VividSimon Simply Perfect

Pluskylang Great Film overall

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

reggie13chip The ABSOLUTE WORST version of HEIDI ever made! Shirley Temple is nauseating as always and couldn't act if her life depended on it!!!!! This film has almost nothing to do with the Johanna Spyri classic! I'm certain she never had a thought that Heidi's aunt would kidnap her or the governess would try to sell her to gypsies! Utter nonsense! If I could give this 0 stars I would!

Hitchcoc People sometimes make fun of Shirley Temple. The fact of the matter is that not only was she precocious, she was incredibly talented. She could sing, dance, and, especially, act. This is the famous story of the little orphan girl who is not wanted and is sent off to live with her reclusive uncle (played beautifully by Jean Hersholt) who initially resents her but recognizes she needs a place. Just when they have bonded and she begins to love him, she is uprooted from this life, place in a family where she is to be the caretaker of a little disabled girl. She is immediately despised by Fraulein Rottenmeier who sees her as a threat, especially when Heidi gets the little girl, Klara, to walk. This is really a good movie with some very memorable characters. It also has the beauty of the Alps as a kind of character. Shirley Temple was one of the most popular actresses of her time and this showed how engaging she could be.

mark.waltz With all the Moppets running around in the mid-late 1930's, I bet none of their mothers could say that they never had a temper tantrum. On her movies, she only got mad when she needed to defend herself. Here, she must go up against a scheming aunt, a vindictive housekeeper and evil gypsies. She is able to charm embittered grandfather Jean Hersholt and win an entire Swiss mountain community over.Yet, in spite of all the sappiness, this is the best of Temple's movies and is both heart-warming and sweet. There are plenty of pathos and a bit of humor, especially the presence of an organ grinder's monkey who creates chaos in the Frankfurt house that Heidi is taken to against her will. It is obvious that depression era audiences needed someone like Shirley to brighten things up, so her talents can't be denied in that respect. If FDR hadn't been do popular, somebody might have endorsed Temple for president!As usual, there are evil grown-ups and in this case, it is Mary Nash as the nastiest housekeeper outside of "Rebecca's" Mrs. Danvers. Mady Christians is nasty as her self- serving aunt. On the good side, there is Helen Westley as a sweet blind mountain woman, Delmar Watson as her grandson who quickly befriends Heidi, Marcia Mae Jones as Clara, the Frankfurt girl whom Heidi is brought to serve as her companion, and Sidney Blackmer as Clara's kind father. Arthur Treachet offers some comical buttling and Thomas Beck is the kindly minister whom Temple tried to find a wife for.There's an unnecessarily cloying musical number that comes as part of a dream sequence rather than a plot device. It's fine for what it is bit perhaps one or two numbers in the course of the film would have served it better. Still, it is truly an enjoyable film and remains the best of the "Heidi's".

vincentlynch-moonoi The news came out today that Shirley Temple has died. And so, as is my custom when an actor I admire dies, I try to watch one of their films. And, for my money, "Heidi" is the best of the Temple childhood films. I loved it when I was a kid, and I still love...and I'm 64 years old now! And, despite the "unrealness" of it, I actually prefer the colorized version.This film is a treat for so many reasons. In the early scenes, much is seen, but not spoken...and it works very well. And then there are the classic scenes -- the breaking of the snow globe by the rotten Fraulein Rottenmeier (what a delicious name for her), the monkey, the sled chase...and so many more.Another treat, aside from Shirley Temple at her best, is the fine old actor Jean Hersholt as the grandfather; the Academy Award's Humanitarian Award is dedicated to him. Marcia Mae Jones was fine as the invalid rich girl, and this film was where I first noticed the fine character actor Sidney Blackmer as Herr Sesemann, Clara's doting father. Arthur Treacher is fun -- again here -- as (who else) the butler. And Mary Nash has her most memorable role as Fräulein Rottenmeier. Worth mentioning is Helen Westley as the old blind woman. Now to those who complain that the film doesn't follow the original story. So what? That was a book. This is a film. Two different mediums, each with its own talent of telling a story. Get over it.The film is a gem.