D: Allan Dwan
20th Century Fox (Raymond
Griffith)
US 1937
88 mins
Drama
W: Walter Ferris & Julian Josephson [based
on the novel by Johanna Spyri]
DP: Arthur Miller
Ed: Allen McNeil
Mus: Louis Silvers
Shirley Temple (Heidi), Jean Hersholt (Adolph
Kramer), Arthur Treacher (Andrews), Marcia Mae Jones (Klara Sesemann), Sidney Blackmer (Herr Sesemann)
If ever a role were perfect for young Shirley
Temple, it was that of Johanna Spyri's alpine juvenile Heidi, a young orphan girl sent to live her crotchety old grandfather in the Swiss alps.
It's a typically old-fashioned Hollywood film
from the golden age which isn't exactly a timeless classic, but you couldn't imagine a different lead than the dimpled child actress. Even the hardest of hearts will crack a smile
or even shed a tear watching this.
There have been several remakes, but none
match up to this version.
6/10