The Kidnappers – 1953 | 93 mins | Drama | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Skilful and sensitive children’s adventure that verges on the semi-documentary feel. Phillip Leacock paints a fine picture of an isolated community in a harsh environment and the boys – Jon Whiteley and Vincent Winter – received special Oscars for their beautifully natural performances.

Set in turn-of-the-century Scotchtown, Nova Scotia. Two Scottish orphaned boys are sent to live an austere life with their puritan and bigoted grandfather Jim Mackenzie (Duncan Macrae) and kindly grandma (Jean Anderson). Mackenzie is respected but not liked and has a bitter heart due to the death of his son during the Boer War. Starved for affection, the boys ask for a dog, but when this request is denied, they adopt a baby they find abandoned in woodlands. Meanwhile, a search party has assembled to track down the baby’s ‘kidnappers’.