Review of Melody (1971) by Raj D — 30 Sep 2007

I came across this eternal beauty of a movie today. Some movies just pierce your heart and stay there forever. This is one of those sorts of the movie. For the best experience this movie should be watched at the age between 9-12 years ? and it would change the entire perspective and outlook of life.

The movie is about a 10-year-old boy and a girl ? Daniel (Mark Lester) and Melody (Tracy Hyde); who fall in love and want to get married. The story revolves around their growing up years at home, at school and outdoors. In the end, Daniel?s friend Ornshaw (Jack Wild) helps the eager boy-girl couple to get married by playing the pastor performing their marriage ceremony.

There are so many great moments in the film that take you right through your childhood age, and for those who had their momentary love flicks at that age would cherish the movie more.

The movie is shot beautifully in the city of London and its outskirts. The best part of the movie is its music by Bees Gees.

This movie is more remembered for the first time original scripting by Alan Parker; but I would give the true credit of the movie to the Director Waris Hussein, who tragically is hardly mentioned in reviews or his name is mentioned in small fonts in the posters. Waris has done a brilliant job in being sensitive to the emotions of children. In his career he made 5 movies from 1969 to 1972 and this was one of them. After 1972 he has engaged himself with Television.

Till date, this movie ? especially its heroine Tracy Hyde is such a craze in Japan that in a team was sent to UK and later to France to trace her.

Both the child actors though initially successful, have left acting now. Both are divorced and re-married. Mark Lester lives in US and works as an Osteopath, and Tracy Hyde is still beautiful and stays with her husband and children in a small town of Villers Bocage.

This movie brought back to me memories of ? Summer of 42 ? a movie that I saw when I was 17 years old and still gives me Goosebumps even today ? while thinking of it. Melody is such kind of experience. If you have 9-12 years kids, get the DVD of this movie and show it to your children. If you have 14-18 years old boy, get the DVD and show Summer of 42 to him.

Movie magic works wonders ? it penetrates your heart and stays for a life time. Melody is one of that kind of a movie. It will remain with you forever and turn you into a hopeless romantic.

(Stars 8 out of 10).