The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

"Ask her no questions, she'll tell you no lies. Ask her too many and somebody dies."

1976 1h 31m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 372

DramaMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

13-year-old Rynn Jacobs lives in a New England beach town. Whenever the landlady inquires after Rynn's father, she claims that he's not available. But when the landlady's son, Frank, won't leave Rynn alone, she teams up with a neighbor Mario to maintain the dark family secret that she's been keeping to herself.

“Ask her no questions, she'll tell you no lies. Ask her too many and somebody dies.”

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Cast

Jodie Foster
Rynn Jacobs
Martin Sheen
Frank Hallet
Alexis Smith
Mrs. Cora Hallet
Mort Shuman
Officer Ron Miglioriti
Scott Jacoby
Mario Podesta
Dorothy Davis
Town Hall Clerk
Clesson Goodhue
Bank Manager
Hubert Noël
Bank Clerk

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nicolas Gessner
Writers: Laird Koenig
Languages: English
Countries: France, Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

50 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Canada.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nicolas Gessner, shot by René Verzier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Christian Gaubert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yves Langlois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jodie Foster and Martin Sheen and Alexis Smith carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Ask her no questions, she'll tell you no lies. Ask her too many and somebody dies.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0074806 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nicolas Gessner directs. René Verzier behind the camera. Christian Gaubert scores. Yves Langlois cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

150 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Canada.
3Directed by Nicolas Gessner, shot by René Verzier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Christian Gaubert. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Yves Langlois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jodie Foster and Martin Sheen and Alexis Smith carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Ask her no questions, she'll tell you no lies. Ask her too many and somebody dies.".
8IMDB entry: tt0074806 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "pedophilia", "based on novel or book", "hamster", "halloween".

The technical file

Cinematography: René Verzier
Original score: Christian Gaubert
Editing: Yves Langlois
Costume design: Denis Sperdouklis
Makeup / hair: Bob Pritchett
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

Also by

Nicolas Gessner

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Dave2017-02-08
★ 9/10
Early and controversial Jodie Foster vehicle that has her playing the titular “Little Girl” trying her best to survive in the (somewhat) fictional town of Wells Harbor, Maine. Wise beyond her years, Rynn’s plan can best be described as sounded-good-idea-on-paper, but quickly unravels when she found in the crosshairs of a local pervert, his nosy mother, a town policeman and his nephew (a polio ridden magician). The Halloween into Thanksgiving New England time frame enhances the seaside’s funereal atmosphere with a classical score and sharp, interesting dialog. A must for fans of ’70’s chillers and fans of unconventional suspense.

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