Heidi

Rating:
Summary: My favorite Shirley Temple movie =)
Review: This, in my opinion, is some of the best work Shirley Temple has ever done, although it's hard to decide seeing as she has made many wonderful movies. =) "Heidi" tells the story of a young girl who is sent off by her aunt to her grandfather's house to live. He is a grumpy old man, but Heidi makes the best of the situation and gradually wiggles her way into the man's affections. Just when Heidi and her grandfather are truly settled and happy together, Heidi's aunt returns (on her birthday, unfortunately) and whisks her away to a bustling town, where she must live with Fraulein Rottenmeier and Klara. Fraulein is a coldhearted woman, but Klara is sweet and affectionate as she could be. An accident has left her in a wheelchair, and she is obviously in need of a friend to talk to her and lift her spirits. Heidi ends up being exactly what Klara needs, but forcing Heidi to live there means going against Heidi's will. She does not want to be there, and Fraulein certainly doesn't want her, either. Apparently, Fraulein is Klara's money-hungry caretaker, and the fact that Heidi is contributing to Klara's emotional, spiritual, and eventually physical healing threatens to put Fraulein out of her job. Unfortunate circumstances force Heidi to stay right where she is. Throughout Heidi's quest to get back to her beloved grandfather, thorough displays of love and friendship come into play. This is an excellent movie for the entire family to watch together. Hey, it's a Shirley Temple movie--how can you go wrong? =) Buy this movie now and have the opportunity to see one of Heidi's most touching movies ever. =)

Rating:
Summary: My favorite Shirley Temple movie =)
Review: This, in my opinion, is some of the best work Shirley Temple has ever done, although it's hard to decide seeing as she has made many wonderful movies. =) "Heidi" tells the story of a young girl who is sent off by her aunt to her grandfather's house to live. He is a grumpy old man, but Heidi makes the best of the situation and gradually wiggles her way into the man's affections. Just when Heidi and her grandfather are truly settled and happy together, Heidi's aunt returns (on her birthday, unfortunately) and whisks her away to a bustling town, where she must live with Fraulein Rottenmeier and Klara. Fraulein is a coldhearted woman, but Klara is sweet and affectionate as she could be. An accident has left her in a wheelchair, and she is obviously in need of a friend to talk to her and lift her spirits. Heidi ends up being exactly what Klara needs, but forcing Heidi to live there means going against Heidi's will. She does not want to be there, and Fraulein certainly doesn't want her, either. Apparently, Fraulein is Klara's money-hungry caretaker, and the fact that Heidi is contributing to Klara's emotional, spiritual, and eventually physical healing threatens to put Fraulein out of her job. Unfortunate circumstances force Heidi to stay right where she is. Throughout Heidi's quest to get back to her beloved grandfather, thorough displays of love and friendship come into play. This is an excellent movie for the entire family to watch together. Hey, it's a Shirley Temple movie--how can you go wrong? =) Buy this movie now and have the opportunity to see one of Heidi's most touching movies ever. =)

Rating:
Summary: Plucky Shirley Helps Everyone Find Happiness
Review: Well, almost everyone--that Frau Rottenmeier doesn't seem too thrilled with the curative effect Heidi is having on crippled Clara, whom Frau Rottenmeier would like to depend solely on her. And why, you may ask? Well, that might make Clara's rich widowed father think the housekeeper should be upgraded to second wife, of course. Now you may wonder, what's Heidi the Alpine Miss doing here in Frankfort anyway? Our film opens with Heidi's being deposited on her paternal grandfather by her shrewish Aunt Dete, who's tired of taking care of her sister's orphan. In time, Heidi works her charm on the curmudgeonly grandfather and they grow to love each other. Then Aunt Dete resurfaces and uses a ruse to transport Heidi to Frankfort as a companion to a sickly crippled girl. But true soulmates can never be separated, and as Heidi longs to return to her alpine home, so her grandfather sets off to find his granddaughter, even if it's on foot. Lots of excitement before our happy ending is concluded. Like all Shirley Temple vehicles, "Heidi" provides an excellent role model for young children, a resourceful cheerful girl who makes friends quickly and acts the peacemaker. Shirley turns in a good performance and even reunites with her previous co-star, butler Arthur Treacher. Marcia Mae Jones gets to play Clara, a nice girl here, instead of the jealous girl she was in "The Little Princess"; Mary Nash, another veteran of "The Little Princess", is just as mean in both movies . Share "Heidi" with some young children you know for an entertaining and edifying time.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful movie
Review: When eight-year-old Heidi (played by Shirley Temple) is orphaned, her maternal Aunt Dete (Mady Christians) takes her to live with her gruff and unsociable paternal grandfather, Adolph Kramer (Jean Hersholt). Through her sweetness and love, she brings the Grandfather out of his shell, and back into the company of men. Disaster strikes when Aunt Dete steals Heidi away to be the companion of a rich man's invalid daughter (Marcia Mae Jones). Showing nothing but kindness to all around her, she holds out hope that somehow she will be reunited with her grandfather and all of her friends. [Black-and-white, created in 1937, with a running time of 1 hour, 28 minutes.]

Perhaps a little saccharin compared to today's movies (thank God!), Heidi still has a powerful storyline. Combining rich dialogue with beautiful scenery, this movie even includes a sleigh-chase scene! I must also mention that this movie includes Arthur Treacher (playing Andrews the Butler), one of my personal favorites.

This movie is such a wonderful echo from another time. I must say that I doubt that the Hollywood of today could produce such an uplifting story, full of wonderful values. I have two children (7 and 10), and this was a great movie to watch with them, having nothing objectionable--in fact quite to the contrary. So, if you have children, then I can't recommend this movie enough!