It’s been a while since I last wrote a movie review. As I just wrote about a Hallmark Hall of Fame film, I wanted to talk about something beyond the realm of Hallmark. I recently remembered a movie I had heard good things about for years. That movie is 1965’s The Truth About Spring! I have covered some of Hayley Mills’ films in past reviews on my blog. These titles are Summer Magic, The Moonspinners, and The Trouble with Angels. While I found Summer Magic to be just ok, I did like The Trouble with Angels and The Moonspinners. Since The Truth About Spring revolves around Hayley’s character traveling, I wondered if I’d like this film as much as The Moonspinners. That answer will be discovered as we sail through this review of The Truth About Spring!

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: In The Truth About Spring, Hayley portrays the protagonist, Spring Tyler. One of the few characters she interacts with is William Ashton, portrayed by James MacArthur. When William prepares for his voyage on Tommy’s ship, Spring is curious about an outfit William packed. After she asks about the outfit in question, William explains it is a set of pajamas, which he wears for sleep. Spring’s face goes from inquisitiveness to sad realization, as she confesses how she doesn’t own pajamas. This subtle change in facial expressions shows how Spring is being exposed to a different way of living life. Because of Hayley’s acting abilities, the aforementioned realization appeared realistic!

Spring is not the only character William interacts with. Another key character in The Truth About Spring is Spring’s father, Tommy, portrayed by John Mills. During their voyage, Tommy witnesses William in his pajamas for the first time. Because Tommy is also not used to the idea of pajamas, he gives William a confused look. Meanwhile, William displays an embarrassed facial expression, as he wasn’t expecting Tommy to walk into the room. The interaction between these characters creates a moment that is awkward for both of them. John’s and William’s acting talents allow this awkwardness to radiate off the screen, making the scene feel believable!

The interior design: The majority of The Truth About Spring takes place outdoors, as the characters sail to various locations. However, there are a few scenes featuring the interior design of the characters’ ships. The sitting room in the yacht of William’s uncle is surrounded in bleached wood. Paired with beige chairs and a large painting of flowers, this room is reflective of the affluent lifestyle of the Ashton family. On Tommy’s ship, the cabin has dark wood walls. Tommy, Spring, and William sit around a table covered in a red and white checkered pattern. The small windows are gifted with green curtains. These combined design details showcase the humbleness of Tommy and Spring’s surroundings.

The discussion of educational experiences: A consistent topic between Spring and William is education. During one of their discussions, Spring learns there are different types of lawyers. This lesson came after William told her and Tommy he had graduated from law school and passed his bar exam. On a trip to the beach, Spring explains to William how it is the seagulls’ nesting season. She knows this information because of her experiences at sea. These conversations highlight how these characters’ life experiences shaped their educational foundations. I hadn’t thought about this concept until I saw The Truth About Spring!

What I didn’t like about the film:

A missed opportunity: Throughout The Truth About Spring, the characters engage in a treasure hunt. This treasure hunt was, unfortunately, not emphasized in the story. Instead, the movie splits its time between the interactions of Spring and William, as well as Tommy’s conning schemes. For me, this was disappointing because a treasure hunt can give a story intrigue, suspense, and a sense of adventure. Not emphasizing the treasure hunt is, in my opinion, a missed opportunity.

A limited amount of urgency: As I mentioned in my previous point, the film’s treasure hunt wasn’t emphasized. That creative decision caused The Truth About Spring to contain a limited amount of urgency. Within the movie’s hour and forty-two-minute run-time, a strong sense of urgency was featured in only three scenes. Most of the movie ended up feeling like an unexciting journey.

A drawn-out story: Like I said in this review, The Truth About Spring is an hour and forty-two-minutes. But the story itself was straight-forward, primarily focusing on three key characters. Therefore, this combination made the film feel drawn-out. Personally, I feel the movie should have been given a run-time of an hour and ten to fifteen minutes. That way, the script would been tighter.

My overall impression:

As I stated in the introduction, I have reviewed some of Hayley Mills’ films. These films range from ok to enjoyable. When it comes to The Truth About Spring, I thought it was just ok. There are aspects of the 1965 movie I like, such as the discussion of educational experiences between Spring and William. However, I didn’t find the story itself very interesting. Instead of emphasizing the treasure hunt, more focus is given to Tommy’s conning schemes. Giving this simplistic story a run-time of almost two hours didn’t help either. If you’re looking for a movie where Hayley’s character falls in love and goes on an adventure, I’d recommend The Moonspinners over The Truth About Spring. The Moonspinners contains suspense and intrigue, as well as a tighter script.

Overall score: 6 out of 10

Have you seen The Truth About Spring? What is your favorite movie starring Hayley Mills? Please tell me in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen