MartinHafer I noticed that one reviewer read the books of the author who came up with this story and they were very disappointed in the film. That is often the case--films usually do compare poorly to the movie versions. However, since I've never read anything by Zenna Henderson, the film was just fine to me...and I assume that if you haven't read the books you'll enjoy this unusual film.When the film begins, a young and eager new school teacher (Kim Darby) is excited to be going to a very isolated town out west to teach. However, it soon becomes apparent that this is no ordinary town...they are all a bunch of weirdos. It isn't that they are bad...but the way they react to her and things in general is very odd. They appear humorless and almost emotionless and it's not easy teaching kids who grow up in this strange cult-like environment. But, being an installment of "The ABC Movie of the Week", you KNOW it's got to have a weird secret...but I don't want to ruin the suspense so I'll say not more about the plot.The bottom line is that if you like fantasy or sci-fi, you'll likely enjoy this picture. I appreciated how the secret did NOT turn out to necessarily be a bad or malevolent thing and the film was very satisfying. Plus, it was nice to see Darby and William Shatner in this one as they both had previously acted together in the "Star Trek" episode, "Miri"...where Darby played a teenager infatuated with the dashing Captain.

Michael_Elliott The People (1972)** (out of 4) Kim Darby plays Melodye Amerson, a teacher who takes a job in a very small community and not realizing what she's gotten herself into. One her first day of school she's rudely welcomed by the parents but the children constantly ignore her because of their beliefs. These "beliefs" are a secret that the teacher as well as a health worker (William Shatner) must try to figure out by getting the people to trust them.THE PEOPLE is a fairly forgettable made-for-TV mixture of drama and sci-fi. The movie contains elements of VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED, TO SIR WITH LOVE and several other sci-fi stories because it turns out that the villagers are able to read minds as well as move objects. It's important to note that this film was made before CARRIE and other movies like that so it did get the jump on them. There are certainly some interesting ideas scattered throughout the film but sadly the direction is pretty one-note and the film eventually drags even at just 74 minutes.The best thing going for the film is the performance by Darby who is certainly believable in the role of the teacher who must keep fighting to try and get the kids to trust her. Once she discovers their secrets, the performance takes on an even stronger note. Shatner is decent in his role but to be fair he really isn't given much to do. The supporting cast fit their roles nicely but no one really stands out. THE PEOPLE could have used a tad bit more life and there's no question that some of the special effects aren't the greatest.

spencerthetracy This movie is nothing if not sincere. It takes you on a bit of an emotional journey. First you want the heroine to get out of there and give these goof balls up. Then as she understands them a little better-you do too. A totally unexpected response. One can see the slow transformation of these kids and you begin to like them and root for the teacher. I watched this movie for the first time yesterday and I liked this movie, though I had never even heard of it before. Miss Darby has that simple charm and shy beauty that is rare for any one in Hollywood.

John Costello I saw this when it first came out (I was at an SF Con at the time) and then later in a re-run. Considering the budget constraints of 1970s TV Sci-Fi movies, they did an impressive amount of story telling, mixing two of the first 'People' stories to re-cast the tale for non-fans. The cast gives good performances (Shatner is not the ham he usually is), the 'special effects' are limited to wires and a series of crayon drawn pictures which tell the background very effectively. This is actually the second 'People' filming -- Science Fiction Theater ripped off the same story for one of its episodes. Zenna Henderson's People stories were collected by NESFA Press and can be found at Amazon.com and elsewhere.