The world lost one of its actresses with the strongest potential when young Gozzi retired for the screen within a few years of filming this movie. She plays an emotionally-stunted, child-like young lady who lives in a big, bleak house with her stoic father Douglas and a pretty housekeeper Lindblom. Unable to deal with the fast pace and the sophisticated ideas of city life, she wiles away her time playing with dolls or lolly-gagging around on the beach, to the great consternation of Douglas, who seems to resent her for reminding him of his dead wife. The two have occasional showdowns in which she displays tantrum-like behavior while Lindblom tries to keep things in order. One day, circumstances lead a delinquent young man (Stockwell) to their somewhat remote house and Gozzi is enthralled with him. In her regressed state, she comes to believe that he is the human incarnation of a scarecrow she took great pride in creating. Eventually, she blossoms under his attention and begins to evolve and grow out of her previous condition. However, it may not be enough to salvage her happiness since he also has his eye on Lindblom, not to mention her father's stash of money. The deck is even further stacked against them because of an incident that took place just before his arrival to their home. What results is the pleasure of seeing Gozzi mature mixed with the tragedy of seeing her fail to fully succeed in that effort or to find complete happiness. This is a moody, atmospheric film with excellent photography and a haunting score by that genius Delarue. (Fans of "Steel Magnolias" will recognize the ebullient, lullaby-like qualities he brought to that film and others.) It unfolds like a fable or parable with all the romance, fear, humor and unfairness that so many great stories consist of. Douglas, a 30's leading man who later evolved into an indispensable character actor, is very strong, providing the necessary stern qualities, but also the underlying vulnerable ones. When he enters a room unexpectedly, that feeling of being caught by an unhappy parent bursts from the screen. Lindblom adroitly straddles her character's caring qualities as well as the saucy ones. She, like virtually all the cast members, gives a solid performance and is attractive to look at. Stockwell is excellent as well, displaying many dimensions and benefitting from a camera that, at times, worships him, especially in the sunlit outdoor scenes. Gozzi is exceptional. She's playing a role here that could so easily defeat an actress and yet she not only succeeds in the role but soars in it. She is heart-wrenchingly tender, yet believably strong when it's called for. Wearing little or no make-up, she is nonetheless lovely in the same way Juliette Binoche would be years later. It's a shame that the viewing public was denied more from this girl when she abandoned her cinema career to marry and raise a family. She clearly had a great deal to share with movie lovers everywhere. The film is sadly little-known and undeservedly so. It has to rate as one of the director Guillerman's best efforts and has established a small, but devoted, following.
