on several advertisments and continued to work with him after melody on a few more adverts, i count myself so very lucky to have appeared in alan and davids first big project, i am amazed that this film still has a big following 33 years later, my original vhs copy of melody broke many years ago, but i managed to track down a copy as well as a dvd, i had no idea it was readily available to buy in hongkong,japan, america and even argentina! since checking out the websites for melody/swalk i have been amazed by the wonderful emails sent to me from people all around the world, i would like to thank everybody who has taken time out to enter their comments and feelings etc and to wish everybody a very happy and healthy 2004 kay (nee skinner)
Watching Melody
oswjim28 July 2007
this movie is freely available in google video. You can stream it o just download it.
Stream: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3578692700171397566
Dwnld: http://vp02.video.l.google.com/videodownload?version=0&secureurl= sAAAAIufTPwZZhpzjq5EL2fiOHiax-vrdamYHM0R5PV6FVC8x6w1IgZ-Erfffxv0Uy -PDKcLmL60CbxO3WSuMMNENPF1Q7akGbmO2NcU2lP2DVC8AVYFWmc-3VRUxUs36c8v xpMK59xqml2-TiVKD6DY87q3QbF6pDSubTeA9PVJpIktjX5pFf6Z5qHUM5ZLUw8qXK KMpvZj5egBMEECLxR-qMXhJWtVnmv4taZdR73qJjhDET-d3h8wR3umvTSNsuw81w& sigh=TAJpJ0uO3v1dVzkzC7QHtZniHr8&rdc=1
Cheers and enjoy
Stream: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3578692700171397566
Dwnld: http://vp02.video.l.google.com/videodownload?version=0&secureurl= sAAAAIufTPwZZhpzjq5EL2fiOHiax-vrdamYHM0R5PV6FVC8x6w1IgZ-Erfffxv0Uy -PDKcLmL60CbxO3WSuMMNENPF1Q7akGbmO2NcU2lP2DVC8AVYFWmc-3VRUxUs36c8v xpMK59xqml2-TiVKD6DY87q3QbF6pDSubTeA9PVJpIktjX5pFf6Z5qHUM5ZLUw8qXK KMpvZj5egBMEECLxR-qMXhJWtVnmv4taZdR73qJjhDET-d3h8wR3umvTSNsuw81w& sigh=TAJpJ0uO3v1dVzkzC7QHtZniHr8&rdc=1
Cheers and enjoy
I met Mark Lester after seeing this 14 times in two weeks!!
nick-1403 January 1999
I adored this film back in 1971, and played truant regularly to see it! As I was roughly the same age I identified with it very strongly. I learnt every word to every track and bought the album for £2.50 and relived the film through the record for years. I loved it so much I wrote to Clapperboard and begged them to see a clip. Months later they showed the clip where Mark and Jack were being caned in the Headmasters office,and I was over the moon.I tracked Mark Lester down after months of trying to find him. When my friend and I saw him come to the door we almost fainted. His mum made us drinks etc, and then Mark spent the rest of the afternoon teasing us and squirting paint at us!!We got a signed photo and to this day I still watch the film on tape.I've been to most of the locations where it was filmed, the trough where Melody set her fish free, the cemetery where they sat in the rain, and best of all I have a photo of me and my boyfriend ducking underneath the railings at the point where Daniel and Melody left the cemetery while the "First of May" was playing!! Sad or what??!! I saw this when I was 11, and it has remained firmly etched in my memory as the best childhood film I have ever seen, maybe because I had a huge crush on Mark Lester!!Anyhow, I'm Julie and if anyone has more to add you can be sure I'll be interested. Bye now. S.W.A.L.K
Adolescence. Seems like it should be the easiest time of life, but it's not.
mark.waltz9 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The team of Mark Lester and Jack Wild from "Oliver!" are reunited for this film, a coming of age drama where young Lester discovers his liking of girls. Well, one in particular, Tracy Hyde, and after several adventures, they decide near the end of the film that they want to get married. That is certainly not the main plot, just one of many elements, and most of the film concerns Lester and Wild's antics that gets them into a lot of trouble, particularly school master James Cossins who insists that he was once their age. That made me think of that line from "West Side Story", "You was never our age!", an indication that older people don't understand the age they are in, let alone able to put themselves in the shoes of kids in that particular era.
Wild gets paddled for debating the necessity to learn Latin (insisting that he'll never ever encounter any Roman soldiers), and Lester gets it for admitting that he didn't do his homework. The supporting cast of adults includes many familiar British character actors, particularly Roy Kinnear as Hardy's father. Lots of good music along the way to express the emotions of this growing boy and girl, although a few of the situations are quite over the top and unbelievable. Still good for showing one slice of life viewpoint of very young teens, bittersweet and truthful in spite of the few absurd moments.
Wild gets paddled for debating the necessity to learn Latin (insisting that he'll never ever encounter any Roman soldiers), and Lester gets it for admitting that he didn't do his homework. The supporting cast of adults includes many familiar British character actors, particularly Roy Kinnear as Hardy's father. Lots of good music along the way to express the emotions of this growing boy and girl, although a few of the situations are quite over the top and unbelievable. Still good for showing one slice of life viewpoint of very young teens, bittersweet and truthful in spite of the few absurd moments.
Took Part
evan455722 December 2002
My School took part in making this film, (Archbishop Temples). I remember like it was yesterday, We spent 5 Days away from normal school lessons and were paid 5 POUNDS a day, just to take part. Believe it or not I played football (soccer) with Jack Wild & Mark Lester when they were not filming. Our entire school went to see the premiere of the film before it was released to the public, that was great fun. Like everyone else I saw this film again many years later on sattelite, God, that brought back memories, not so much about the contents of the film but about those wonderful days of no school lessons and getting paid for it. If there is anybody out there who also took part or even went to my school, drop me a line, I would love to hear from you.
Bas.
Bas.
Memories are made of this
IanSF31 October 2000
I recently unearthed a school art project of a LP album cover I had made at the tender age of 16. It was a cover made for the soundtrack to the film 'Melody (S.W.A.L.K.)'. This prompted an internet search for a copy of the album. I was overjoyed to find one and paid a fortune to get it. The original was given to my girlfriend at the time and cost only a couple of pounds. When I first saw the film that prompted the original purchase, I was 16. I was in love. And I had turned my every waking moment to my girlfriend. In short, this film mirrored my life at the time. Listening to the tracks has recaptured 'Love's Young Dream' and I would love to be able to get a VHS copy. I don't think I would be disappointed to see it again as this film is timeless.
This movie took me by storm
andialu1 April 1999
I saw this movie when I was 10 years old or so, I had a crush for a girl in my neighborhood and this movie took me by storm. I have not been able to find it in video format. But the story is so simple yet very touching for everybody I know has seen this movie.
Wonderful, I could not believe my eyes...
seba-923 March 1999
I saw this film a month ago and I feel very sorry for all the people who will never be able to see it, because it does not exist in video editions.
The plot is original, and the performance of all the kids is completely surprising. It has several comedy touches, but it is mainly a romantic story. I recommend it to those who have the possibility of seeing it in a cinema, as I had.
The plot is original, and the performance of all the kids is completely surprising. It has several comedy touches, but it is mainly a romantic story. I recommend it to those who have the possibility of seeing it in a cinema, as I had.
Melody
CinemaSerf24 September 2022
Mark Lester and Jack Wilde reunite for this rather engaging, and quite telling, coming of age story. The former is in love with "Melody" (Tracy Hyde) and declaring their intention to be together forever, their fellow school pupils and their teachers must try to manage these determined youngsters. The film starts off with Lester setting fire to his dad's morning newspaper, and that gives us indication that what will follow is not one of these procedural love stories - and it isn't. Helped along by some dialogue from Alan Parker that very much presents the child's perspective (and frequently ridicules the adult rebuttals) and helped along by a grand soundtrack of songs from the Bee Gees it's a solidly entertaining drama that questions so many accepted norms about age and what constitutes "maturity". Amongst the adults, James Cossins is good as their increasingly out-of-his-depth headmaster as are Shiela Staefel and Roy Kinnear, but it's essentially a story of young love that the adults learn to treat with disdain at their peril... I didn't love the ending, it was a bit too ridiculous, but told from a child's eyes it's really quite an eye opener!
MARVELOUS!!! PUPPY LOVE AT ITS BEST!!!
webciting21 October 2003
I seldom take time to comment on the Internet. However, this movie deserves much more than my time since I have such wonderful memories of it. Maybe this is because I watched it at the right time in my life. I must have been about 11 years old. I loved the movie so much and I think you will too. If you have kids, or are a kid, you (they) will enjoy it all the more. I believe that we all experience that "love at first sight" that lifts you from earth and makes you walk on clouds. This is what this movie so beautifully replicates. Enjoy it! Just like your first "puppy love," you will always treasure it!
what music !
flowerboy29 September 2008
I loved the songs in this film, especially the ones by the Bee Gees (To Love Somebody, Give Your Best To Your Friends, Melody Fair). The CSNY classic Teach Your Children I now appreciate, though I didn't when I saw the film way back in the 70s, when I was in school myself. In fact, I remember our teachers took the whole class to see it and they were quite mortified by the content, which has the school kids ripping off their teacher's clothes and chasing them down the street at the end ! What fun, we kids thought. 30 years later, as I write this, I must say Melody was one of the most memorable films I've seen (and I've seen many !). Who is this wonderful Waris Hussain (the director) and why didn't he make more memorable movies later on?
Melody-A Gentle Masterpiece
dempsie_dan25 October 2007
Melody is possibly one of the most enjoyable, endearing pieces of cinematic art, ever. It's a gentle, tender story of innocent love between two 10 year olds who manage to overcome all sorts of barriers, including class differences, condescending adults, and incessant teasing and harassment from other children. Melody is a movie that you can watch repeatedly without ever tiring of it. In fact, if anything, it becomes more enjoyable as the viewer becomes more aware of details that he or she may have missed in previous viewings. There are no explosions, no one gets killed, and there isn't any objectionable language at any point in the film. In short, it's a wonderful film, suitable for all ages. I am a great fan of Melody, and highly recommend it for everyone.
Snapshots of childhood...
moonspinner5523 April 2016
Youngsters from different British classes interact at school, with one precocious but sensitive lad falling in love with a female classmate, much to the consternation of his best friend, who is still awkward around girls. Screenwriter Alan Parker really did his homework here; he is very cognizant of the way little girls act together when a boy is in the room, or how one particular lass will act once her friends have left and she's alone with that boy. Producer David Puttnam made several fine decisions as well, most especially in reuniting Mark Lester and Jack Wild, the two boys from 1968's "Oliver!", as the chums from different parts of town. The lush, romantic soundtrack, featuring songs by the Bee Gees and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, is another plus, though the numerous montages highlighting the music do grow wearisome (and point up the screenplay's basic problem, that it's thin). Newcomer Tracy Hyde is lovely and natural as Melody, and the silly, self-infatuated adults (portrayed almost satirically) are amusing, but the plot is really incidental; Puttnam, Parker and director Waris Hussein are mostly delighted by just observing the children, often in an almost documentary-like manner. ** from ****
I saw 2 versions of Melody.
mhare-15 August 2004
When Melody was released in South Africa in the 70s the ending was changed. The scenes with the bomb and the mothers car, and the scenes of the kids beating the teachers were cut out. I guess the censors didn't want us kids getting any ideas about anarchy at school. When it was shown one morning on one of our local channels last year in 2003, it was the first time I had seen the full version. Interestingly enough I seem to prefer it with the edited ending, it keeps the innocence of the film all the way to the end. Luckily I taped it so I now have that copy to watch for ever. My friends and I sometimes talk about which 5 films you would take to a desert island if they were the only films you would ever see again, and Melody will always be on my list of 5.
Melody
norman-bloom8 March 2015
I watched this movie when it came out in 1971 I believe.I was just 20 yrs old then.
I enjoyed the movie very much and i got lost in it quite a bit. I even saw it twice that's how this movie had an effect on me.You see I spent some time in England during the late sixties till mid 80,s and beyond. You can see the effect the British have on me. I even bought the soundtrack to the movie and I still today have the album. It,s out of print as well as this movie. It is very hard to find. But i managed to find the movie on VHS in the library. I can,t find the movie at all it even was in the local video store about 10 years ago. I eventually had ordered it through Amazon. ca. I got it on disc. It plays well and no skips and the quality is quite good. I also do like the actors and Tracy Hyde being a very beautiful girl swept me away. Especially when she tried to put on lipstick and eye make up she was transferred to an older more mature British girl. She caught my eye and I was only 20 back then. You see how this film has effected me. I liked Jack wild in it as well as Mark Lester. The location was familiar to me and the music by The Bee gees was good to. I liked the song first of May when Mark and Tracy held hands and walked to the cemetery to be together. what an effect. Sadly we lost jack Wild in 2002 I think. he was a character and I liked his cocky accent. The movie hasn't been seen here at all I think I saw it run in Chicago on WGN some time ago. I wonder why TCM can,t pick up this movie. They seem to pick up To Sir With Love. Anyways I watched the movie just last night before I wrote my review down here. If this movie does come on do watch it alone to get the real effect of the time and the places in and around London. It will always stick in my mind as I am now 63 years old...
I enjoyed the movie very much and i got lost in it quite a bit. I even saw it twice that's how this movie had an effect on me.You see I spent some time in England during the late sixties till mid 80,s and beyond. You can see the effect the British have on me. I even bought the soundtrack to the movie and I still today have the album. It,s out of print as well as this movie. It is very hard to find. But i managed to find the movie on VHS in the library. I can,t find the movie at all it even was in the local video store about 10 years ago. I eventually had ordered it through Amazon. ca. I got it on disc. It plays well and no skips and the quality is quite good. I also do like the actors and Tracy Hyde being a very beautiful girl swept me away. Especially when she tried to put on lipstick and eye make up she was transferred to an older more mature British girl. She caught my eye and I was only 20 back then. You see how this film has effected me. I liked Jack wild in it as well as Mark Lester. The location was familiar to me and the music by The Bee gees was good to. I liked the song first of May when Mark and Tracy held hands and walked to the cemetery to be together. what an effect. Sadly we lost jack Wild in 2002 I think. he was a character and I liked his cocky accent. The movie hasn't been seen here at all I think I saw it run in Chicago on WGN some time ago. I wonder why TCM can,t pick up this movie. They seem to pick up To Sir With Love. Anyways I watched the movie just last night before I wrote my review down here. If this movie does come on do watch it alone to get the real effect of the time and the places in and around London. It will always stick in my mind as I am now 63 years old...
Movie of my youth
Ryan-526 September 1999
Whenever I think about this movie, warm sensation of innocence and adolescent purity overwhelms me. I, like so many others, saw this movie when I was in my formative years (I was 13). What was remarkable was that I did not fully understand the dialogue in the movie since it was before I became conversant with English. Nonetheless, I do remember the music of BeeGees warmly decorating that feeling of love as it was felt for the first time in one's life. I remember the wonderful feeling of love, having absolutely no idea why it hurt and elated me to uncontrollable degree.
After the movie, I turned off the TV set and sat in the dark for a long time. Something must have happened inside me. I began seeing the world in a new light, as growing boys frequently would when they reach certain age. But for me, the transformation happened so suddenly and with such definitive starting point. To this day, I remember the night of the movie as the first day of my puberty.
I looked for another chance to revisit the night, but I couldn't find any copy for sale... (sigh~)
I loved the movie... I loved the way I was before innocence and longing spirit of a youth ebbed away. Seeing the movie again probably would not bring those back to me. But I sure want to try...
After the movie, I turned off the TV set and sat in the dark for a long time. Something must have happened inside me. I began seeing the world in a new light, as growing boys frequently would when they reach certain age. But for me, the transformation happened so suddenly and with such definitive starting point. To this day, I remember the night of the movie as the first day of my puberty.
I looked for another chance to revisit the night, but I couldn't find any copy for sale... (sigh~)
I loved the movie... I loved the way I was before innocence and longing spirit of a youth ebbed away. Seeing the movie again probably would not bring those back to me. But I sure want to try...
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
