The People
released 1972
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“The People” is an American sci-fi, thriller directed by John Korty and written by Zenna Henderson and James M. Miller. It stars Kim Darby, William Shatner, Diane Varsi, Dan O`Herlihy, Laurie Walters, Johanna Baer, Chris Valentine, Stephanie Valentine, Jack Dahlgren, Andrew Chrichton, David Petch, Dorothy Drady, Mary Rose McMaster, Anne Walters, Tony Dario, Frank Albertson, Kari Avalos, Mark Bramhall, Joy Carlin, Ray K. Goman, Kenna Hunt, Don Michaelian and Joe Miksak. It was produced by Francis Ford Coppola, Charles W. Fries and Gerald I. Isenberg. This old gem passes on TV every so often and is floating around somewhere online.

The People IMDb webpage

“The People” starts off as a simple enough story. A young woman named Melodye Amerson, played by Kim Darby is sent to a remote village to teach a bunch of kids. The story takes a strange turn from there. Melodye is the only outsider in the town and we find out that the townspeople are a strangely reclusive and secretive folk. They are nice people with a big secret that has us wonder if Melodye is in any kind of danger. Like any good thriller the mystery unravels to reveal a fantastic tale of exodus, fear of persecution and survival.

One thing I loved about the story was how the mystery unraveled and made you question the seemingly good people of the town. It had me question whether the main character was a reliable witness to the story. It also had me wonder if a sinister danger lay at the heart of the secret being kept. That was a nice touch that worked well in this storyline.

This is an old gem, like I said, that needs a good polishing up but it is a great story. By  `polishing up´ I mean the picture quality has to be improved like what has been done with so many old, classic films. In many ways I consider “The People” a hidden gem in the sci-fi movie world. It really deserves to be called a classic. I really don´t want to give away spoilers because you should go see it. So get online or pound the pavement and find yourselves a copy of this pearl of a sci-fi film because it´s worth it.

https://www.ink2quill.com/

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