Shirley Temple was one of the biggest movie stars ever. And Heidi is a classic and well-loved children's story. It seemed like a winning combination.
Specs:
An hour and a half, black and white. (Also available in "colorized" on the dvd we watched.)
Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
7.38
More about the film and our reaction to it:
I was pleasantly surprised by the film. Shirley Temple (here at about age 9) is a consummate performer and, though precocious, is not irritating at all. She is actually cute as can be, and her relationship with her grandfather is quite moving.
The story, which starts out as a very affirming tale of warm family bonds, as Heidi overcomes gruff grandpa's barriers, becomes surprisingly tense part way through when Heidi's aunt kidnaps her and Heidi is forced to live with a rich family and kept from her grandfather. I'm sorry to say that we were not familiar with the plot of the story, so I can't speak to how closely this follows the book, but the movie is dramatic, nerve-wracking and at times a bit frightening. I was certainly surprised by its intensity, having expected something much more juvenile.
And I might be mistaken, but I think there is only one musical number in the whole movie. It doesn't view at all like a musical - and is almost more like an adventure story. And therein probably lies its continuing appeal. The scenery is beautiful -- even in black and white. (In fact, we actually started viewing the colorized version first and hated the artificial look it gave to the scenery. It really was better in its original form).
This is a good story that all but the youngest and most sensitive in your family are likely to enjoy if they keep an open mind.
Iconic shot:
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