Director Wilcox lacks focus and pacing, and he makes little of the gothic atmosphere and noir possibilities of this bleak Victorian fairy tale, yet he deserves credit for three of the best performances by child actors ever seen in a single movie. Bryan Roper's monologue near the film's end is particularly effective, and shows he deserves to be remembered in the company of Margaret O'Brien and Dean Stockwell.

The Agnieszka Holland gets all the attention but this version is much better. Maybe it's the black and white