(a.k.a. Huckleberry Finn)
(USA, 1939)
directed by: Richard Thorpe
(sorted by title, alphabetically - current title count - January 17, 2010: 88)
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U, V | W | X, Y | Z |
| compiled and designed by: | Andreas Spring, SBL member (for the fun and benefit of fellow barefooters!) |
| design tools used: | CoffeeCup Free HTML Editor (caffeine works best!!) |
Please note: The term 'barefoot movies' does neither denote that these are films aimed at foot fetishists nor is it a hidden allusion to porn or obscene films. This list is just meant to show the interested ones the movies in which leading ladies and gents have been shown on their bare feet, or their parts entailing barefooting, e.g. as a character trait.
Necessary disclaimer: All images from various barefoot movies are and stay © their respective owners.
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
(a.k.a. Huckleberry Finn) (USA, 1939) directed by: Richard Thorpe |
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Perhaps one of the classic barefooters known to literature and film consumers, this version of "Huckleberry Finn" stars Mickey Rooney in the title role.
quote: "...shoes and I just don't get along..."
Aliens
(USA, 1986)
directed by: James Cameron
The young survivor of the Alien attacks on the terraforming colony LV 426, Rebecca Jorden, nicknamed 'Newt', (Carrie Henn) is seen scooting through air ducts and vent shafts on her bare feet throughout the movie at first... seems like the firm footing helped her being faster than the monsters...
Alien - Resurrection
(USA, 1997)
directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Ellen Ripley, or rather, 'Number 8' (as the Ripley clone is unaffectionately referred to by the scientists on board the Auriga), is seen barefoot in her holding cell, and during her first encounter with Annalee Call, crew member of the smuggler ship Betty.
Interesting continuity glitch: shortly after Call's visit, the Aliens escape, and Ripley makes her jailbreak, too... in boots (although there is no hint as to where they came from... no lockers visible in the cell... no one entering and giving her those... :))
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And God Created Woman
(Original French title: Et Dieu... créa la femme - alternative UK title: And Woman... Was Created)) (F, 1956) directed by: Roger Vadim |
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The movie centers around the orphaned young woman Juliette Hardy (played by Brigitte Bardot), who lives in St. Tropez and happens to have a crush on a young man named Antoine Tardieu, who comes from a poor family and works on a small shipyard owned by the family in Toulon. However, since she is also desired by the wealthy Eric Carradine (Curd Jürgens), this is the first half of trouble being under way. The second half comes up, as her foster parents decide to send her back to the orphanage for "her bad reputation". Antoine's brother Michel Tardieu proposes to marry her to prevent her that, and she accepts and begins to love him.
Things get really complicated, as the Tardieu family sells the shipyard to Eric Carradine, and Antoine returns to St. Tropez. Juliette's desire for Antoine is sparked again, and the tragedy potential is at maximum level.
Juliette is a free-spirited young woman, which is also portrayed by her easy and natural barefooting not only on the beach, or in the famous barefoot dance scene in a bar (which she entered sans shoes - see above), but also in everyday situations in the streets of St. Tropez, riding her bicycle and walking barefoot, and also at work in a small bookstore.
Andromeda - a.k.a. Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda
(CAN/USA, 2000-2005)
directed by: various directors, including e.g. Peter DeLuise
Season 3, Episode 19: The Illusion of Majesty
Generally, space-travellers are not famous for being barefoot in space. One episode of this SF-series, however, has barefoot space-faring monks, resembling future versions of Shaolin monks.
They, among others, happen to be the victim
of a fraud, who has convinced her victims into believing her being a princess
of the Prolon system, Princess Tura, and a living goddess known as Hajin Na, to her
believers, who are quite eager and
ready to liberate her from the claws of the royal family.
The architecture of the cathedral-like space ship of the monks is truly a
must see.
Of course, the swindle shatters, and Captain Hunt finds himself between
all chairs, having to rescue the attractive fraud, who faces a trial and
death sentence, as she (real name: Lorena Blodgett) has stolen the Prolon
treasury.
Avatar
(USA, 2009)
directed by: James Cameron
Jake Sully, an ex-marine who was injured on a mission and is confined to a
wheelchair since then, receives the offer to fly to Pandora, an
extraterrestrial moon, where a rare element is mined. Originally,
his twin brother was chosen to go there, but since he died, Jake gets his chance
to live a life in a fully functioning body as an avatar to merge with
Pandora's natives, the Na'Vi.
However, Jake learns, that the company he works for merely wishes to rob
Pandora of its ore rather than preserving its life and the natives.
After encountering the Na'Vi and eventually being included into one
of the Na'Vi tribes, he decides to take their side in fighting off
their opressors.
| Neytiri, a native Na'Vi female - and the first native to encounter Jake. | 
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All of the Na'Vi are barefoot and Jake, in his avatar form, is not only elated to have legs to use again, but also reflects upon the growing strength of his feet during his hunter training led by Neytiri.
| Jake's avatar dashes out after he wakes up in it to test his legs and to take delight in feeling the soil beneath his bare soles. |
Avatar - The Last Airbender
(USA, 2005)
directed by: Lauren MacMullan, Dave Filoni, Giancarlo Volpe,
Ethan Spaulding, Joaquim Dos Santos
Although looking a lot like it, this animated fantasy series was not produced in Japan, but in the USA for Nickelodeon/Nicktoons Network. In three seasons (each one called „books“), the story of a world in turmoil inhabited by humans, fantastic animals and spirits is told. This world is divided into four nations according to the classic (Greek) division of the elements: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Air Nomads, and the Fire Nation. Each nation has its own natural element, on which it bases its society. Within each nation exists an order called "Benders" who have the ability to manipulate the eponymous element of their nation. The show’s creators based each Bending art on a style of martial arts. The Bending types are Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending, and Airbending. The harmony of that world is greatly disturbed by the Fire Nation aggressively expanding and overthrowing the other nations. One of the four nations, the Air Nomads, has been almost totally eradicated, except for one member, young Aang, who upon learning, that he is to be the next Avatar, flees the Air Nomad monastery and becomes accidentally entrapped in an iceberg, to be found 100 years later. He comes to learn of the Fire Nation's aggression and from here on, the plot unfolds as Aang needs to learn the other Bending arts in order to fully become the Avatar of this world and to restore the balance between the four elements.
The barefoot part of this series is introduced with a character in the second
season who is to be Aang's Earthbending teacher.
Toph Bei Fong, a 12-year-old girl from a wealthy family in the Earth
Kingdom has been living in a very sheltered household, her parents being
rather overprotective due to her blindness. Having been born blind,
Toph relies on feeling the vibrations of the earth with her bare feet
to practise her art of Earthbending. Though not being able to see with her eyes,
she refers to her ability as „seeing with her feet“. She has been secretly
advancing her skills to mastery and is – until Aang arrives – champion of a
n Earthbending fight contest going by the ring name „The Blind Bandit“.
Toph is fiercely independent, sarcastic, direct, brutally frank,
and confrontational; the choleric of the group. She appears to
have the same carefree and adventurous personality as Aang,
and she is very tomboyish in the way she acts and dresses very
differently than the way she presents herself to her parents.
However, unlike Aang, who avoids fighting whenever possible,
Toph loves battling and takes great pride in her earthbending
skills.
One of Toph's most obvious traits involves her very poor personal hygiene.
She has been seen picking her nose, spitting, and belching loudly.
She is also usually covered in dirt or, as she calls it, "a healthy coating
of earth". Therefore, a running gag is the display of dirt on her bare soles,
since she has to be barefoot to „see“.
Big Fish
USA, 2003
directed by: Tim Burton
While traveling, young Ed Bloom (Ewan McGregor) happens across the small town of Spectre. Not one person there wears shoes. An overhead wire is full of shoes hanging by their laces. During his visit, Ed is sitting at a table and an 8 year old Jenny crawls under and steals his shoes, making a comment about shoes not being needed. Ed eventually leaves the town barefoot. A close up of his feet in the woods crunching twigs is accompanied by a complaint about hating to be lost. No complaint about his feet! Years later, Ed returns to Spectre and an older Jenny (Helena Bonham Carter) is still barefoot.
The Black Stallion
(USA, 1979)
directed by: Carroll Ballard
While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion that is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When the ship tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a deserted island. Alec befriends the horse, so when finally rescued both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey, a once successful trainer, played by Mickey Rooney. Together they begin training The Black to race against the fastest horses in the world.
During his stay on the deserted island, young Alec Ramsey is constantly barefoot. This is also depicted on the covers of some versions of the original novel - see below: left - the movie, right - a novel version's cover.
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The Blue Lagoon
(USA, 1980)
directed by: Randal Kleiser
Perhaps the first 'marooned-on-an-island' romance movie to trigger a whole hype of them - and it had both its fans valiantly defending it, as well as the people poking fun at it, stars Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins in their bare feet - actually a remake of the 1949 version of the movie after the novel by Henry de Vere Stacpoole (the 1949 version starred Jean Simmons and Donald Houston)
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The Butcher's Wife
USA, 1991 directed by: Terry Hughes |
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The story of the clairvoyant and slightly eccentric Marina, who has the premonition that someday a man in a boat will come to the place she lives (which looks like the typical New England-ish coast, complete with the typical lighthouse and all...), and that that man will be the one. During the movie, young Marina (played by Sara Noel Herring) and adult Marina (Demi Moore) are shown barefoot, whereas the adult version turns to wearing shoes in the middle of the film, which she buys without even trying them, since she knows, that they will fit.
Remarkable bits: her being barefoot while working in a butcher shop, which should really suffice to shut up the health-dept-phantom-law quoters anywhere.
Castle in the Sky
(original Japanese title: Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta)
(Japan, 1986)
directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
This almost classic anime made by Acadamy Awards winner Miyazaki tells a fairy tale of two orphaned children, Pazu and Sheeta, who are linked to a legend of a flying island known as Laputa. Pazu heard from it by his late father, who was able to leave him a photograph, and Sheeta, as it turns out, is the last living princess of Laputa's royal family.
| Barefoot moments in this feature: as Sheeta is abducted by the villain, Pazu comes to the rescue, having to climb ducts upward inside Laputa's structure. He quickly finds his shoes to slippery to climb properly, and pulls off shoes and socks to nimbly climb barefoot, and remains barefoot for the rest of the film up to the happy ending. (Side note: the villain's voice in the English version might sound familiar to Star Wars fans, as Mark Hamill voiced him) |
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C'era Una Volta
(a.k.a. More than a Miracle, Cinderella: Italian Style, La Belle et e Cavalier (French title)) (F/I, 1967) directed by: Francesco Rosi |
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A wonderful fairy tale of the misadventures of a beautiful but temperamental Neapolitan peasant, Isabella (played by Sophia Loren), when she meets the ill- tempered Spanish Prince Rodrigo Ferrante y Davalos (Omar Sharif). The King of Spain has ordered Rodrigo to choose a wife among seven Italian Princesses, but he is smitten by the lowly peasant. With the help of both witches and saints, Isabella conquers the heart of her Prince after many amusing events--including an outrageous dishwashing contest of the peasant against the Princesses. All through this movie, which is a variation of the 'Cinderella' theme, Isabella is seen constantly barefoot.
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City of Joy
(USA, 1992) directed by: Roland Joffé |
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Similar to Salaam Bombay, it stars Patrick Swayze in the barefoot lead role as Max Lowe.
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The Court Jester
(USA, 1956) directed by: Melvin Frank & Norman Panama |
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The rightful king of England, the small babe with the purple pimpernel birthmark, has been usurped by the evil King Roderick. Only the Black Fox can restore the true king to the throne--and all he needs is the king's key to a secret tunnel. And while he's trying to steal it, someone has to change the king's diapers. The task falls to Hawkins, the gentlest member of the Fox's band. The Fox's lieutenant, Maid Jean (seen almost constantly on bare feet throughout the movie - played by Glynis Johns), guards Hawkins and the babe while they travel, but when they meet the King's new jester on the road, they decide to initiate a daring plan for Hawkins to replace him, become an intimate at the court, and steal the key. So, humble Hawkins becomes Jachimo: the king of jesters and jester to the king. But things begin to get zany when the King's daughter falls for Jachimo, the King falls for Jean, people randomly sing what are supposed to be recognition codes, and a witch with very effective spells (and poison pellets) begins to interfere.
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Cowboy Bebop (English title, original Japanese: Kaubôi bibappu)
(J, 1998) directed by: Shinichirô Watanabe |
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Set in the late 21st century, this anime series deals with the adventures of the
motley crew of the space ship Bebop, a band of bounty hunters. The barefoot
aspect is given to it by Ed (full name: Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky 4th), a
girl, about 10 to 13 years of age, who joined the crew and became the on-board
computer whiz, as she is an expert hacker.
Ed is always barefoot. In one episode, she considers putting on socks and shoes,
but quickly removes them, as even wearing socks hampers her.
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It has become quite common among anime fans (not only in Japan, but world-wide)
to dress up as their favourite characters at conventions and the like.
The technical term for this: cosplay.
And, of course, Ed is among them as well - with the appropriate footwear (i.e. none): |
The Cure
(USA, 1995)
Joseph Mazzello and Brad Renfro, the main stars of this AIDS and terminal illness drama are seen barefoot rafting down a river on their last summer together.
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Cutthroat Island
(F/I/D, 1995) directed by: Renny Harlin |
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A more recent pirate adventure, with Geena Davis as Morgan Adams, sometimes seen in her bare feet, as well as some other pirates.
Die Hard
(USA, 1988)
directed by: John McTiernan
The well-known, action-packed story of John McClane (Bruce Willis), N.Y.C. cop on Christmas vacation in L.A. to visit his then ex-wife and children gets in the way of terrorists and battles them on bare feet.
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(Although the nasties are quick to sour life for Willis' character by shooting
windows, forcing him to walk through broken glass, the movie holds one nice
piece of barefoot advice, when a co-passenger on the flight suggests to leave
the plane on bare feet, since a barefoot walk is more refreshing than "a cold
shower and a hot coffee in one"). The sequels "Die Hard 2", "Die Hard With
a Vengeance" and "Die Hard 4", a.k.a Live Free or Die Hard
had as far as I could see no barefoot action in them.
The barefoot aspect of McClane in the first movie was enough, however, to be incorporated into the design of a barefoot John McClane action figure. |
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A Dry White Season
(USA, 1989)
directed by: Euzhan Palcy
The son of the main protagonist (played by Donald Sutherland) is seen barefoot several times throughout the movie.
Earth Girl Arjuna
original Title: Chikyû Shojô Arjuna
(J, 2001)
directed by: Shôji Kawamori
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Juna Ariyoshi is a normal teenage girl with the usual teenage problems - until she
dies from a motorcycle accident, and gets the chance to be returned to her life.
But, as she learns quickly, this is not granted for free. She is chosen
to be Arjuna, the avatar of time, and to save the world - no more, no less.
She has a hard time understanding her purpose and is unsure how she is supposed
to help and save the Earth.
Juna is depicted sometimes barefoot in this anime with a message. |
L'enfant Lion
(a.k.a. Sirga)
(F, 1993)
directed by: Patrick Grandperret
The fantastic/fairy-tale like story of a young African boy, named Oulé, and the lioness Sirga, who are born at the same time,
and according to the vision of a tribe shaman are bound to become siblings. Oulé and Sirga roam the plains, savannah, and mountains together,
and the film offers fantastic and epic pictures for both barefooters, seeing the African tribe members on their bare feet all the time, as well as for
lovers of big cats, who will take delight in the boy-lioness interaction as well.
presented by Luc Besson, this is surely one masterpiece, especially aimed at children, but also fun to watch for adults as well.
Note: this movie made it into the German cinemas as late as 2008, and almost went by totally unadvertized...
The Fifth Element
(F/USA, 1997)
directed by: Luc Besson
Leeloo, the 5th Element herself, (played by Milla Jovovich) makes her escape from the lab, where she was genetically reconstructed from some remains of the original ultimate weapon against all Evil, makes her escape from that lab in her bare feet... as she jumps off a building, to crash-land in the (involuntary) hero's taxi, her dirty soles are quite well visible. :) - sadly, she discontinues to be barefoot after being brought to a priest who knows the true meaning of her existence...
Leeloo jumping to escape arrest.
The Flintstones
(USA, 1994)
directed by: Brian Levant
Of course, the shoe fashion in Bedrock was: none at all (since they were not known at those paradisic prehistoric times...). - And, let's face it, Fred Flintstone could have never been famous as 'Twinkle-Toes' in bowling, had he worn shoes. :)
Forbidden Planet
(USA, 1956)
directed by: Fred M. Wilcox
A story set in the 23rd century. the fast space cruiser C 57-D of the United Planets
Fleet is searching for survivors of the missing cruiser Bellerophone, and
enters the Altair system, when they receive a hail from Dr. Edward Morbius, who
was part of the scientists' crew of the missing ship, and who is the sole survivor
of the mission, and now lives with his daughter on Altair-4. It is quite clear,
that Morbius does not want any visitors on what he calls 'his planet', and he
explicitely warns the commander of C 57-D, Captain Adams, to land on Altair-4.
Nevertheless, Adams has orders to investigate the loss of the Bellerophone
and therefore cannot simply turn back. He lands his ship, and meets not only Morbius,
but also his daughter Altaira... and it doesn't take long before two things happen:
the captain and the young woman get closer and closer to each other... and the
crew is about to encounter the reason why all other members of the Bellerophone's
complement died. Furthermore, they also discover the remains and technology of
an advanced alien race known as the Krell... but none of them was alive, either,
despite their obviously advanced technology
Anne Francis stars as Altaira Morbius, daughter of the surviving scientist,
who has no need for any shoes, as it seems. Throughout the whole movie, she is
seen in her bare feet. And Captain Adams (Leslie Nielsen) seems not to mind
at all... The film's plot has been interpreted as a modern, space-faring version
of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, so that Morbius would appear like
Prospero, who is more than reluctant to part with his daughter Miranda.
| A publicity and press photograph of Anne Francis as Altaira together with Robby the Robot (still one of the best designs for SF film robots, IMO). The producers did not seem to mind to advertize for a barefoot female leading character, either |
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George of the Jungle
(USA, 1997) directed by: Sam Weisman |
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A remake of the 1967 produced cartoon series of the same title... stars Brendan Fraser in the title role... other stars include Richard Roundtree (Shaft) as Kwame, and John Cleese as the voice of 'an ape called Ape'.
The Gods Must be Crazy
(Botswana/South Africa, 1980)
directed by: Jamie Uys
This movie about the life of a bushman tribe's life being usurped and disturbed by the sudden arrival of a strange object from the sky - a tourist threw an empty coke bottle out of a safari plane window - is not only a nice comedy (with a bit of social irony behind it as well...), but shows the bushmen barefoot (including main star N!Xau the San), as it is the most natural way for them anyway. - Jamie Uys is perhaps best known for his comical approach towards animal and nature documentaries, like his own Animals are Beautiful People, which he wrote, produced and directed in 1974 (remember the elephants and other animals getting high after having eaten fermented fruit...? That's that film...! :))
The Gods Must be Crazy II
(Botswana/South Africa, 1989)
directed by: Jamie Uys
The sequel to the aforementioned comedy is slightly different, and a bit more into screwball comedy altogether... N!Xau returns to play Xixo, this time looking for his children, who have - curious as they are - climbed into a water tank trailer, wondering how much water is in here, as a truck docks it on to drive away... a sub-plot deals with the emergency landing of a UL plane, with a scientist and a ranger/zoologist in it, who then have to try and make it back through the bush... Again, all bushmen in it are shown naturally barefoot... and as the kids show: one can even climb unknown objects, like a trailer, in bare feet without any problems at all... (N!Xau starred in two more films which were considered as sequels, but produced in HongKong, and not very well treated by critics, as far as I could find out. :) Titles of these are: Fei zhou he shang (a.k.a. The Gods must be Crazy III) (HK, 1991) and Heonggong ya Fungkwong (a.k.a. Crazy Hong Kong) (HK, 1993).
Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
(UK, 1984)
directed by: Hugh Hudson
This Tarzan movie now acts as representative of the lots of other barefoot Tarzans there were, from Johnny Weissmuller, over Lex Barker to Miles O'Keefe, and others (not counted here: the Tarzan of the current new TV series, who - as I have seen and been told - is shod!!). Another rendition of the Tarzan story was done in 1998, being Disney's animated feature Tarzan, and a video-premiere sequel plus a TV series, here again with a naturally barefoot title hero, and a sometimes barefoot Jane as well.
To get back to this film: in this rendition of the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs
(which is truest to the original story, too), Christopher Lambert plays the adult
Lord of the Apes.
A few brief words about the story (as it is told in the novel and in this movie):
In the 19th century, a ship catastrophe leaves a couple stranded in Africa. The
woman, being pregnant, gives birth to a boy in their treehouse. However, disaster
strikes again, as a family of apes stumbles into the treehouse, and in the ensuing
panic, the human parents are killed. A femlae ape, having lost her young, takes the
human infant, and raises him in place of her lost baby. - And since an ape would not
know about civilization as we human beings define it, young Tarzan was not introduced
into useless social conduct (which wearing shoes is a part of, IMHO) - after being
discovered in the jungle, people try to 'civilize' Tarzan by getting him to England...
however, he realizes, that the jungle and his former life constitutes his true life.
Apart from being one of the foremost 'barefoot' movies, this film also was Christopher Lambert's entrance to the 'serious dramatic actor' club.
La Guerre du Feu
(a.k.a. Quest for Fire)
(Can./F/USA, 1981)
directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud
This movie, about a group of prehistoric men sent out to find some fire for the rest of their tribe (who haven't acquired the knowledge to start a fire as yet and have to rely on sudden forest fires, triggered by lightning or the like) has no shoes (or then, perhaps only the odd first rendering of sandals in Ika's tribe) whatsoever in it. For that matter, some prehistoric tribes, like the one Ika (Rae Dawn Chong) belongs to, go almost or completely naked, since they live in a milder climate, and hence do not need too much clothing anyway.
Hook
(USA, 1991)
directed by: Steven Spielberg
Julia Roberts, playing Tinkerbell - the barefoot, tomboy-ish and giddy winged fairy - was unforgettable, when leaving black bare footprints on Peter Banning's (i.e. the adult Peter Pan's) shirt (played by Robin Williams - Banning, that is, not the shirt! :)). One legend on the shooting of that film was that Julia Roberts refused to wear shoes whenever possible, and that her black bare soles inspired the screenplay writers to have those tiny black footprints of Tinkerbell on the white shirt. It might be only Hollywood gossip, but considering Julia Roberts' preference of being barefoot, it might as well be true.
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Hoot
(USA, 2006)
directed by: Wil Shriner
The story of a youth, who moves from rural Montana to Florida and faces the usual problems of the "new kid in town" evolves into the story of him and local friends engaging into the protection of an endangered population of owls.
One of the local kids, Mullet Fingers (played by Cody Linley) is barefoot throughout the movie.
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
(a.k.a. Kiss My Butterfly)
(USA, 1968)
dir. by: Hy Averback
A side-splitting comedy in which Peter Sellers portrays a hopelessly un-hip lawyer wooing Leigh Taylor-Young as a very sexy, Bohemian young lady known as Nancy dressed in the height of hippie fashion, complete with flowery kimonos and bare feet (even in the clothing shop where she works).
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(USA, 1984)
directed by: Steven Spielberg
In the second movie of the Indiana Jones tetralogy, we see the night club singer and dancer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) barefoot, after she was dragged along by Dr. Jones (Harrison Ford) and his youth sidekick Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan) out off a Shanghai night club (Lucasfilms humour: the club was named 'Obi Wan'), into a plane, through a place crash and after a rough raft ride into India. Since she was in show costume, she quickly realized that the high-style high-heeled shoes are not the best for jungle walks, and hence she is seen barefoot when crossing the jungle to the palace, where Indiana Jones is requested to find out about some evil cult...
Inuyasha
(J, 2000-2004)
directed by: Naoya Aoki, Yasunao Aoki, Masashi Ikeda, Megumi Yamamoto
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An anime series, set in feudal Japan, where to a present-day school girl,
Kagome Higurashi, travels by means of a magical well, which serves as
the gateway to the past.
There she meets Inuyasha, a half-demon, who seeks the Shikon No Tama, the jewel of the four souls, in order to become a full-fledged demon. One of the problems in that is, that the jewel has been shattered to shards - by Kagome herself, that is, and that other demons (foremost, the main villain, Naraku) desire to own it as well. |
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Inuyasha is permanently barefoot, both in the world of the feudal past and when
visiting Kagome in modern-day Japan. Apart from him, a lot of the peasant
characters in feudal Japan are barefoot as well... and there is that barefoot wolf demon
who seems to have fallen for Kagome...
Apart from the TV series with more than a 150 episodes, there are also
four (so far) feature-length movies out on DVD.
The Jungle Book
(a.k.a. Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book)
(USA, 1942)
directed by: Zoltan Korda
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One really well-known adaptation of the Kipling novel stars Sabu as the barefoot hero of the jungles of India. Also features some really nice and awesome animal handling there. |
The Jungle Book
(a.k.a. Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book)
(USA, 1994)
directed by: Stephen Sommers
Newest rendering of the Kipling novel, this time starring Jason Scott Lee as the - of course barefoot - newest and grown-up Mowgli, after Sabu and many others. Co-starring as a very British Dr. Plumford: John Cleese.
Jungle2Jungle
(USA, 1997)
directed by: John Pasquin
This comedy about an native Indian boy named Mimi-siku, trying to cope with modern and western (i.e. US-American) civilization (starring Tim Allen as the unsuspecting father who goes to Venezuela 14 years after his wife left him to have their marriage annulled, only to find that she has a 13 year-old son, who grew up in a remote part of the Amazon jungle, and Sam Huntington as Mimi-siku), shows us a barefoot boy... barefoot for all occasions - except when the going got too tough for him: he would wear flesh-colored booties then (as reported from behind the scenes...)., But still: he is seen barefoot throughout the movie - and more than just once. (Remake of the 1994 produced French comedy Un indien dans la ville, directed by Hervé Palud)
Kama Sutra - A Tale of Love
(India, 1996)
directed by: Mira Nair
Set in 16th Century India, this movie is the tale of two girls, Maya and Tara, one a lowly servant, the other a noble princess, both raised together as children.
But whilst Tara is raised as a Princess, Maya - as her servant - is forever
reminded of her subordinate position. After growing up, It is by means of her
striking beauty and her skills of seduction learnt through the Kama
Sutra, the Indian book of love by the help of a skilled mistress,
that Maya exacts her revenge on Tara by seducing her husband on her
wedding day thus beginning a destructive struggle for power where
revenge is the goal, but tragedy the outcome.
Mira Nair also directed another barefoot movie in this list (Salaam Bombay) and this movie of hers shows the characters
barefoot constantly, walking sans shoes everywhere.
Kingu Kongu tai Gojira
Japan, 1962
directed by: Inoshiro Honda
A pharmaceutical company sends out an expedition to find Kong Kong to make him fight Gojira (better known to the western civilization as Godzilla) who is again, as always, threatening Tokyo.
One out of many Godzilla spin-off movies.
Barefoot moments: The natives of the island of Faroa (fictitious), where King Kong lives, do a barefoot ritual dance around the sedated giant gorilla - true to the original story, they used jars with special fruit juice for Kong to drink to put the ape to sleep. Funny to see Japanese actresses and dancers, with dark-skin body makeup portraying some Oceanic native tribe.
Kung Fu (TV series)
(USA, 1972-75)
various directors
This western/martial arts series was not only famous for its title song by Carl Douglas (Kung Fu Fighting), but also for the main character, Kwai Chang Caine (played by David Carradine) being constantly barefoot. I remember as a youth having watched this series, and asking myself how he did that...? Walking barefoot on any surface he met...? Well, now I know.. and do so as well! (Not the Kung Fu part, though...)
L
Little Buddha
(USA, 1993)
directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci
Keanu Reeves plays Prince Siddharta (the later Gautama Buddha), who as we know was as Buddha a constant barefooter, and perhaps also influential on a lot of lifestyle barefooters (after all, millions of buddhist monks/believers cannot be wrong about their being barefoot, can they....?
The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane
(USA/F/CAN, 1976)
dir. by: Nicolas Gessner
A poet and his 14 year old daughter (Rynn) buy a house in a small American town and move in. The poet is never seen however and this arouses the suspicion of Mrs Hallet (their estate agent), of Frank (her 30 yr old son) and of Miglioriti (the sheriff). In reality the poet had died of cancer shortly after moving in. To avoid having to go to an orphanage Rynn was to pretend that her father was still alive and to continue life on her own until she reached adult age. She could then gain control of his fortune. Mrs Hallet keeps nosing around at Rynn's house treating her with considerable disrespect. Eventually she discovers the poet's body and Rynn kills her. Frank attempts to seduce Rynn and gets killed too. At the same time Mario and Rynn fall in love... - Rynn (played by Jodie Foster) is barefoot all through the movie - which might also denote that those in colose contact with creative minds (here: her dead poet father), are more open towards naturality and what goes with it (that includes, of course, bare feet).
The Little Mermaid - Malá Morská Víla
(CZ, 1975)
directed by: Karel Kachyna
This is one of the many well-done fairy-tale retellings coming from Czech film
studos in the 1970s. The inhabitants of the watery realms are constantly barefoot
in the film, even on receptions of other realms' royalties, who are also barefoot.
The movie is also very powerful in its pictures, when the mermaid goes out to
discover the beauty of the world beyond the sea.
The Lord of the Rings
(USA, 1978)
directed by: Ralph Bakshi
I know, that this animated feature is controversial among Tolkien fans
(to say the least! - and I myself think it is utter rubbish, as far as
it is seen as an adaptation of the LotR-saga - YMMV...), but nevertheless,
it presents the archetypical barefooters from myth and fantasy
per se: the hobbits! :)
And unlike the ones in the Peter Jackson trilogy, these hobbits do not
wear fake rubber bare feet!
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
AUS/USA, 1985,
directed by: George Miller & George Ogilvie
The third and final part of the Mad Max trilogy has the lead character, Max Rockatansky (although he seemingly lost his last name and only calls himself Max when asked for his name) living in the post-apocalyptic deserts and having to deal with people looting his vehicle and all his possessions. Max's trade-mark V8 car is blown up by a crude but servicable self-destruct device, when the looter, the eccentric auto-gyro pilot Jedediah tries to steal the gasoline it carries. When making his way through the desert, he eventually arrives at Bartertown, a desert settlement where people come, as the name suggests, to trade for water, supplies, spare parts and weapons. He is entangled in a power struggle between the apparent leader of Bartertown, Aunty Entity (Tina Turner) and MasterBlaster (a munchkin called Master, riding on the shoulders of his homungous bodyguard Blaster), who controls the biogas energy supply of the settlement.
After being banned from the town (a consequence of this power struggle), he is found in the desert by a young woman who brings him to the living grounds of a group of feral children and youths who survived a plane crash.
Here comes the barefoot part of this movie, as quite a lot of these kids are barefoot in the desert as well as in their self-made home camp.
The story then develops into Max leading the kids to their legendary promised land (which, he knows, is one of the large cities which has been destroyed by a nuclear blast – Sidney).
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
(USA, 2003)
directed by: Peter Weir
In the Napoleonic war, the HMS Surprise, commanded by Captain Jack Aubrey, chases the French Acheron, a larger, faster and better-equipped vessel in the seas around South America.
True to naval tradition, the sailors in the ranks below midshipman are barefoot.
Apart from that, the movie gives a very detailed insight on the ship's life and the conflict inside the commander's mind, weighing his orders against the sake of his crew.
Momo
(West Germany/Italy, 1986)
directed by: Johannes Schaaf
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This motion picture is done after the fairy-tale novel of the same title by
Michael Ende (author of The Never-Ending Story), and deals with, mainly,
time. Or rather, it carries the message, that one should live consciously, and
not try to make haste and forget about enjoying every moment to its fullest.
In trying to save time, as we can see in this movie, the time saved is stolen from us by and by, and cannot be retrieved. In order to uncover this plot of the theft of our time, Momo, a young girl appears. Actually, at first, no one knows why Momo is there. She just is, one day, and lives in the ruins of an old amphitheatre in a small mediterranean town in Italy. Her most prominent features are her dark and large eyes, curly black hair and feet of the same colour, since she is almost always barefoot. In this movie version of the fairy-tale (not only suitable for children), the orginal author Michael Ende stars himself in the prologue, together with John Huston. |
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The Mosquito Coast
(USA, 1986)
directed by: Peter Weir
One of the brilliant pictures having Peter Weir as director and Harrison Ford in the lead. In this picture, Allie Fox (Ford), inventor and visionary, takes his family down to South America to live his dream of a life, and builds a giant refrigeration machine, to bring technology down there to serve the people, and niot vice versa (as the disillusioned and bankrupt inventor has realized...). However, the arrival of two mercenaries, and Allie's killing them, leads both to the destruction of his giant fridge, as well as the shattering of his dreams. Allie's family (starring Helen Mirren as his wife, and River Phoenix as the eldest son) are often barefoot throughout the whole movie.
Notre Dame de Paris
(a.k.a. The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
(F/I, 1957)
directed by: Jean Delannoy
This, perhaps best known version of the films after the novel by Victor Hugo (at least, best known, next to the version, starring Charles Laughton), stars Anthony Quinn as Quasimodo, and Gina Lollobrigida as the barefoot gypsy dancer, Esmeralda. Also, several of the beggars of Paris were shown barefoot - but the longest-lasting impression was made by Esmeralda (and also reinforced Gina Lollobrigida's status as the Italian film megastar of the late fifties and early sixties).
Ocean Girl(TV series)
(AUS, 1994)
directed by: Mark Defries & Brendan Maher
A sci-fi, environmental adventure series, produced by Disney Australia, having the title character Neri (played by Marzena Godecki), her in-character sister Mera and her in-character boyfriend barefoot all or most of the time (understandable, considering a) the series' title, b) where it is produced, and c) the plot of it: an alien girl, able to communicate with a whale and other sea mammals, helping her youth friends at a fictitious research facility known as ORCA - Ocean Research Center Australia).
Peter Pan
(UK/USA, 2003)
directed by: P.J. Hogan
This newest rendition of the classic fantasy story of Wendy and her siblings going to Never Land to meet Peter Pan, the eternal youth, and fighting the villainous Captain Hook has the children, including Wendy and Peter barefoot througout their Never Land adventure.
This movie has been praised as the best Peter Pan version ever, however faced strong box office competition from the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which was still running at that time. Therefore, it went by rather unnoticed.
Pirates
(F/Tunisia, 1986)
directed by: Roman Polanski
'The Frog' (played by Chris Campion) - youth sidekick of Captain Red (played by Walther Matthau) was constantly barefoot in this movie - Polanski's attempt at an adventure comedy.
The Pirate Movie
(AUS, 1982)
directed by: Ken Annakin
A parody/homage to Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance, The Pirate Movie is a comedy/musical utilizing both new songs and parodies from the original, as well as references to popular films of the time, including Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. In your typical boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy fights girl with swords plot, the story revolves around Mabel, the youngest of Maj. Gen. Stanley's many daughters, and Frederic, an ex-Pirate of Penzance. Aside from the early-eighties cute couple Christopher Atkins and Kristy McNichol in the roles of the aforementioned lovers, the film has a great lot of barefeet throughout the whole length of the movie (especially where the pirates are concerned...)
(this entry committed by Boomer
The Pirates of Tortuga
One of the many pirate adventure movies, showing a lot of men of the
seas on bare feet... (I listed some others, just as examples...) - and
especially one leading lady doing a barefoot dance in a clearing.
At first, this feature seems like a classic fairy tale, as a young prince is
affected by a curse, and has to go on a quest to find a cure. The opening of
the movie shows us the young prince, Ashitaka, as he rides his mount (which
looks like a crossing of a reindeer with capricorn horns) to a watchtower,
where a strange creature was said to have been spotted. Ashitaka is clearly
riding barefoot, and also nimbly climbs the watchtower in his bare feet.
Later on, the story unfolds in a far more complex way, than the average fairy
tale construction would. The so-called curse, which is more of a disease, is
spread in the so-far almost untouched nature by the doings of an aristocrat,
the Lady Eboshi, who owns an iron mine and processing plant to produce bullets
and archaic, but still (unfortunately) effective muzzle loaders.
Several characters are shown barefoot, including the ready-mouthed women in
Eboshi's village operating the giant bellows of the forges in their bare feet.
The Quest for Fire
see: La Guerre du Feu
Rapa Nui
A historic drama set on the Easter Island, with all people (natives) being barefot throughout the whole movie. They even climb an iceberg barefoot, which miraculously floats by their island.
Return to the Blue Lagoon
The sequel to The Blue Lagoon again has a young couple in their bare feet stranded on an island. Title roles played by Milla Jovovich (current female star of Luc Besson's The Fifth Element and Brian Krause.
RG Veda - original title: Seiden RG Veda
This OVA (Original Video Anime) is based on the manga RG Veda by the
acclaimed female author team CLAMP. Three members of the team also are credited
for the screenplay of the video version.
In the manga, the war god/general Yasha-Oh comes to know of a prophecy which
has a special role in stock for him: being the destroyer of the world he lives
in, together with five other warriors, who are referred to in the prophecy as
"the six stars". The trigger of his fate is his awakening of young Ashura, who
has been sealed by a spell for 300 years.
All of the six stars and many others, including divine royalties are barefoot
in the manga as well as in the anime version. The characters are derived from
mythical beings from the Indic vedes (hence the title).
Ride a Wild Pony
Genial, atmospheric Disney story about an irresistible pony and the
two children on of poor farm family and crippled rich girl who
vie for its love and ownership. Sentimental tale adapted from
James Aldridge's A Sporting Proposition.
Scott (the boy) is barefoot throughout apart from the scene
where he has to appear in court. I thought at least some of the
other kids at the school he went to would have been barefoot
too. In this case the director appears to have used his barefootedness
to underline his "wildness" and his less priviledged background.
No matter, we see him barefooting his way walking, running and
riding through all kinds of breathtaking scenery; doing chores at
the ranch; going to school; at the county fair etc.
Die Rote Zora und ihre Bande - English title would be translated:
This 13-episode TV series was made from the children's novel of the same
title written by Kurt Held. It deals with the adventures of young boy Branko,
who lives in the Croatian town Senj, and comes in touch with a children gang,
who is led by a red-haired girl named Zora.
Mainly, this gang is not the usual criminal type, but rather a band of
orphan children sticking together. All the kids are shown barefoot.
Ruby and Rata
The story of a single-parent young mother, being a musician, living in
a house owned by an eccentric old lady. The young mother (Ruby) is some-
times shown barefoot, for example also when discussing her social welfare
money affairs with a state official (who, in that scene does not
act like her barefeet are in any way affect him - another example of
a barefoot-friendly environment: New Zealand.).
Salaam Bombay
The story of the Indian street urchin Krishna/Chaipu (played by Shafiq Syed)
surely is a barefoot lifestyle movie (although some people might again draw
the wrong conclusion of 'barefoot = poverty' from it...)
The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo
Family period film about "wild" boy facing danger from an evil uncle.
... I saw this movie. It's geared to families with younger children
and is quite funny in places. Barefooters will be happy to
know that the little wild barefoot urchin that the movies centers
around is never civilized with shoes, and looks completely agile
and at home in his native environment.
The Seven Year Itch
The Girl (played by Marylin Monroe), giving Mr. Sherman (Tom Ewell) a hard
time in the seventh year of his marriage, is seen in this movie, kicking off
her shoes, and cooling her bare feet in front of an air conditioner.
(The movie got most famous for the scene where Marylin's high-heeled shoes
get stuck in the metal grid covering a subway vent shaft, and a train passing
underground sends her skirt flying up... the scene has been quoted and paro-
dized often since... and might also be quoted as a possible example of the
troubles one can get into when wearing shoes... :))
Sheena
Sheena's white parents are killed while on Safari. She is raised by the mystical witch woman of an African
tribe. When her foster mother is framed for the murder of a political leader, Sheena and a newsman, Vic
Casey are forced to flee while pursued by the mercenaries hired by the real killer, who hopes to assume
power. Sheena's ability to talk to the animals and knowledge of jungle lore give them a chance against the
high tech weapons of the mercenaries. Throughout her upbringing, and battling the mercenaries, she is seen always in her bare feet - that being, as it seems, the best footwear to deal with high-tech and bad guys. :)
Sirga
see: L'enfant Leon
Smiley
Soft-treading narrative of young boy who wants a bicycle,
becoming entangled with drug-smugglers. The boy is barefoot
throughout, as is completely normal for Australian kids of this
time and place.
Splash
A romantic comedy, starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah - in which a young man stumbles all of a sudden into encountering a real and live mermaid.
True to the original Andersen tale, she has legs to walk on, when on land, instead of a fin tail, and - delightfully - prefers to walk barefoot, even though her human lover
does indeed buy her fancy clothing and shoes. Daryl Hannah is seen in several scenes walking the streets of New York City on bare feet.
Spirited Away
This is the feature-length animated movie, that won Miyazaki his Academy Award.
The story is about a young girl, Chihiro, who moves into a new town with her
parents (and is not at all thrilled by that idea), and comes to visit a seemingly
derelict theme park on their way to the new house - where they get lost, of course.
Almost a classic way to start a fairy tale is getting lost. In the course of their
exploration of the theme park, the parents are changed into pigs, and Chihiro finds
herself in an unreal world, where suddenly animals talk, spirits and gods come alive
to visit a bath house.
In order to retrieve her parents and find a way out of that world, Chihiro takes
the effort to get a job in the bath house (job description: worst chores, such as tub
scrubbing - job footwear: none at all).
Star Trek - The Way to Eden (TV series episode)
Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things...
This 2-part feature-length episode about a temporal anomaly and Jean-Luc Picard
jumping through different temporal states (thanks to the help of Q) has a
barefoot captain in the beginning and in the end, who remarks with a smile
when asked by the ship's doctor, Beverly Crusher, about his so-called hallucinations: "I just like to take a barefoot walk through the ship's corridors at night".
Storm Boy
an environmental drama from Australia, again starring David Gulpilil in a
barefoot Aborigine role and Mike Rowe in the title role - the epitomy of a wild barefoot Australian boyhood.
Tammy Tell Me True
Tammy Tyree, title character, played by Sandra Dee, talks about being used
to walking barefoot.
quote:
"Just because you have shoes doesn't mean you have to wear
them and show off that you have them..."
Terminator 2 - Judgment Day
Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton), who has already been chased by a
terminator throughout the first movie, has been detained in a psychiatric
hospital, and makes her rather vehement escape from it in her bare feet. -
Too bad she later goes for donning combat boots
The Time Machine
Written after one of the classics of Science Fiction, the main hero
George (i.e. H.G. Wells - played by Rod Taylor) zooms off into the
future, to see a glum fortune awaiting the human race - including
a nuclear war eradicating modern civilization. A few hundred thousand
years later, though, he finds a society, the Eloi, who are seemingly
living in paradise - and he meets Weena, a female Eloi (Yvette Mimieux),
who shows him around (All Eloi in the movie are barefoot). Realizing,
however, that this is no perfect society, and that the Eloi are merely
food for the cannibalistic faction living underground - the Morlocks -
George educates them to revolt, and start living properly. After returning
to his 'native' time period, he again travels into the future (with some
books as guidance) to educate the Eloi (let's just hope he does not show
them how to manufacture shoes!).
The movie was re-made in 2002, directed by Simon Wells (the great-grandson
of H.G. Wells, the original author of the novel The Time Machine).
Sadly, in this remake, the Eloi are shod. The time-traveller, here named
Alexander Hartdegen, is played by Guy Pearce, who is also known to have
played a drag queen named Felicia Jollygoodfellow in THe Adventures of Priscilla,
Queen of the Desert - alongside the now well-known Hugo Weaving (a.k.a.
Agent Smith or Elrond).
Tom and Huck
A newer rendition of Mark Twain's classic (this time mainly scripted by Ron
Koslow) has a permanently barefoot Huck Finn (Brad Renfro) in it, while
Tom (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) only once loses a shoe in the mud, but
otherwise remains shod (strangely so, since I remember Tom being barefoot as well...)
Toupou
This animated series (26 episodes) deals with the adventures of a young girl, who
lives in Central Park, NYC, where she was raised as a baby foundling by the park
animals. She can talk to squirrels, pigeons and other animals, and eventually
learned the human speech from people in the park, while staying hidden.
Toupou, this being the girl's name, is shown barefoot in the warm seasons.
I happened to stumble over one episode while zapping through TV channels
and seeing an animated barefoot girl with a wild red mane of hair.
A Town Like Alice
A WW2, prisoner-of-war drama, in which a woman living in Malaya is taken
prisoner by the Japanese. Forced to walk when moving camps, the prisoners
find that walking in shoes soon gives them blisters, and gradually, most
of them walk barefoot. One scene shows a boy, who has walked barefoot for
a month, but still carries his shoes... and, when comping to a pond, looks
at the shoes, then at the pond, and hurls them into it.
Walt Disney's Aladdin
Title hero Aladdin (voiced by Scott Weinger) is seen barefoot almost through-
out the whole movie - apart from the section, where he comes to play as prince,
and therefore turns into a more 'stylish' outfit, which - unfortunately - has
boots going with it. (Another possible example of the 'barefoot = beggar'
interpretation, but since he is the hero, and winning against the nasties,
Aladdin is a role model for the kids... and perhaps even one to follow in
being barefoot.)
Walt Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame
One might ask, whether there is nothing that Disney has not done...? But,
nevertheless, their rendering of the Hugo novel (which, again, has been
adaptated to serve the Disney style proper...) shows another barefoot
and lively Esmeralda, this time voiced by Demi Moore (not in the songs, though)
who has had her own
share of barefoot roles and acting...
Walt Disney's The Jungle Book
Even though it is an animated movie, this rendering of Mowgli was - true
to the original - barefoot as well... here 'played' (voiced, rather) by
the director's son, Bruce Reitherman.
Walt Disney's Pocahontas
Although Disney has been criticized much for twisting the characters and their
history, e.g. when it comes to showing Capt. John Smith as the shining hero
he was absolutely not, this animated feature surely belongs onto the list
of barefoot movies, for showing the grace and ease with which Pocahontas
walks in her world on her bare feet.
Plus: this movie was the inspiration for James Cameron to begin a project
later known as Avatar...
Waterworld
A possible future, which we might face as well, considering the currently
discussed effects of global warming? After the polar ice caps have molten
away, Earth is covered by water. Human settlements only exist on man-made
atolls. One legend among these post-apocalyptic people is the existence
of "Dryland", the only larger land mass, which is supposed to exist somewhere.
Living in this environment, we come to know the movie's nameless hero, who
is called The Mariner, played by a constantly barefoot (in the movie,
that is) Kevin Costner. As we learn in the course of the plot, he is the
example of an adaptive mutation, having working gills as well as lungs, and
webbed feet.
He happens to rescue a young woman named Helen and her adopted daughter Enola,
who carries an interesting tattoo on her back - apparently a map leading to Dryland.
Of course, there are villains (know as the "Smokers" - ruthless people hoarding
oil), and their leader, the Deacon (Dennis Hopper), who are looking for
Dryland as well.
Whale Rider - Te Kaieke Tohora (Maori title)
A young Maori girl, Paikea, challenges the ways of her tribe and people by
wanting to become the Whale Rider, thereby leader of her tribe. Traditionally,
becoming the Whale Rider is reeved for the Maori men only. Despite her grandfather's
wrath, she learns to do the traditional dances, to fight and to handle a canoe.
Since the film depicts a lot of things which breach traditional Maori taboos,
the cast and crew performed special Maori chants to ward off traditional bad
luck that might arise from Keisha Castle-Hughes' (Paikea's) doing the things
as part of the film.
When the Whales Came
A pair of children befriend an eccentric old man, who lives isolated on the far shore of their island home. But
it turns out that the old man knows a terrible secret about the island and the narwhales who sometimes
come. Meanwhile WWI is making life hard in the village. The two children are seen mostly barefoot (also when going to school...) - plus: Helen Pearce, who portrays the girl, Gracie Jenkins, is a native of the Scilly Isles and may just portray her real-life way of walking here. Another nice footnote (no pun intended): a nice continuity error was noted, when Gracie was clearly seen barefoot when walking a wooden veranda, yet the sound of shoes clamping on wood was cut in. :) - Thanks to Louis van Rooyen (DSS member) for contributing this title - among other - and also for noting that nice blooper).
Where the Red Fern Grows
The story of the boyhood of young Billy - a barefoot boyhood, too.
Witness
Another Weir/Ford collaboration, in which Harrison Ford stars as Detective John Book
who is confronted with the situation to clerar up a murder case, in which it soon
becomes clear that the culprit is a fellow policeman, and the sole witness to the
murder being an Amish boy. Book chooses to live with the Amish in order to protect
the boy from being killed.
The Yearling
The story of Jody Baxter, raising a young deer - the classic boyhood-and-
parting drama, very emotional, yet very encouraging for barefooters, since
young Jody is seen sans shoes in this movie. Other cast members include
Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman as Jody's parents. A TV-movie remake was done
in 1994, with Peter Strauss as Pa Baxter.
If you now wish to add a movie to the list, just click
HERE to do so. Thanks very much, indeed.
(USA, 1961)
directed by: Robert D. Webb
(original title: Mononoke-hime)
(Japan, 1997)
directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
(USA, 1994)
directed by: Kevin Reynolds
(USA, 1991)
directed by: William A. Graham
(J, 1992)
directed by: Hiroyuki Ebata & Takamasa Ikegami
(a.k.a. Born to Run)
(USA/AUS, 1976)
directed by: Don Chaffey
(Thanks to Mike Berrow for submitting this plot info)
Red Zora and her gang
(Yugoslavia/Germany/Switzerland, 1979)
directed by: Fritz Umgelter
(New Zealand, 1990)
directed by: Gaylene Preston
(France/India, 1988)
directed by: Mira Nair
(a.k.a. Jungle Book 2: Mowgli and Baloo or: Rudyard Kipling's The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo)
(USA, 1997)
directed by: Duncan McLachlan
(Thanks to Mike Berrow for submitting plot information)
(USA, 1995)
directed by: Billy Wilder
(USA, 1984)
dir. by: John Guillermin
(UK, 1956)
directed by: Anthony Kimmins
(Thanks to Mike Berrow for submitting plot information)
(USA, 1984)
directed by: Ron Howard
(original title: Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
(Japan, 2001)
directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Chihiro (or, as she is called in the bath house, Sen) angry, as a friend has been hurt...
(USA, 1969)
directed by: David Alexander
This episode features a space-faring band of hippies, who are all (or mostly,
at least) barefoot, following an enigmatic, but also (sadly) crazy leader,
a Dr. Sevrin (played by Skip Homeier), to the legendary planet Eden. The
Enterprise intercepts them, as they are travelling on a stolen starcruiser,
and then has to deal with them... which includes a notable jam session with
Spock and his Vulcan harp.
Other notable barefoot guest stars: Charles Napier as Adam and Michelle Philips
as Eve (sic!).
The episode might also be seen as a dampener on being barefoot, since in the
end the space hippies find their 'Eden' only to confront a hostile environment
with poisonous fruit, and all plants on the ground, such as grass, containing acid, burning
their bare feet... The underlying message might have been, that is is not easy
to find a paradise like the one those hippies yearned for
(perhaps Roddenberry's way of dealing with the hippie movement back in the 1960s..??).
Dr. Sevrin and his merry band of barefoot followers
(USA, 1994)
directed by: Winrich Kolbe
(AUS, 1977)
directed by: Henri Safran
(USA, 1961)
directed by: Harry Keller
This was one out of a whole series of 'Tammy' movies... and Sandra Dee was
seen barefoot in some of them. Other titles include "Tammy and the Bachelor",
"Tammy and the Doctor", and "Tammy and the Millionaire" - the success of
the films prompted a TV series "Tammy" in 1965, in which the title character
was seen barefoot in several of the 30-minute episodes.
(from "Tammy Tell Me True")
(USA, 1991)
directed by: James Cameron
(USA, 1960)
directed by: George Pal
(a.k.a. Tom Sawyer)
(USA, 1995)
directed by: Peter Hewitt
(F/CAN, 2005)
directed by: Xavier Giacometti
(a.k.a. Rape of Malaya)
(UK, 1956)
directed by: Jack Lee
(Note: the title above refers to the original movie - however, it was
remade as a 301-minute TV miniseries, directed by David Stevens in 1985.)
(USA, 1992)
directed by: Ron Clements & John Musker
(USA, 1996)
directed by: Gary Trousdale
(USA, 1967)
directed by: Wolfgang Reitherman
(USA, 1995)
directed by: Mike Gabriel & Eric Goldberg
(USA, 1995)
directed by: Kevin Reynolds & Kevin Costner (uncredited)
(NZ, 2002)
directed by: Niki Caro
Paikea and most of the other Maori people in this movie are constantly barefoot.
(UK, 1989)
dir. by: Clive Rees
(USA, 1974)
directed by: Norman Tokar
(USA, 1985)
directed by: Peter Weir
Apart from very nice cinematography, and the wry dialogue Ford has been provided
with (quote: (John Book to a tourist who believes he's Amish) Listen, lady,
you take my picture and I'm going to rip off your brasierre and strangle you with it.)
we see a lot of bare feet, especially when the Amish community gathers to build a barn
(with which Book helps - I presume this must have been some extra fun for Harrison
Ford, him being a fully-learned carpenter...). Co-stars include Kelly McGillis,
Lukas Haas, Alexander Godunov.
(USA, 1946)
directed by: Clarence Brown
Credits: