Description

Katharine Hepburn reprises her triumphant Broadway role as a spoiled heir on the verge of marrying a snoot...but not if her ex-hubby (Cary Grant) and smitten reporter (James Stewart) can help it! ... Read more

Reviews (92)

True classic, beautifully preserved and re-released.....
Despite the fact that this film raises issues that are not very potent today, it remains to be a timeless classic because of its sheer artistic value. This great artistic value is largely due to the brilliant idea (the idea of creating a play about Kathrene Hepburn [not literally, of course], for Kathrene Hepburn), the plot itself, and film's charming and witty script. Hepburn is the only and true star in this story, although I can appreciate Stewart and Grant in their roles. But truly, it would not have mattered much artistically, if different supporting cast was chosen. Apparently, it did matter to RKO commercially a great deal. Thank God for that, because Stewart, Grant, Hussey, and Howard all added something to the film. The result is a story with a "love...well, let's just say, more than a usual triangle", that revolves around one Philadelphia society girl and a few of her eccentric family members. The DVD has an outstanding sound and picture quality. Cute little menu and original theatrical trailer are also included. It is nice to know that this great film will stay with us for generations to come and enjoy it.

See it............ NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is all I need to say:

Cary Grant Katharine Hepburn Jimmy Stewart GREAT PERFORMANCES ALL AROUND, ESPECIALLY FROM THE THREE AMAZING STARS AND RUTH HUSSET!

But I'll say more anyway.

Upper class lady Tracy Lord is about to be married to George Kittridge, general manager of Quaker State something or other (I haven't watched it for a month or so) after two years before divorcing CK Dexter Haven.

Spy Magazine big cheese Sindney Kidd sends Macauly Conner and Elizabeth Imbry to get an inside story on the wedding of Tracy Lord, and George Kittridge. They are to get inside via Tracy's ex husband Dexter, who decides to help for revenge against his ex-bride.

Hilarity ensues via needle sharp dialogue, carefully hidden gags, and terrific performances.

I haven't seen one movie by Cary Grant that I haven't liked; I have seen thrity-two. I Have only seen two Jimmy Stewart and Kate Hepburn that I didn't really enjoy a-piece, and I've seen about twenty or more of theirs.

And Cuckor's direction inspired many directors to choose alternative direction styles.

YES, BUY THIS ONE, YOU WON'T REGRET IT.
This is my absolute favorite performance by the great Katherine Hepburn. She is breathtaking and absolutely wonderful. Brilliant performances all across the board, an especially funny performance by James Stewart is just the icing on the cake. Cary Grant,one of my faves, also delivers a magnificent performance. Also worth mentioning is the very beautiful Ruth Hussey, whose potrayal of Liz is stunning. She was one of the most attractive actresses at the time, in my humble opinion. This movie is very funny and the sets and costumes are among the best Hollywood has ever offered. I highly recommend this as a must own.

Perfection!
So well written, so elegant! My favorite film.

The REAL High Society
Branded by Hollywood as "Box Office Poison" (usually the death blow to an actor's career), Katherine Hepburn put all of her eggs in this ONE basket, to prove she's still a force to be recconned with. Reprising her stage role, Kate secures the rights for the film version of "The Philadelphia Story". The trick worked. Katherine Hepburn was back as a big star on the Hollywood Sky.

Tracy Lord (Katherine Hepburn), a spoiled socialite scheduled to remarry when her first husband, C.K. Dexterhaven (Cary Grant) shows up as uninvited wedding guest. Add to the mix, Mike Connor (James Stewart) a reporter who is supposed to be covering the wedding for the tabloids but winds up falling for Tracy himself. The brief triangle has a predictable ending.

Less glamorous than the 1955 Technicolor Musical re-make "High Society" with Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby, this black & white Classic remains the superior production. Somewhat dated (definitely 1940s Movie Star Magazine material), this is still a groundbreaking romantic comedy. Ted Turner: Please keep your crayons away from this one!**** ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Not Particularly Good - But Entertaining...
I was about to write a review that so many people on this site have repeated: "Shirley Temple is SO cute in this film! She is beleivable and makes you think as a child might about the world. The film was made in lush technicolor and the sets and costumes are lavish!" Then, I thought that I should write a review, honestly stating what I felt about this film. This movie is a popular one, and a very good Shirley Temple vehicle, but it is not a particularly good movie.

I grew up with the Francis Hodgeson Burnett(The Secret Garden) book. I loved it's charm and message. The characters were priceless and the tale was brilliant, melancholy, but beautiful. The tale was about a young girl of seven named Sara Crewe, who has always had a wonderful relationship with her young and wealthy papa, Captain Crewe. When she is seven, she is left with a dissagreeable caretaker named Ms. Minchin in her seminary for 'distinguished young ladies.' As the years pass she makes friendships with the dumpy, comic, and sweet Ermangarde, and the cockny maid, Becky. She is pampered, and treated quite royaly, and is given the nickname of the 'little princess.' On her birthday, it is found out that her papa has passed away, and she is left to work as a scullery maid with nothing but a black frock, and a doll named Emily. Throughout her left as a miserable maid, she keeps her dignity, and the theme of the novel becomes not to let the hate around you make you bitter, and hateful. Sara is eventualy saved, in the end.

The plot of this movie is not at all faithful to the novel. Shirley Temple is only Shirley Temple throughout the film. Her dimples and teary eyes are, in comparison to the Sara of the novel, a baby. Sara of the novel was one 'who never cried' and was 'always dreaming and making up stories.' Temple's Sara cries often throughout the film, and it never dreams as the Sara of the book does. She is just a regular seven year old girl. The characters of Ermengarde, and Ms. Minchin's sister, Miss Amelia, have been either removed completly, or replaced with new characters. This leaves for a very miscast and confused film, that does not offer any of the beautiful lessons of the novel.

As a movie, it might seem entertaining. Throughout the film, a dance sequence with Sara and Miss Minchin's brother, Bertrand, appears. It is commonplace for Temple, also, to have a dance sequence of some sort. This has a 'fairy tale' dance sequence. The script has small bits of humor, but not anything quite so nice.

This is a nice movie, but not a good one to offer the lessons of the original book. All the same, it is best to watch it, as it will offer family entertainment. But, those who read the book will be disapointed.

A candidate for a restoration
The Little Princess remains one of my favorite childhood movie memories. Finding the DVD version was simple enough. I was unaware of how widely the quality varied between the different versions available. The first version I purchased from a Canadian group was horrible. This DVD presentation was reasonable but not striking. The image was grainy and lacked that "Technicolor" brilliance I had hoped for. All of the DVD and VHS versions seem to be made from one film transfer made from an old print. The color rendering is poor. Some scenes appear almost Black and White. Unlike "The WIzard of Oz" or "The Secret Garden" I don't think this was intentional. This version is not transfered from Technicolor stock. I wonder if it was even made from 35 millimeter film. The quality if any in this DVD is from some digital processing available to old video. It does not appear a flying spot scanner or any film restoration equipment was used to create this DVD. The only really nice color image was the cover of the DVD package. I wish someone could find the real Technicolor masters, either the negative or positive film. If you were going to restore one Shirley Temple work, this film would be the one. It is a classic of the time with a glimpse at that time. And Shirley Temple was good in this film. You wipe tears away from your eyes at least twice. And Temple sings a great little song. Did I mention she dances a little too.

watch the remake, please?
This is one of those few times when I like a remake better than the original of a motion picture. I'll confess that, based on this movie, I'm not a Shirley Temple fan (her voice alone is annoying, not to mention her acting ability). She is utterly unconvincing as Sara Crew, and that American accent! Please, can we stop making movies of British literature where all the characters except the main one are truly British? I know this is done so as to appease and appeal to the idiots on our side of the pond, but really, are we so uncultured and stupid, not to mension spoiled, that we won't watch a movie unless it has at least one American actor playing a prominent role? If I had to choose between these two movies, I'd definitely see the 1990's version of this one; at least there, all the characters are Americanized, so one doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. Lisel Matthews' performance is enchanting, and the movie all around is delightful.

Dreadful Audio
This review is of the Madacy DVD of "The Little Princess." The picture quality of this DVD is acceptable, more or less, but the audio portion is another thing. The sound is limited to a very narrow band in the midrange. Shirley's voice, for example, is quite tinny throughout the film. At times the sound volume changes abruptly or even disappears completely. One has the impression that the DVD audio engineer tried to regulate the sound volume at a single sitting by turning the knob in real time as he listened to the film. This movie has always sounded quite good on broadcast TV, which obviously wasn't playing back this Madacy disaster.

Unfortunately, it would seem that this writer's experience with "The Little Princess" is not unlike others' experiences with Madacy products. Read Doug Pratt's review of "Two Women" in his Video and DVD Guide (available from amazon.com but also readable on DVDLaser.com) and be forewarned. I now avoid Madacy DVDs.

This is one of my favorite Shirley Temple movies
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I absolutely adore this Shirley Temple movie. It is one that brings back many memories of watching Shirley Temple movies with my sister when we were little. My favorite parts are when Shirley and her little friend wake up and see all the beautiful gifts that were given to her by the Indian guy, and when she throws the bucket of soot on the snotty Clarissa, but most of all, when she finds her "Daddy" at the end,as he keeps calling "Sara, Sara."
This one is excellent, and I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Reviews (92)

One of the great comedies of all time
In 1940, Katherine Hepburn's movie career was in desperate condition. Her 1938 film BRINGING UP BABY, although recognized as a Howard Hawks's masterpiece today, was at the time a box office failure. The failure signaled the temporary end of demand for her talents in Hollywood, although she had HOLIDAY in the can (and costarring, like both BRINGING UP BABY and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, Cary Grant). So, she went back to the stage, in a play written specifically for her, and the subsequent hit was an unexpected and triumphant return to the screen for Hepburn. Her career never looked back again, especially when two years later she teamed with Spencer Tracy for the first time. Ironically, she originally requested that Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy play the Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart roles.

THE PHILADELPHIA STORY is such an extraordinarily well-done film that one can watch it repeatedly, reveling each time in new and hidden details. It strikes the perfect balance of being spectacularly well-acted, hysterically funny, and delightfully silly while maintaining an elegant veneer. The cast is nearly overwhelming in its quality, with Hepburn and Grant turning in especially fine performances. Jimmy Stewart is also superb, though he won an Oscar for this year that he probably didn't deserve. The Academy in 1940 may have been giving him the award as an apology for not having won the year before for MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. Unfortunately, this meant that Jimmy Stewart's best friend Henry Fonda failed to win for one of the finest performances in the history of American cinema, as Tom Joad in THE GRAPES OF WRATH. Still, although the Oscar clearly should have gone to Fonda, Stewart manages a great turn. He and Grant manage a great moment when Stewart adlibbed a hiccup, and Grant, not batting an eye, adlibbed, "Excuse me." The rest of the cast is flawless. Too many excel to mention, but special mention must be made of Roland Young as Uncle Willie, Virginia Weidler in a marvelous turn as Tracy Lord's precocious younger sister, and the erstwhile Errol Flynn nemesis Henry Daniell as the devious and unscrupulous Sidney Kidd.

Although this film holds up magnificently upon reviewings, there is nothing like seeing it for the first time. I remember vividly how exciting it was to watch this in the lamentably demised Lincoln Theater in New Haven, Connecticut, having absolutely no idea how the film was going to end only five minutes before the closing credits. Who will Tracy marry? Will she marry? How will the film managed to tie up all the loose ends.

I have a list of my all time favorite lines from films. One of my favorites comes from this one. On the morning after Tracy has gotten rip-roaringly drunk, she has almost no memories of what happened, but what she does recall makes her fear that she might have been in a compromising situation with Jimmy Stewart. After Stewart assures the confused and fearful Tracy Lord that nothing happened because she was drunk and "there are rules about that sort of thing," the infinitely relieved Tracy says, "I think men are wonderful."

The film has managed to permeate our culture in subtle ways, from inspiring musical remakes, to providing famous adult movie stars with their names, to providing foundations for jokes (in the Rocky and Bullwinkle adventure "The Ruby Yacht of Omar Khayyam," whenever Bullwinkle sees his jewel encrusted small boat, he mutters under his breath, "Yar, yar").

A Funny, Breezy Comedy with All-Star Performances!
The Philadelphia Story is a fabulous filming of Katharine Hepburn's Broadway triumph, and was famous for several reasons; first, it returned Hepburn to Hollywood, after she had been declared 'Box Office Poison'; it gave Jimmy Stewart his only 'Best Actor' Oscar (albeit it was probably a consolation award for losing for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, in 1939); and it further solidified the Cary Grant screen persona as a worldly and wise bon vivant (a move begun by directors Howard Hawks and George Cukor in the late '30s), playing a character which would fit Grant so well that he would continue playing variations of it for the next 25 years! In watching this sparkling comedy, note the wonderful supporting cast, particularly Ruth Hussey, as Stewart's partner (in an underrated performance...she is very good!) and Roland Young (the original 'Topper') as Hepburn's uncle. While the film is a bit static (and occasionally heavy with 'smart' dialogue that doesn't age well), there are so many comic gems that it's difficult to quibble. Hepburn is remarkably sexy as the 'once-and-future' bride, and it's easy to see why Grant, Stewart, and John Howard would all want her. While it's social classes subtext may seem a bit dated, today, the theme of a woman rediscovering the man who truly loves her is universal, and makes The Philadelphia Story a timeless joy!

YES, BUY THIS ONE, YOU WON'T REGRET IT.
This is my absolute favorite performance by the great Katherine Hepburn. She is breathtaking and absolutely wonderful. Brilliant performances all across the board, an especially funny performance by James Stewart is just the icing on the cake. Cary Grant,one of my faves, also delivers a magnificent performance. Also worth mentioning is the very beautiful Ruth Hussey, whose potrayal of Liz is stunning. She was one of the most attractive actresses at the time, in my humble opinion. This movie is very funny and the sets and costumes are among the best Hollywood has ever offered. I highly recommend this as a must own.

Perfection!
So well written, so elegant! My favorite film.

The REAL High Society
Branded by Hollywood as "Box Office Poison" (usually the death blow to an actor's career), Katherine Hepburn put all of her eggs in this ONE basket, to prove she's still a force to be recconned with. Reprising her stage role, Kate secures the rights for the film version of "The Philadelphia Story". The trick worked. Katherine Hepburn was back as a big star on the Hollywood Sky.

Tracy Lord (Katherine Hepburn), a spoiled socialite scheduled to remarry when her first husband, C.K. Dexterhaven (Cary Grant) shows up as uninvited wedding guest. Add to the mix, Mike Connor (James Stewart) a reporter who is supposed to be covering the wedding for the tabloids but winds up falling for Tracy himself. The brief triangle has a predictable ending.

Less glamorous than the 1955 Technicolor Musical re-make "High Society" with Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby, this black & white Classic remains the superior production. Somewhat dated (definitely 1940s Movie Star Magazine material), this is still a groundbreaking romantic comedy. Ted Turner: Please keep your crayons away from this one!**** ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Two Great Movies
Having read two of the reviews where this DVD was panned I felt after watching it that the reviews were unfair and misleading. The box actually says Heidi is the Maximillian Schell version and not the Shirley Temple version... on the front and the back!

As to the films, the story of a little girl's search for her father and her struggle aginst poverty is a lovely story. Arthur Treacher is a treat to watch as he dances with Shirley Temple in this fantastic story.

Heidi is much the same, a treat for any child, especially young girls.

The prints from this studio are first rate, the sound is perfect. I have to wonder about the motivation of the person who panned this disk. For the price this is a great value and I am very pleased and I am sure you will be too.

where's shirley? quality poor
I was surprised to see that Shirley Temple is not the star in Heidi. I feel that I was mislead. Also, the quality is not up to par. I would spend the extra money and buy the studio release of these films.

Shirley Never Looked So Good!
This is the best print I have ever seen of this film! Hats off to Dallas, TX based film buffs Marengo Films, they really take the time and effort to do it right.

Best Version of This Film Ever!
The Little Princess is one of my all time favorite movies, I have seen it on AMC and other TV stations over the years. I was so impressed by the quality of this film released by Marengo Films!

Heidi is not Shirley Temple
I was extremely disappointed to find that even though this DVD is billed as Shirley Temple that she is only in The Little Princess and not Heidi on the same DVD. Clearly mislabeling and maybe even worse. The Heidi version is from the 1960's and is an unknown Heidi. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Why so expensive?
I feel like the sellers are holding this movie for ransom. WHO is going to pay that much money for a movie (DVD) that no one remembers? It would be better for a Frances Farmer fan to have and enjoy rather than sit and collect dust on the shelf. I guess I'll instead be ordering the VHS copy for cheap.

LOVE HER TENDER.......
Yeah? So, where IS the FRANCES FARMER Award or Scholarship?
Everyone's profited from her - so? [Then again, there were/are so many ...... since then.]

This rather staid adaptation of the Ferber novel [and here's another lady who should be canonized! Brilliant novelist- should be mandatory reading for any immigrant] hit the screen with Greats, Edward Arnold [that final close-up!]; Walter Brennan [unfulfilled career - Award winning here]; FRANCES FARMER [it's that John Wayne/Mae West swagger that gets you in the first incarnation - two roles here - mother and daughter - very subtle/economic] - THEN devastating as the daughter - just imagine what Frances would have done to 'Basic Instinct' or "Klute"?

As we now know - A RARE talent way ahead of her time.

The DVD is excellent - try watching it in German - with English subtitles - now that's an experience, and it brings a freshness to this quirky work.

The title? Frances pre-dates Mr. Presley with this song .......... very authentic, but then we do have an artist at work.

A SHOWCASE FOR FRANCES FARMER
Howard Hawks, who directed this film stated that Frances Farmer was, without a doubt, the finest actress he ever worked with. In a dual role in which she excellently plays both a mother and daughter with honest conviction, Farmer is perhaps even more natural than say Barbara Stanwyck in her playing: she emerges, almost without emphasis, from out of the crowd at Arnold's elbow. He's at one of the gaming tables a lumberman who's just struck it rich and he naturally draws a crowd. When Arnold eyes Farmer, she says in her low voice "Hullo" her mouth crooked while chewing gum - she's an assured dame who doesn't take any baloney. Not a typical Hollywood beauty, the large - boned Farmer was an intellectual individualist who eventually ruined her career because of her egotistical independence which was deemed as mental illness. She was actually committed to institutions for the insane in the forties and her real life became a horror story. Alcoholic and lonely (after being released) she got a job in Eureka, California working as a secretary by day as Frances Anderson. She got away with her anonymity for about a year when a man approached her coming out of a liquor store. He said to her "You're Frances Farmer aren't you?" for reasons unknown to her she blurted out "Yes, I am - how did you know?" he replied "I remember you" and thusly encouraged her to revive her career somewhat. Farmer died of cancer of the throat in 1970. The excellent performance of look - alike Jessica Lange is worth seeing in the 1982 movie biography FRANCES.

A Truly Unusual and Effective Star Performance
This film resurfaced briefly about 15 years ago when the movie "Frances", detailing the fall of actress Frances Farmer, was released and did so much for the career of Jessica Lange. I saw "Come and Get It" around that time, and while I appreciated the double role played by Farmer, the performance that impressed me most from this excellent movie was that of Edward Arnold. Why so? Because Arnold is a stout middleaged man, but so powerful that he rivets your attention to himself. Arnold plays Barney Glasgow, an ambitious logger who schemes to become the richest man in Wisconsin through the lumber business--partly by planning to marry the boss's daughter. He is almost derailed by a barroom singer, dark wigged Lotta/Frances Farmer. He stays around long enough to earn and throw away her love before setting off to achieve his object and leaving her to marry his sidekick, Walter Brennan in an Oscar-winning role. All Barney's plans come to pass, except that he's not happy in his marriage and has a rocky relationship with his handsome son, Joel McCrea. A trip back to logging country brings him in contact with Lotta's daughter and namesake, blond wigged Frances Farmer. He becomes obsessed with trying to recapture the love he spurned years ago by pursuing the young girl, with serious ramifications for all involved. I'm glad that Edward Arnold, usually seen only in supporting roles as in "The Hucksters", gets the chance to display his full range here in "Come and Get It". He really runs the gamut from bare-knucked fighter to tender lover to distant father to passionate old fool. Few roles offer so much variety to an actor in one movie, and Arnold rings true in every scene. The expression on his face in the final confrontation he has with his son as Lotta makes a crushing remark about his age is dynamite. In my opinion, Edward Arnold really ought to have won an Oscar himself for this superlative performance. I also thought they had a really good idea for this "through the generations" movie: Rather than cast a young man to play a young man at the beginning and then wear old makeup for the rest of the movie, they opted for the opposite approach. Edward Arnold has a little shoe polish in his hair for the first part, and then a title card announces that 20 years have passed and he's now 50. He then proceeds to perform a part that is written for his own age. (This same trick was used a few years ago in "The Mask of Zorro" with Anthony Hopkins to great effect.) Take my advice about this movie and "Come and Get It' as soon as you can.

The best of Frances Farmer
"Come and get it," directed by Howard Hawks until Samuel Goldwyn fired him and replaced him with William Wyler, is hokey and I find the overinsistent music grating. Offsetting it are the cinematography of Greg Toland (making it look like a Wyler film), the anti-clearcutting message (any message being famously anethema to Goldwyn!) and two fine performances by Frances Farmer. She appears to have been put forward (by Hawks who replaced the star he had been given with her) as an American boondock Marlene Dietrich. Sometimes she looks like Jessica Lange (yeah, I know the chronology!). She is somewhat too innocent for her first part and too old and knowing for her second, but the camera likes her, and the two parts (one the mother of the other) are very different.

Howard Hawks obviously liked Walter Brennan. Here, in his first (of three) Oscared part and first (I think) Hawks part, Brennan early on is a stereotype Swede, but probably earned his Oscar for the scene in which he has to tell Frances Farmer that Edward Arnold has left by marrying her. He's fine in the latter half of the film, too. Knowing how he would age, it's somewhat disconcerting seeing him skinny and old.

I don't find Edward Arnold at all convincing as one of the boys (even as the dominant one, ruthlessly using them). He _is_ convincing as a magnate and in wooing the daughter of the love of his life, who looks strikingly like her mother, being played by the same actress (Ms. Farmer). His deflation when she tells Joel McCrea he shouldn't strangle his father both because of paternity and because he's an old man is also effective. It seems a Wylerian moment, but Hawks's "Red River" when Montgomery Clift knocks down John Wayne also springs to mind. Hawks alleged that Wyler argued against Hawks being credited, Goldwyn wanted to credit only Wyler, but decided to list both directors (who went on to become more famous than they were in 1936).

The main reason to see this is to see Frances Farmer before her real-life tortures began. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

One thing Shirley Temple did extremely well (besides sing, dance, and act) was turn the cranky cuddly. She'd done it effectively, two years prior, in 1935's The Little Colonel with grandfather Lionel Barrymore. Now in Heidi she turns her reclusive grumpy grandfather, Adolf (Jean Hersholt), into the loving sort she knows he really is. Heidi is an orphan, dumped into the Swiss Alps by self-centered Aunt Dete (Mady Christians) onto a grandfather she's never known, but they soon learn to love each other. Heidi's mercenary aunt returns and sells (!) Heidi to a cruel woman, appropriately named Fraulein Rottenmeier (Mary Nash). Adolf sets out on a quest to find his granddaughter. Meanwhile, Heidi charms Klara Sesemann (Marcia Mae Jones), the wealthy handicapped girl in Fraulein Rottenmeier's care. Look for a delightful Arthur Treacher as the Sesemann butler. There's a cute fantasy production number, "In Our Little Wooden Shoes," featuring Temple in various period costumes. Throughout Heidi, Temple is, as always, wonderfully joyful. This is perhaps the best-known rendering of the popular children's story by Johanna Spyri (it's been filmed some 10 times). --N.F. Mendoza ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Shirley ***Sparkles***
I have numberous complaints from various fans and friends about the quality of the DVD and I am in an uproar with FOX who really owe Shirley's fans better since, Shirley Temple is still a money maker and her movies are enjoyed worldwide-- I see it's no longer avaible so I'm only hoping that they plan to re-release it not poor quality this time. But, if you still want to see Shirley in Heidi which you should I recommend the VHS version I own it and find no problem with the quality of the tape and the picture is perfect.

Shirley sparkles in this movie taken as her age and value depreciated. The story will always remain a classic and in this version of Heidi it does not stick entirely to the story but, enough still to make it interesting. Jean Hearsholt does a wonderful job as the Grandfather who becomes charmed and beloved by Heidi. Shirley also does wonderful as the spunky cheerful natured girl who melts Hearsholt's heart. Stunning scenry and decent dialogue make this movie worth owning! My cousins love it and we watch it over and over again we get a little frightened when Shirley is almost sold to the gypsies... but, we love the scene in which Heidi begs the police not to take her away from her grandfather you see all that talent and acting shine through! And I hate to admit it but, I almost cry each time!

This is the movie I watch again and again... one of Shirley's better movies despite the fact it only has one song really "In Our Little Wooden Shoes." This has all the charm and wonderful beauty of a Shirley film, it also manages to be a good holiday film as well. A classic for all fans of the book and a keeper for all old movie and Shirley fans!

It's Okay....
I didn't see anything totally special or touching about this movie.The Alps don't even look that pretty.If you want to see the best Heidi I suggest watching the 1993 version of it.

Fox owes Shirley Temple and her fans better
I've always loved this movie and was thrilled to get it on DVD but the picture quality is horrendous.This is the worst DVD I've ever seen from a major studio.The colorized version was done back in the 80's before the process was refined and it looks awful.The black and white version is even worse.It looks like someone dragged the film down the street and then transfered it to DVD.Shame on Fox for leaving this version the only one available.

Shirley Temple delivers again!
I thought this was a great make movie of Joanna Spyri's timeless classic Heidi. They got all the characters right, and they at least got the plot right this time. I hope they come out with more books made into movies like this!

Heidi is a little orphan girl left under the care of her isolated Grandfather Adolf Kramer by her neglectful Aunt Didi. Heidi makes the best of staying with her Grandfather and learns to like it. Without knowing, she is bringing the life back into her Grandfather all by just being herself. When both soon learn to love each other, and Heidi gets the town to like her Grandfather again, Didi comes back and sells Heidi to a rich family in Frankfurt, Germany. There, she meets Clara, the invalid daughter of Heir Sessman. Heidi tries to teach her to walk, but she's too afraid, for both of them know that Frauline Rottenmeir the housekeeper doesn't want Clara to get better. The old woman makes Hiedi's stay there even worse by threatening her, and even smashing both Clara's, and Heidi's breakable Christmas presents. Heidi must get back to the Alps of Switzerland fast or else she'll sold to the Gispsies by evil Rottenmier.

Shirley Temple was a great actress for Heidi. If they tried, they couldn't get a better Heidi. She delivers all the time. The noly movie I don't recommend with her in it is the Blue Bird. That was boring as heck. I do recommend Curly Top though, and Wee Willy Winky. Those are both classics along with Heidi. Instant 5 stars!

Good!
There are many filmed versions based on the Johanna Spyri book Heidi but so far this Shirley Temple one is the only one I have seen and I really liked it and I think Shirley was really good as Heidi and I recommend this movie! ... Read more

Reviews (92)

True classic, beautifully preserved and re-released.....
Despite the fact that this film raises issues that are not very potent today, it remains to be a timeless classic because of its sheer artistic value. This great artistic value is largely due to the brilliant idea (the idea of creating a play about Kathrene Hepburn [not literally, of course], for Kathrene Hepburn), the plot itself, and film's charming and witty script. Hepburn is the only and true star in this story, although I can appreciate Stewart and Grant in their roles. But truly, it would not have mattered much artistically, if different supporting cast was chosen. Apparently, it did matter to RKO commercially a great deal. Thank God for that, because Stewart, Grant, Hussey, and Howard all added something to the film. The result is a story with a "love...well, let's just say, more than a usual triangle", that revolves around one Philadelphia society girl and a few of her eccentric family members. The DVD has an outstanding sound and picture quality. Cute little menu and original theatrical trailer are also included. It is nice to know that this great film will stay with us for generations to come and enjoy it.

See it............ NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is all I need to say:

Cary Grant Katharine Hepburn Jimmy Stewart GREAT PERFORMANCES ALL AROUND, ESPECIALLY FROM THE THREE AMAZING STARS AND RUTH HUSSET!

But I'll say more anyway.

Upper class lady Tracy Lord is about to be married to George Kittridge, general manager of Quaker State something or other (I haven't watched it for a month or so) after two years before divorcing CK Dexter Haven.

Spy Magazine big cheese Sindney Kidd sends Macauly Conner and Elizabeth Imbry to get an inside story on the wedding of Tracy Lord, and George Kittridge. They are to get inside via Tracy's ex husband Dexter, who decides to help for revenge against his ex-bride.

Hilarity ensues via needle sharp dialogue, carefully hidden gags, and terrific performances.

I haven't seen one movie by Cary Grant that I haven't liked; I have seen thrity-two. I Have only seen two Jimmy Stewart and Kate Hepburn that I didn't really enjoy a-piece, and I've seen about twenty or more of theirs.

And Cuckor's direction inspired many directors to choose alternative direction styles.

YES, BUY THIS ONE, YOU WON'T REGRET IT.
This is my absolute favorite performance by the great Katherine Hepburn. She is breathtaking and absolutely wonderful. Brilliant performances all across the board, an especially funny performance by James Stewart is just the icing on the cake. Cary Grant,one of my faves, also delivers a magnificent performance. Also worth mentioning is the very beautiful Ruth Hussey, whose potrayal of Liz is stunning. She was one of the most attractive actresses at the time, in my humble opinion. This movie is very funny and the sets and costumes are among the best Hollywood has ever offered. I highly recommend this as a must own.

Perfection!
So well written, so elegant! My favorite film.

The REAL High Society
Branded by Hollywood as "Box Office Poison" (usually the death blow to an actor's career), Katherine Hepburn put all of her eggs in this ONE basket, to prove she's still a force to be recconned with. Reprising her stage role, Kate secures the rights for the film version of "The Philadelphia Story". The trick worked. Katherine Hepburn was back as a big star on the Hollywood Sky.

Tracy Lord (Katherine Hepburn), a spoiled socialite scheduled to remarry when her first husband, C.K. Dexterhaven (Cary Grant) shows up as uninvited wedding guest. Add to the mix, Mike Connor (James Stewart) a reporter who is supposed to be covering the wedding for the tabloids but winds up falling for Tracy himself. The brief triangle has a predictable ending.

Less glamorous than the 1955 Technicolor Musical re-make "High Society" with Grace Kelly and Bing Crosby, this black & white Classic remains the superior production. Somewhat dated (definitely 1940s Movie Star Magazine material), this is still a groundbreaking romantic comedy. Ted Turner: Please keep your crayons away from this one!**** ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Not Particularly Good - But Entertaining...
I was about to write a review that so many people on this site have repeated: "Shirley Temple is SO cute in this film! She is beleivable and makes you think as a child might about the world. The film was made in lush technicolor and the sets and costumes are lavish!" Then, I thought that I should write a review, honestly stating what I felt about this film. This movie is a popular one, and a very good Shirley Temple vehicle, but it is not a particularly good movie.

I grew up with the Francis Hodgeson Burnett(The Secret Garden) book. I loved it's charm and message. The characters were priceless and the tale was brilliant, melancholy, but beautiful. The tale was about a young girl of seven named Sara Crewe, who has always had a wonderful relationship with her young and wealthy papa, Captain Crewe. When she is seven, she is left with a dissagreeable caretaker named Ms. Minchin in her seminary for 'distinguished young ladies.' As the years pass she makes friendships with the dumpy, comic, and sweet Ermangarde, and the cockny maid, Becky. She is pampered, and treated quite royaly, and is given the nickname of the 'little princess.' On her birthday, it is found out that her papa has passed away, and she is left to work as a scullery maid with nothing but a black frock, and a doll named Emily. Throughout her left as a miserable maid, she keeps her dignity, and the theme of the novel becomes not to let the hate around you make you bitter, and hateful. Sara is eventualy saved, in the end.

The plot of this movie is not at all faithful to the novel. Shirley Temple is only Shirley Temple throughout the film. Her dimples and teary eyes are, in comparison to the Sara of the novel, a baby. Sara of the novel was one 'who never cried' and was 'always dreaming and making up stories.' Temple's Sara cries often throughout the film, and it never dreams as the Sara of the book does. She is just a regular seven year old girl. The characters of Ermengarde, and Ms. Minchin's sister, Miss Amelia, have been either removed completly, or replaced with new characters. This leaves for a very miscast and confused film, that does not offer any of the beautiful lessons of the novel.

As a movie, it might seem entertaining. Throughout the film, a dance sequence with Sara and Miss Minchin's brother, Bertrand, appears. It is commonplace for Temple, also, to have a dance sequence of some sort. This has a 'fairy tale' dance sequence. The script has small bits of humor, but not anything quite so nice.

This is a nice movie, but not a good one to offer the lessons of the original book. All the same, it is best to watch it, as it will offer family entertainment. But, those who read the book will be disapointed.

A candidate for a restoration
The Little Princess remains one of my favorite childhood movie memories. Finding the DVD version was simple enough. I was unaware of how widely the quality varied between the different versions available. The first version I purchased from a Canadian group was horrible. This DVD presentation was reasonable but not striking. The image was grainy and lacked that "Technicolor" brilliance I had hoped for. All of the DVD and VHS versions seem to be made from one film transfer made from an old print. The color rendering is poor. Some scenes appear almost Black and White. Unlike "The WIzard of Oz" or "The Secret Garden" I don't think this was intentional. This version is not transfered from Technicolor stock. I wonder if it was even made from 35 millimeter film. The quality if any in this DVD is from some digital processing available to old video. It does not appear a flying spot scanner or any film restoration equipment was used to create this DVD. The only really nice color image was the cover of the DVD package. I wish someone could find the real Technicolor masters, either the negative or positive film. If you were going to restore one Shirley Temple work, this film would be the one. It is a classic of the time with a glimpse at that time. And Shirley Temple was good in this film. You wipe tears away from your eyes at least twice. And Temple sings a great little song. Did I mention she dances a little too.

watch the remake, please?
This is one of those few times when I like a remake better than the original of a motion picture. I'll confess that, based on this movie, I'm not a Shirley Temple fan (her voice alone is annoying, not to mention her acting ability). She is utterly unconvincing as Sara Crew, and that American accent! Please, can we stop making movies of British literature where all the characters except the main one are truly British? I know this is done so as to appease and appeal to the idiots on our side of the pond, but really, are we so uncultured and stupid, not to mension spoiled, that we won't watch a movie unless it has at least one American actor playing a prominent role? If I had to choose between these two movies, I'd definitely see the 1990's version of this one; at least there, all the characters are Americanized, so one doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. Lisel Matthews' performance is enchanting, and the movie all around is delightful.

Dreadful Audio
This review is of the Madacy DVD of "The Little Princess." The picture quality of this DVD is acceptable, more or less, but the audio portion is another thing. The sound is limited to a very narrow band in the midrange. Shirley's voice, for example, is quite tinny throughout the film. At times the sound volume changes abruptly or even disappears completely. One has the impression that the DVD audio engineer tried to regulate the sound volume at a single sitting by turning the knob in real time as he listened to the film. This movie has always sounded quite good on broadcast TV, which obviously wasn't playing back this Madacy disaster.

Unfortunately, it would seem that this writer's experience with "The Little Princess" is not unlike others' experiences with Madacy products. Read Doug Pratt's review of "Two Women" in his Video and DVD Guide (available from amazon.com but also readable on DVDLaser.com) and be forewarned. I now avoid Madacy DVDs.

This is one of my favorite Shirley Temple movies
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I absolutely adore this Shirley Temple movie. It is one that brings back many memories of watching Shirley Temple movies with my sister when we were little. My favorite parts are when Shirley and her little friend wake up and see all the beautiful gifts that were given to her by the Indian guy, and when she throws the bucket of soot on the snotty Clarissa, but most of all, when she finds her "Daddy" at the end,as he keeps calling "Sara, Sara."
This one is excellent, and I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Not Particularly Good - But Entertaining...
I was about to write a review that so many people on this site have repeated: "Shirley Temple is SO cute in this film! She is beleivable and makes you think as a child might about the world. The film was made in lush technicolor and the sets and costumes are lavish!" Then, I thought that I should write a review, honestly stating what I felt about this film. This movie is a popular one, and a very good Shirley Temple vehicle, but it is not a particularly good movie.

I grew up with the Francis Hodgeson Burnett(The Secret Garden) book. I loved it's charm and message. The characters were priceless and the tale was brilliant, melancholy, but beautiful. The tale was about a young girl of seven named Sara Crewe, who has always had a wonderful relationship with her young and wealthy papa, Captain Crewe. When she is seven, she is left with a dissagreeable caretaker named Ms. Minchin in her seminary for 'distinguished young ladies.' As the years pass she makes friendships with the dumpy, comic, and sweet Ermangarde, and the cockny maid, Becky. She is pampered, and treated quite royaly, and is given the nickname of the 'little princess.' On her birthday, it is found out that her papa has passed away, and she is left to work as a scullery maid with nothing but a black frock, and a doll named Emily. Throughout her left as a miserable maid, she keeps her dignity, and the theme of the novel becomes not to let the hate around you make you bitter, and hateful. Sara is eventualy saved, in the end.

The plot of this movie is not at all faithful to the novel. Shirley Temple is only Shirley Temple throughout the film. Her dimples and teary eyes are, in comparison to the Sara of the novel, a baby. Sara of the novel was one 'who never cried' and was 'always dreaming and making up stories.' Temple's Sara cries often throughout the film, and it never dreams as the Sara of the book does. She is just a regular seven year old girl. The characters of Ermengarde, and Ms. Minchin's sister, Miss Amelia, have been either removed completly, or replaced with new characters. This leaves for a very miscast and confused film, that does not offer any of the beautiful lessons of the novel.

As a movie, it might seem entertaining. Throughout the film, a dance sequence with Sara and Miss Minchin's brother, Bertrand, appears. It is commonplace for Temple, also, to have a dance sequence of some sort. This has a 'fairy tale' dance sequence. The script has small bits of humor, but not anything quite so nice.

This is a nice movie, but not a good one to offer the lessons of the original book. All the same, it is best to watch it, as it will offer family entertainment. But, those who read the book will be disapointed.

A candidate for a restoration
The Little Princess remains one of my favorite childhood movie memories. Finding the DVD version was simple enough. I was unaware of how widely the quality varied between the different versions available. The first version I purchased from a Canadian group was horrible. This DVD presentation was reasonable but not striking. The image was grainy and lacked that "Technicolor" brilliance I had hoped for. All of the DVD and VHS versions seem to be made from one film transfer made from an old print. The color rendering is poor. Some scenes appear almost Black and White. Unlike "The WIzard of Oz" or "The Secret Garden" I don't think this was intentional. This version is not transfered from Technicolor stock. I wonder if it was even made from 35 millimeter film. The quality if any in this DVD is from some digital processing available to old video. It does not appear a flying spot scanner or any film restoration equipment was used to create this DVD. The only really nice color image was the cover of the DVD package. I wish someone could find the real Technicolor masters, either the negative or positive film. If you were going to restore one Shirley Temple work, this film would be the one. It is a classic of the time with a glimpse at that time. And Shirley Temple was good in this film. You wipe tears away from your eyes at least twice. And Temple sings a great little song. Did I mention she dances a little too.

watch the remake, please?
This is one of those few times when I like a remake better than the original of a motion picture. I'll confess that, based on this movie, I'm not a Shirley Temple fan (her voice alone is annoying, not to mention her acting ability). She is utterly unconvincing as Sara Crew, and that American accent! Please, can we stop making movies of British literature where all the characters except the main one are truly British? I know this is done so as to appease and appeal to the idiots on our side of the pond, but really, are we so uncultured and stupid, not to mension spoiled, that we won't watch a movie unless it has at least one American actor playing a prominent role? If I had to choose between these two movies, I'd definitely see the 1990's version of this one; at least there, all the characters are Americanized, so one doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. Lisel Matthews' performance is enchanting, and the movie all around is delightful.

Dreadful Audio
This review is of the Madacy DVD of "The Little Princess." The picture quality of this DVD is acceptable, more or less, but the audio portion is another thing. The sound is limited to a very narrow band in the midrange. Shirley's voice, for example, is quite tinny throughout the film. At times the sound volume changes abruptly or even disappears completely. One has the impression that the DVD audio engineer tried to regulate the sound volume at a single sitting by turning the knob in real time as he listened to the film. This movie has always sounded quite good on broadcast TV, which obviously wasn't playing back this Madacy disaster.

Unfortunately, it would seem that this writer's experience with "The Little Princess" is not unlike others' experiences with Madacy products. Read Doug Pratt's review of "Two Women" in his Video and DVD Guide (available from amazon.com but also readable on DVDLaser.com) and be forewarned. I now avoid Madacy DVDs.

This is one of my favorite Shirley Temple movies
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I absolutely adore this Shirley Temple movie. It is one that brings back many memories of watching Shirley Temple movies with my sister when we were little. My favorite parts are when Shirley and her little friend wake up and see all the beautiful gifts that were given to her by the Indian guy, and when she throws the bucket of soot on the snotty Clarissa, but most of all, when she finds her "Daddy" at the end,as he keeps calling "Sara, Sara."
This one is excellent, and I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Wisconsin lumberman Barney Glasgow (Edward Arnold) makes his fortune by marrying his business associate's daughter to cinch a lucrative partnership, thereby sacrificing the one he truly loves, Lotta Morgan (Frances Farmer).Lotta marries Barney's close pal Swan Bostrom (Walter Brennan) and they beget Lotta Bostrom (also Frances Farmer) who bears a striking resemblance to her mother.Years later, when the elder Lotta is no longer with us, Barney and his son (Joel McCrea) both fall for the young Lotta, causing Barney to work out his troubling sense of loss.This rousing loggers melodrama was the one and only true showcase for the talents of Frances Farmer, who is superb in the dual role of the mother and daughter Lottas (and for a fledgling actor, that's a lotta Lottas), and who would later be made more famous by the biopics based on her life.Co-directed by Howard Hawks (who discovered Farmer, and was ousted from the film when he was rude to producer Samuel Goldwyn) and William Wyler. --Jim Gay ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Why so expensive?
I feel like the sellers are holding this movie for ransom. WHO is going to pay that much money for a movie (DVD) that no one remembers? It would be better for a Frances Farmer fan to have and enjoy rather than sit and collect dust on the shelf. I guess I'll instead be ordering the VHS copy for cheap.

LOVE HER TENDER.......
Yeah? So, where IS the FRANCES FARMER Award or Scholarship?
Everyone's profited from her - so? [Then again, there were/are so many ...... since then.]

This rather staid adaptation of the Ferber novel [and here's another lady who should be canonized! Brilliant novelist- should be mandatory reading for any immigrant] hit the screen with Greats, Edward Arnold [that final close-up!]; Walter Brennan [unfulfilled career - Award winning here]; FRANCES FARMER [it's that John Wayne/Mae West swagger that gets you in the first incarnation - two roles here - mother and daughter - very subtle/economic] - THEN devastating as the daughter - just imagine what Frances would have done to 'Basic Instinct' or "Klute"?

As we now know - A RARE talent way ahead of her time.

The DVD is excellent - try watching it in German - with English subtitles - now that's an experience, and it brings a freshness to this quirky work.

The title? Frances pre-dates Mr. Presley with this song .......... very authentic, but then we do have an artist at work.

A SHOWCASE FOR FRANCES FARMER
Howard Hawks, who directed this film stated that Frances Farmer was, without a doubt, the finest actress he ever worked with. In a dual role in which she excellently plays both a mother and daughter with honest conviction, Farmer is perhaps even more natural than say Barbara Stanwyck in her playing: she emerges, almost without emphasis, from out of the crowd at Arnold's elbow. He's at one of the gaming tables a lumberman who's just struck it rich and he naturally draws a crowd. When Arnold eyes Farmer, she says in her low voice "Hullo" her mouth crooked while chewing gum - she's an assured dame who doesn't take any baloney. Not a typical Hollywood beauty, the large - boned Farmer was an intellectual individualist who eventually ruined her career because of her egotistical independence which was deemed as mental illness. She was actually committed to institutions for the insane in the forties and her real life became a horror story. Alcoholic and lonely (after being released) she got a job in Eureka, California working as a secretary by day as Frances Anderson. She got away with her anonymity for about a year when a man approached her coming out of a liquor store. He said to her "You're Frances Farmer aren't you?" for reasons unknown to her she blurted out "Yes, I am - how did you know?" he replied "I remember you" and thusly encouraged her to revive her career somewhat. Farmer died of cancer of the throat in 1970. The excellent performance of look - alike Jessica Lange is worth seeing in the 1982 movie biography FRANCES.

A Truly Unusual and Effective Star Performance
This film resurfaced briefly about 15 years ago when the movie "Frances", detailing the fall of actress Frances Farmer, was released and did so much for the career of Jessica Lange. I saw "Come and Get It" around that time, and while I appreciated the double role played by Farmer, the performance that impressed me most from this excellent movie was that of Edward Arnold. Why so? Because Arnold is a stout middleaged man, but so powerful that he rivets your attention to himself. Arnold plays Barney Glasgow, an ambitious logger who schemes to become the richest man in Wisconsin through the lumber business--partly by planning to marry the boss's daughter. He is almost derailed by a barroom singer, dark wigged Lotta/Frances Farmer. He stays around long enough to earn and throw away her love before setting off to achieve his object and leaving her to marry his sidekick, Walter Brennan in an Oscar-winning role. All Barney's plans come to pass, except that he's not happy in his marriage and has a rocky relationship with his handsome son, Joel McCrea. A trip back to logging country brings him in contact with Lotta's daughter and namesake, blond wigged Frances Farmer. He becomes obsessed with trying to recapture the love he spurned years ago by pursuing the young girl, with serious ramifications for all involved. I'm glad that Edward Arnold, usually seen only in supporting roles as in "The Hucksters", gets the chance to display his full range here in "Come and Get It". He really runs the gamut from bare-knucked fighter to tender lover to distant father to passionate old fool. Few roles offer so much variety to an actor in one movie, and Arnold rings true in every scene. The expression on his face in the final confrontation he has with his son as Lotta makes a crushing remark about his age is dynamite. In my opinion, Edward Arnold really ought to have won an Oscar himself for this superlative performance. I also thought they had a really good idea for this "through the generations" movie: Rather than cast a young man to play a young man at the beginning and then wear old makeup for the rest of the movie, they opted for the opposite approach. Edward Arnold has a little shoe polish in his hair for the first part, and then a title card announces that 20 years have passed and he's now 50. He then proceeds to perform a part that is written for his own age. (This same trick was used a few years ago in "The Mask of Zorro" with Anthony Hopkins to great effect.) Take my advice about this movie and "Come and Get It' as soon as you can.

The best of Frances Farmer
"Come and get it," directed by Howard Hawks until Samuel Goldwyn fired him and replaced him with William Wyler, is hokey and I find the overinsistent music grating. Offsetting it are the cinematography of Greg Toland (making it look like a Wyler film), the anti-clearcutting message (any message being famously anethema to Goldwyn!) and two fine performances by Frances Farmer. She appears to have been put forward (by Hawks who replaced the star he had been given with her) as an American boondock Marlene Dietrich. Sometimes she looks like Jessica Lange (yeah, I know the chronology!). She is somewhat too innocent for her first part and too old and knowing for her second, but the camera likes her, and the two parts (one the mother of the other) are very different.

Howard Hawks obviously liked Walter Brennan. Here, in his first (of three) Oscared part and first (I think) Hawks part, Brennan early on is a stereotype Swede, but probably earned his Oscar for the scene in which he has to tell Frances Farmer that Edward Arnold has left by marrying her. He's fine in the latter half of the film, too. Knowing how he would age, it's somewhat disconcerting seeing him skinny and old.

I don't find Edward Arnold at all convincing as one of the boys (even as the dominant one, ruthlessly using them). He _is_ convincing as a magnate and in wooing the daughter of the love of his life, who looks strikingly like her mother, being played by the same actress (Ms. Farmer). His deflation when she tells Joel McCrea he shouldn't strangle his father both because of paternity and because he's an old man is also effective. It seems a Wylerian moment, but Hawks's "Red River" when Montgomery Clift knocks down John Wayne also springs to mind. Hawks alleged that Wyler argued against Hawks being credited, Goldwyn wanted to credit only Wyler, but decided to list both directors (who went on to become more famous than they were in 1936).

The main reason to see this is to see Frances Farmer before her real-life tortures began. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Shirley Temple stars in this 1939 version of the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel about a little, motherless girl left in the care of a girls boarding school by her soldier father, and then made into a servant there when he's missing in action during World War I. The fine tear-jerking film is a good vehicle for the famous moppet, and director Walter Lang (The King and I) makes a memorably lavish production of the Victorian milieu. The final scene, in which our Shirley is helped by one of the most famous women in history, brings down the house. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Shirley Temple stars in this 1939 version of the Frances Hodgson Burnett novel about a little, motherless girl left in the care of a girls boarding school by her soldier father, and then made into a servant there when he's missing in action during World War I. The fine tear-jerking film is a good vehicle for the famous moppet, and director Walter Lang (The King and I) makes a memorably lavish production of the Victorian milieu. The final scene, in which our Shirley is helped by one of the most famous women in history, brings down the house. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Not Particularly Good - But Entertaining...
I was about to write a review that so many people on this site have repeated: "Shirley Temple is SO cute in this film! She is beleivable and makes you think as a child might about the world. The film was made in lush technicolor and the sets and costumes are lavish!" Then, I thought that I should write a review, honestly stating what I felt about this film. This movie is a popular one, and a very good Shirley Temple vehicle, but it is not a particularly good movie.

I grew up with the Francis Hodgeson Burnett(The Secret Garden) book. I loved it's charm and message. The characters were priceless and the tale was brilliant, melancholy, but beautiful. The tale was about a young girl of seven named Sara Crewe, who has always had a wonderful relationship with her young and wealthy papa, Captain Crewe. When she is seven, she is left with a dissagreeable caretaker named Ms. Minchin in her seminary for 'distinguished young ladies.' As the years pass she makes friendships with the dumpy, comic, and sweet Ermangarde, and the cockny maid, Becky. She is pampered, and treated quite royaly, and is given the nickname of the 'little princess.' On her birthday, it is found out that her papa has passed away, and she is left to work as a scullery maid with nothing but a black frock, and a doll named Emily. Throughout her left as a miserable maid, she keeps her dignity, and the theme of the novel becomes not to let the hate around you make you bitter, and hateful. Sara is eventualy saved, in the end.

The plot of this movie is not at all faithful to the novel. Shirley Temple is only Shirley Temple throughout the film. Her dimples and teary eyes are, in comparison to the Sara of the novel, a baby. Sara of the novel was one 'who never cried' and was 'always dreaming and making up stories.' Temple's Sara cries often throughout the film, and it never dreams as the Sara of the book does. She is just a regular seven year old girl. The characters of Ermengarde, and Ms. Minchin's sister, Miss Amelia, have been either removed completly, or replaced with new characters. This leaves for a very miscast and confused film, that does not offer any of the beautiful lessons of the novel.

As a movie, it might seem entertaining. Throughout the film, a dance sequence with Sara and Miss Minchin's brother, Bertrand, appears. It is commonplace for Temple, also, to have a dance sequence of some sort. This has a 'fairy tale' dance sequence. The script has small bits of humor, but not anything quite so nice.

This is a nice movie, but not a good one to offer the lessons of the original book. All the same, it is best to watch it, as it will offer family entertainment. But, those who read the book will be disapointed.

A candidate for a restoration
The Little Princess remains one of my favorite childhood movie memories. Finding the DVD version was simple enough. I was unaware of how widely the quality varied between the different versions available. The first version I purchased from a Canadian group was horrible. This DVD presentation was reasonable but not striking. The image was grainy and lacked that "Technicolor" brilliance I had hoped for. All of the DVD and VHS versions seem to be made from one film transfer made from an old print. The color rendering is poor. Some scenes appear almost Black and White. Unlike "The WIzard of Oz" or "The Secret Garden" I don't think this was intentional. This version is not transfered from Technicolor stock. I wonder if it was even made from 35 millimeter film. The quality if any in this DVD is from some digital processing available to old video. It does not appear a flying spot scanner or any film restoration equipment was used to create this DVD. The only really nice color image was the cover of the DVD package. I wish someone could find the real Technicolor masters, either the negative or positive film. If you were going to restore one Shirley Temple work, this film would be the one. It is a classic of the time with a glimpse at that time. And Shirley Temple was good in this film. You wipe tears away from your eyes at least twice. And Temple sings a great little song. Did I mention she dances a little too.

watch the remake, please?
This is one of those few times when I like a remake better than the original of a motion picture. I'll confess that, based on this movie, I'm not a Shirley Temple fan (her voice alone is annoying, not to mention her acting ability). She is utterly unconvincing as Sara Crew, and that American accent! Please, can we stop making movies of British literature where all the characters except the main one are truly British? I know this is done so as to appease and appeal to the idiots on our side of the pond, but really, are we so uncultured and stupid, not to mension spoiled, that we won't watch a movie unless it has at least one American actor playing a prominent role? If I had to choose between these two movies, I'd definitely see the 1990's version of this one; at least there, all the characters are Americanized, so one doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. Lisel Matthews' performance is enchanting, and the movie all around is delightful.

Dreadful Audio
This review is of the Madacy DVD of "The Little Princess." The picture quality of this DVD is acceptable, more or less, but the audio portion is another thing. The sound is limited to a very narrow band in the midrange. Shirley's voice, for example, is quite tinny throughout the film. At times the sound volume changes abruptly or even disappears completely. One has the impression that the DVD audio engineer tried to regulate the sound volume at a single sitting by turning the knob in real time as he listened to the film. This movie has always sounded quite good on broadcast TV, which obviously wasn't playing back this Madacy disaster.

Unfortunately, it would seem that this writer's experience with "The Little Princess" is not unlike others' experiences with Madacy products. Read Doug Pratt's review of "Two Women" in his Video and DVD Guide (available from amazon.com but also readable on DVDLaser.com) and be forewarned. I now avoid Madacy DVDs.

This is one of my favorite Shirley Temple movies
Unlike some of the other reviewers, I absolutely adore this Shirley Temple movie. It is one that brings back many memories of watching Shirley Temple movies with my sister when we were little. My favorite parts are when Shirley and her little friend wake up and see all the beautiful gifts that were given to her by the Indian guy, and when she throws the bucket of soot on the snotty Clarissa, but most of all, when she finds her "Daddy" at the end,as he keeps calling "Sara, Sara."
This one is excellent, and I highly recommend it! ...