The Light in the Forest Reviews

True Son (James MacArthur), a white raised by Indians, is forced to return to white society after the signing of a peace treaty, and Army scout Del Hardy (Fess Parker) oversees his readjustment. Johnny experiences great difficulty in trying to adapt to the white man's ways, with his cruel uncle Wilse Owens (Wendell Corey) making life especially miserable for the youth. Shenandoe Hastings (Carol Lynley), is Wilse's indentured servant, who at first despises Johnny because her parents were killed by Indians, but who grows to love him and who helps him put his life back together. The theme of the young man at odds with his surroundings was typical of Disney films of the 1950s, and this is an intelligent, well-characterized treatment. Lynley (in her first film) and MacArthur have a nice chemistry as the young lovers. This was the start of a long relationship between the studio and MacArthur, but it was the end of Parker's work for Disney; he'd grown weary of playing what he felt was the same character over and over. Iron Eyes Cody, who had filled Indian roles in several films, served as a technical director on THE LIGHT IN THE FOREST.