SAVANNAH SMILES (1982) Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Director: Pierre De Moro
MVD Visual/MVD Rewind Collection #4

MVD Visual's Rewind Collection gives an HD upgrade to the country western fugitive comedy SAVANNAH SMILES on Blu-ray/DVD combo.

Ignored by her governor father Richard Driscoll (Chris Robinson, STANLEY) who is preparing for a senate run, and her socialite mother Joan (Barbara Stanger), little Savannah (Bridgette Anderson, FEVER PITCH) takes a cue from The Little Rascals and decides to teach her parents a lesson by running away. Packing her belongings and leaving a goodbye note (which slips beneath the bed), she plans to disappear while on a park excursion with her friends. Unfortunately, she slips into the back of a car stolen by Alvie (Mark Miller, TV's DON'T EAT THE DAISIES) who has been busted out of prison two days short of his parole by none-too-bright buddy Boots (Donovan Scott, POPEYE). Although the patrolman (Michael Flynn, STRIPES) who pulled the pair over and pointed out their stowaway passenger before learning of the disappearance does not believe they knew she was in the car with them, publicity-seeking Driscoll is sure that his daughter has been abducted and calls in noted private detective Harlan Dobbs (Peter Graves, AIRPLANE!) who horns in on the investigation of Lieutenant Savage (Michael Parks, THE EVICTORS) due to Driscoll pressuring his chief (Philip Abbott, SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH). Although Alvie and Boots call in and tell Joan that they just found Savannah and want to return her, Dobbs and Driscoll insist that they are holding her for ransom since they want to collect the ten thousand dollar reward that Driscoll had already offered. As Boots relives his childhood entertaining Savannah, Alvie plots to collect the reward to fund the career of country singer Doreen (Carol Wayne, THE PARTY). As Dobbs and the police close in, Alvie and Driscoll become just as concerned about protecting Savannah from realizing that they are bad guys as they are with getting out of the situation alive.

Although the script by star/producer Miller – father of actress Penelope Ann Miller (THE SHADOW) – was turned down by some producers as "too soft," SAVANNAH SMILES probably would not be described as such today. Although it is a heartwarming comedy played for laughs with some deadpan delivery by Graves and some broad playing by THE KARATE KID's Pat Morita as an Irish priest who tries to intervene in the situation, the combination of Dobbs' concern about his track record, Driscoll's seeking of notoriety, his wife's realizing that her husband is ruthless and that she has indeed neglected her daughter, as well as Alvie's noted hotheadedness do threaten to turn the finale into one of those sudden WTF downbeat endings. Most of the supporting performances and characters are merely functional, but child actress Anderson, Scott, and Miller are an engaging trio, and the half-imagined flashbacks to Miller's childhood that punctuate the film are surprisingly moving. A former TV actor, Miller would go on to write for shows like DIFF'RENT STROKES and THE MUNSTERS TODAY as well as the feature A WALK IN THE CLOUDS. Director Pierre De Moro had previously directed Miller's CHRISTMAS MOUNTAIN and would subsequently direct the horror film HELLHOLE.

Given a scant theatrical release, SAVANNAH SMILES was better scene on cable and on Embassy videocassette before a pair of barebones DVD releases by Hen's Tooth Video (fullscreen) in 2000 and Anchor Bay (widescreen) in 2006 utilizing a master provide by Studio Canal (possibly a PAL one if the stated 100 minute running time is accurate). For MVD Rewind's Blu-ray/DVD combo, they did a new 2K scan of a 35mm print belonging to the Library of Congress. While a vaulted print would suggest that it should be in immaculate condition, the element is a tad faded and parts of the film are subject to varying degrees of flickering that is most noticeable in some of the bright desert scenes early on. The LPCM 2.0 mono audio has some hiss and crackling that affects the volume of the dialogue although it is always intelligible.

The disc includes a trio of featurettes starting with a making-of (28:44) featuring Miller, Scott, composer Ken Sutherland, and Teresa Anderson, mother of the late Bridgette Anderson. Miller recalls being inspired both by his youngest daughter Savannah (who had aged out of the role by the time the film started pre-production) and the film Jean Renoir film THE GRAND ILLUSION, and pitching the script to producers who though the film was "too soft" before securing the $2.2 million budget from a Texas oil man who was also involved with some country/western band. He and Anderson's mother recalls the casting of the child actress and auditioning her by having her tell a story which was incorporated into the film while Scott discusses some of his early work before the film as well as his ongoing casting as Santa Claus in various commercials, Hallmark movies, and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences appearances. They both recall the challenge of working with a child actress and the power of her naturalistic reactions to the material. Miller also discusses his character and the significance of the flashbacks that he shot himself, as well as the casting of the various supporting roles including his wife as Savannah's mother, Graves, and Parks who was blackballed for his substance abuse during the period. The tragic circumstances of Anderson's death are largely skipped over in the making-of but discussed in "Memories of Bridgette" (20:53) featuring Teresa Anderson discussing her daughter's beginnings as a stock photo child model, becoming enamored with Shirley Temple and the Little Rascals through a series of videotapes her mother put together for her to watch during the day rather than regular television, her commercial work, and then coming to work on SAVANNAH SMILES with some additional input from Miller and Scott. After that, Anderson recalls her daughter's decision to take a break and go back to school, the difficulty of getting back into the movies after the break, her teenage rebellion and drug use, rehab, and her overdose after hooking up with an old friend from that lifestyle. "Songs & Music" (16:27) is an interview with composer Sutherland who recalls meeting Miller in 1972 when he first started developing the film and writing a song for him, after which Miller promised to hire him to score the film when it got off the ground (ten years later). He then discusses his concept of composing the songs from the perspective of Alvie's character and working with a band originally started by country singer Vince Gil that was being handled by the Texas oilman who funded the film. Besides the theatrical trailer (2:55), the disc also includes trailers for WENT TO CONEY ISLAND ON A MISSION FROM GOD... BE BACK BY FIVE and ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES. The back cover states that the extras are on the Blu-ray only, but they are present on both discs. A foldout poster is also included along with a slipcover. (Eric Cotenas)

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