Those Calloways

Do-gooder piece from the Disney Studios, based on the novel "Swiftwater", has a farm family in Vermont at odds with the rest of the town over their attempts to save a flock of geese from game-hunters. Mixes elements of folksy adventure, family melodrama, teen romance, and nature asides but has too little humor. Runs 2 hours-plus, and that's around 30 minutes too much. Beautiful scenery and a good cast (including Brian Keith as the quietly charming head of the house, Vera Miles as his frontier wife, Brandon de Wilde--pulling a James MacArthur--and lovely Linda Evans as the sweethearts), but it's just too lethargic to appeal to kids. For nostalgic adults, an OK outdoor yarn which wears "values" on its sleeve. **1/2 from ****