OPINION:
Arriving at the nation’s theaters on April 24, the upcoming inspirational film “Little Boy” has accrued some famous fans. Set in World War II and home-front America, the movie follows the saga of a diminutive 7-year old boy and his quest to see his father home safely from the front lines. “It takes courage to believe,” the lad is told at one dramatic point.
“If I get enough faith, nothing is impossible, right?” he asks.
The movie has been handsomely made, with much attention to authentic detail of the era. It is also a project of executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, who have a definite knack for translating faith and values into palatable, popular and very marketable project. The pair also produced the feature film “Son of God,” which brought in $67 million sat the box office, and the “The Bible”, the blockbuster miniseries that ran for 10-hours on the History Channel. The busy couple have also partnered with MGM for a re-make of “Ben Hur,” due in 2016.
“Little Boy,” meanwhile, has drawn praise form the likes of independent media maven Glenn Beck for its family values. The young star already has fans as well.
There is buzz about “7-year old Jakob Salvati’s performance in the upcoming film,” notes a source close to the production - who says that Tony Bennett already has deemed the film “a winner”.
The 4-foot 3-inch Jacob “got his start on the set of “Mad Men’ and has never stopped working. Oscar buzz is said to be building,” the source notes, adding that actor Eva Longoria has also declared that young Mr. Salvati “deserves a nod of recognition from our community of actors, he was so natural and effortless. He should win an Oscar.”
Meanwhile, the movie was screened at the Japan’s Hiroshima International Film Festival late last year and received the Spirit Award for excellence in film making. Director Alejandro Monteverde accepted the honor via a Skype appearance.
“I was happy to be a part of the ongoing dialogue of American-Japanese relations,” he told the audience.
“We were delighted to feature ’Little Boy’,” added festival director Kyoko Heya. “It is a special film that speaks to all cultures and generations.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.