I am as old as hell itself so I remember seeing Ransom in the theater in 1996.\u00a0 It was a very popular movie and Mel Gibson was a big star back then.\u00a0 I was dimly aware that the movie was a remake of a film of the same name.\u00a0 Actually, the original was Ransom!\u00a0 That exclamation point must have been big news back in 1956.\u00a0 I\u2019ve since had a chance to see the 1956 version and I intend to review it and then review the 1996 remake and compare them.<\/p>\n
Glenn Ford and Donna Reed star as David and Edith Stannard a married couple with a young son named Andy.\u00a0 They are very wealthy because David and his brother Al own a very successful company.\u00a0 We see the child and parents in a comical argument caused by Andy \u201cstealing\u201d the boards from under his parents\u2019 bed to build his backyard fort.\u00a0 We witness the way David dotes on the boy and promises to break away from his busy work to join the boy in his construction project.\u00a0 The mother and father send the boy off to his school bus and then David heads off to work.\u00a0 We also meet the major domo of the household servants Jesse Chapman.\u00a0 He is a Southern Black Christian man, much given to reciting scripture who very seriously attends to the welfare of his employer\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
At work we find David contending with his brother Al over whether the company should continue to advance into new product models or wait until more return is collected on the earlier models.\u00a0 Although the brothers quarrel, they show affection for each other.\u00a0 Later we see David return home having \u201cstolen\u201d some lumber from a willing construction site foreman and asks his wife where their son is.\u00a0 She says he is still at school but David informs her that it is past his time.\u00a0 Immediately the phone rings and Edith hear from a school administrator that a \u201cnurse\u201d from Dr. Gorman’s office took Andy from school to be seen by the doctor.\u00a0 Now, both frightened by this news, David calls Dr. Gorman and hears his worst fears, that the doctor did not send for the boy. \u00a0David calls the police and Chief Backett arrives and sets in motion the police actions.\u00a0 An electrician sets up a separate phone line and a tape recorder.\u00a0 And the police set up a trace on the line waiting for a ransom demand over the phone.\u00a0 At this point a newspaper reporter named Charlie Telfer (played by a very young Leslie Nielsen) enters the house uninvited.\u00a0 The Chief counsels the Stannards to allow Telfer to stay during the investigation and so keep him from printing wild speculations by the promise of an exclusive story.\u00a0 Charlie proves himself to be a cynical young man who attempts to bribe Chapman to get some photos of Andy\u2019s room.\u00a0 Chapman spurns the offer as an insult.<\/p>\n
The parents become rattled from the waiting and now the school administrator shows up and complains that she is the wronged party by the kidnapping.\u00a0 Edith grabs for the fireplace poker and is only stopped by the police chief from braining her. \u00a0After she is escorted out the phone rings and the kidnapper tells David what he wants, $500,000 in small bills and to show that the money is ready the television show which David\u2019s company sponsors will be the signal.\u00a0 The host will wear a white suit jacket.<\/p>\n
Now Al arranges for the money.\u00a0 It is being counted and serial numbers recorded.\u00a0 Now David talks to the Chief and Charlie about the exchange.\u00a0 But when David expresses the hope that Andy will be home by end of day the men crush his hopes by telling him that regardless of whether he pays the ransom or not the chance of return is the same, two out of three.\u00a0 And hearing this, David\u2019s logical mind jumps to a conclusion.\u00a0 Now he goes to the television station and tells the host that the plan has changed and he, David will speak to the audience.\u00a0 He spreads the ransom money on a table and then tells the camera that he will not ransom his son.\u00a0 Instead he will use the $500,000 as a reward to anyone who will turn in the kidnappers.\u00a0 And to the kidnapper he adds that if Andy is returned unharmed then the reward will be rescinded and if the kidnapper happens to be captured David will act as a character witness on the kidnapper\u2019s behalf because of the mercy shown his son.\u00a0 And then he finishes by swearing on a Bible that all he said would be observed.<\/p>\n
But when David returns home, he is told by all, by the chief, by Al, by Charlie and most of all by Edith that he has done a terrible thing. She begs him to undo it and go back to the kidnappers and reverse himself.\u00a0 David tells them it is too late.\u00a0 For good or ill the die is cast.\u00a0 Edith breaks down and is taken to Al\u2019s house down the street to mourn.\u00a0 A crowd that has assembled outside the home reacts to the news with rage and stones are thrown through the windows.\u00a0 Charlie goes outside and tells the reporters to go home and leave the family to its agony.\u00a0 Then the police disperse the angry crowd.\u00a0 Finally, Andy\u2019s shirt is found in an abandoned car and delivered to his father.\u00a0 But there is a quantity of blood on the shirt.\u00a0 Now David despairs and breaks down in tears.\u00a0 The only one who has not deserted him in his lowest hour is Chapman who tries to comfort him and reminds him of King David\u2019s grief at the death of his son Absalom.\u00a0 After he calms himself David goes into the yard and looks at the fort that Andy was building the other day.\u00a0 And as he stands there, he thinks he hears Andy calling him.\u00a0 And looking up he sees his son.\u00a0 Unable to believe his eyes he clasps Andy in his arms in joy but notices that Andy\u2019s wearing a strange shirt.\u00a0 Andy explains that they gave it to him after he bit the nurse and her blood got on his shirt.\u00a0 Now the house is alerted.\u00a0 Chapman calls Al\u2019s house to let Edith know the good news and the movie ends in front of the house with Edith running up and being embraced by her son and her husband embracing them both.<\/p>\n
This is some serious melodrama.\u00a0 Every heartstring there is gets tugged.\u00a0 But the story works and the acting is good.\u00a0 Any parent watching this will feel every fear and experience the anxiety of such a daring plan by David to save his son.\u00a0 This is a good movie of its kind, a personal drama.\u00a0 I can recommend it.\u00a0 In the next part of this review, we\u2019ll look at what forty years changes in the story as we look at the remake.<\/p>\n