Anglo-EMI/Group W/Hanna-Barbera. Director Lionel Jeffries; Producer Arthur Lewis; Screenplay Reginald Rose; Camera Geoffrey Unsworth; Editor Teddy Darvas; Music Michael J. Lewis; Art Director Anthony Pratt
Patricia Neal
Jean-Pierre Cassel
Britt Ekland
Lynn Carlin
Scott Jacoby
Sally Thomsett
Baxter! is a good tearjerker about a young boy with a psychosomatic speech defect plus a bad family problem. Well directed by Lionel Jeffries, the British-lensed drama [from the novel The Boy Who Could Make Himself Disappear by Kin Platt] stars Patricia Neal as a speech therapist, Britt Ekland and Jean-Pierre Cassel as lovers who help Scott Jacoby in the title character role, and Lynn Carlin, as the boy's mother.
This is Jeffries' second feature directorial work (The Railway Children marked his bow), and he does a very fine job, aided by Geoffrey Unsworth's strong camerawork.
Neal's dancing voice and eyes are as magnificent as ever. Carlin is particularly excellent as the mother.
(Color) Extract of a review from 1973. Running time: 105 MIN.
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