The Light In The Forest (1958)

Set in 1764 in Ohio and Pennsylvania, a peace treaty is signed between the Delaware Indians and the British forces (this is pre-Revolutionary War) and part of the treaty is that all white prisoners held by the Delawares are to be returned. Among them is a teen age boy (James MacArthur) who has lived with the Indians so long he considers himself Indian and the tribe's chief (Joseph Calleia) as his father. He is resistant to acclimating to the white way of life. Based on the novel by Conrad Richter and directed by Herschel Daugherty. This being a Walt Disney production the film has been somewhat sanitized from its source material. For example, a fight between MacArthur and his nemesis is changed from the scalping in the book to a fistfight in the movie. A love interest in the form of Carol Lynley is added to the film which was not in the book. The film is well intentioned and while it tries to be fair to both the white settlers and the Native Americans, there is still a slight residue of racism as the white way of life is presented (perhaps unintentionally) as superior and the boy must be cleansed of his Indian habits and thoughts before he is acceptable to the community. With Fess Parker, Wendell Corey, Joanne Dru, Jessica Tandy, John McIntire, Marian Seldes, Rafael Campos, Stephen Bekassy and Myrna Fahey.