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Fears of Children
About this film
Subtle case study produced for parents, teachers, and mental health professionals on the importance of constructive parenting in overcoming childhood fears. The parents of a healthy five-year-old do not grasp why their child fears entering a cave. The mother tries to be sympathetic, but the father shows impatience. Feeling anger at his father, the child drowns his stuffed bear. After the parents take time to think about their son’s behavior, they resolve to show greater understanding, and father and son reconcile. “Psychiatrists alone cannot solve the mental health problems of our nation,” said a Mental Health Film Board spokesperson commenting on the film. “More and more it will be the responsibility of parents, teachers, nurses, doctors, and ministers” ( New York Times , Dec. 12, 1951). Note: A companion pamphlet was issued under the same title. Third in the Mental Health Film Board’s Emotions of Everyday Living series. Primarily distributed in 16mm. The Mental Health Film Board, founded in 1949 by psychiatrists and filmmakers, sponsored psychiatric films for professionals and the general public. Rex Thompson, the son, played Louis Leonowens in the movie The King and I .
Directors & creators
International Film Foundation
Subjects
sponsored film
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