Good God, let's just hope Shirley Temple didn't watch this version. It's so horrifically bad, it's as if the screenwriter and director absolutely hated the original and decided to make the worst possible version of the story. It's really hard to imagine a worse interpretation.
First off, the lucky little girl cast to play the title role was homely, awkward, unendearing, and a lousy actress. It was her first movie, and I have no idea how she caught such a lucky break. But if you're fast-forwarding every time Heidi comes on the screen, that doesn't bode well for you overall enjoyment of the film. Next up is Michael Redgrave as Grandfather. Grandfather is supposed to be a notorious recluse who hasn't interacted with anyone in years. Michael Redgrave doesn't act like a hermit in any way, shape, or form. He has no trouble adjusting to his granddaughter, and he frequently interacts with other characters in the film, with no lapse in social graces.
In the story, Heidi lives with her grandfather until she's taken to live with the wealthy Herr Sessemann and his crippled daughter Klara. In the original, Klara is endearing and delightful, like her curly headed companion. In this version, she's also homely, a terrible actress, and her character is written to be a spoiled, mean-spirited brat. How can we root for someone like that? Also, in the original, Frauline Rottenmeier, Klara's governess, is the unequivocal bad guy. In this version, Rottenmeier is not only played by the beautiful Jean Simmons, but she's a good guy! There is no bad guy in the movie, and half the movie deals the romance between Rottenmeier and her boss Herr Sessemann, a plot point that was nonexistent in the Shirley Temple version.
I kept fast forwarding through this horrible, horrible movie, until, at the very end, I got the giggles, consumed with the dreadful thought that it might not ever be over. Just save yourself. Watch the Shirley Temple version.
First off, the lucky little girl cast to play the title role was homely, awkward, unendearing, and a lousy actress. It was her first movie, and I have no idea how she caught such a lucky break. But if you're fast-forwarding every time Heidi comes on the screen, that doesn't bode well for you overall enjoyment of the film. Next up is Michael Redgrave as Grandfather. Grandfather is supposed to be a notorious recluse who hasn't interacted with anyone in years. Michael Redgrave doesn't act like a hermit in any way, shape, or form. He has no trouble adjusting to his granddaughter, and he frequently interacts with other characters in the film, with no lapse in social graces.
In the story, Heidi lives with her grandfather until she's taken to live with the wealthy Herr Sessemann and his crippled daughter Klara. In the original, Klara is endearing and delightful, like her curly headed companion. In this version, she's also homely, a terrible actress, and her character is written to be a spoiled, mean-spirited brat. How can we root for someone like that? Also, in the original, Frauline Rottenmeier, Klara's governess, is the unequivocal bad guy. In this version, Rottenmeier is not only played by the beautiful Jean Simmons, but she's a good guy! There is no bad guy in the movie, and half the movie deals the romance between Rottenmeier and her boss Herr Sessemann, a plot point that was nonexistent in the Shirley Temple version.
I kept fast forwarding through this horrible, horrible movie, until, at the very end, I got the giggles, consumed with the dreadful thought that it might not ever be over. Just save yourself. Watch the Shirley Temple version.