Starring Shirley Temple, Jean Hersholt, Marcia Mae Jones, and Arthur Treacher
Directed by Allan Dwan
Music by Lew Pollack and others; Lyrics by Sidney D. Mitchell and others
This is one of eight adaptations of classic children's literature Temple appeared in, and possibly the most popular. It's also one of the most typical, and is often the movie people think of when she comes to mind. Swiss writer Joanna Spyri's tale of the little orphan who comes to the Alps to live with her grandfather has been made into a movie many times. We've already seen it once on this blog, in an animated version from Hanna-Barbara in the early 80's. How does this live-action retelling compare? Let's begin with Aunt Dede (Mady Christiens) as she brings little Heidi (Temple) to her grandfather's remote cabin in the Alps and see...
The Story: Grandfather (Hersholt) isn't popular among the people in the tiny Swiss village below his cabin. The people fear him after he turned away his son for marrying a woman he didn't approve of. Heidi is the result of that union...and indeed, he resents her at first. She finally wins him and everyone else in the town over with her sweet and bubbly personality. Grandfather even comes down to the village church for the first time in a decade.
Aunt Dede returns to sweep Heidi away to the German town of Frankfurt, where she's to be a companion for crippled Klara Seseman (Marcia Mae Jones). Klara thinks she's adorable, but her nanny Frouline Rottenmeyer (Mary Nash) wishes she'd stop encouraging Klara to recover faster. Rottenmeyer's worried she'll lose her job if her charge can walk. Heidi, for her part, only wants to return to her grandfather and her beloved mountain home by any means possible.
The Song and Dance: To be honest, this is more of a melodrama than a musical, but there's still some nice performances. Jean Hersholt is a delightfully gruff Grandfather and plays very well off Temple's darling Heidi, especially when they're in the Alps during the first half. Jones did so well playing Klara, she actually got letters from real disabled children who appreciated her performance. Marsh makes a nice hissable Rottenmeyer who lives up to her name, and Arthur Treacher has a few good moments as the Sesemans' stuffy butler Andrews.
Favorite Number: Heidi has a dream sequence when Grandfather reads her the story of a little Dutch girl as she imagines herself surrounded by children "In My Little Wooden Shoes," and then as a grown-up lady at a fancy costume ball. Everyone in the village - including Heidi - is surprised when Grandfather joins them at the church for the hymn "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name."
What I Don't Like: The first half is a relatively faithful version of the original novel, with a few condensed characters and situations. It's the finale where things go off the rails. The big finale, with Heidi being dragged off in the snow by Rottemeyer while her grandfather is in prison, is way too melodramatic for the mostly comic story that came before it. Even if it does end happily, it's still too much. Klara doesn't really get to meet most of the mountain people, and we don't get to see her walk for long, either.
Like Heidi's Song, this does feature a pair of somewhat out of place young lovers in the minister and schoolteacher. At least here, they are based on characters from the book and have slightly more to do. The minister hears Grandfather's backstory from the blind grandmother (Helen Wesley), and they parrot the villagers' opinions when they try to get Heidi to attend school.
The Big Finale: Not my favorite Temple movie, but there's enough to recommend, especially in the less-overwrought first half, for families or fans of hers or the book.
Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming.
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