Movie Reviews for Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

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Movie Reviews of Bright Eyes

Movie Review: One Of Shirley Temple's Best Early Films !
Summary: 4 Stars

The year was 1934.America was wheeling from the devastation of the Great Depression and economic woes.Then came a young actress that helped bring movie patrons back to theatres and also helped an upcoming studio that nearly faced bankruptcy.Shirley Temple was just six years old when she made nearly eight feature films in 1934,but the most beloved and well made of those eight was her second Fox feature film "Bright Eyes" and it definitely shows!

"Bright Eyes" is the simple story of a young girl (Temple) who ends up becoming fascinated with her aviator stepdad pilot (James Dunn) and also facing the hardships of life such as death,adoption and her unquestionable future.Her life is combined with that of a rich family named the Smythe's and their bratty daughter (Jane Withers) and her stepdad's friends.But when tragedy strikes Shirley's mom,it brings her and her stepdad closer than ever.Directed by David Butler and featuring Temple's signature song "On The Good Ship Lollipop",and a standout hilarious performance by Withers,"Bright Eyes" is definitely at times sad,but hilarious,and enjoyable film that has a strong central story mixed with comedy and child-like mischief that will appeal to any family member and adults old or new.Recommended for all !

ABOUT THE DVD:
Originally released as part of a short-lived three movie collection of Temple's films to DVD in 2002,it's easy to see why this version is such a big improvement over the '02 release.This version has been digitally restored to its original black & white version with very few specks,dirt,and contrast boosting that plagued the earlier DVD version and also the main intrusion of this new DVD is a brand-new,digitally restored,and enhanced colorized version.The '02 release simply took a lousy-looking and poor color version done in the late '80's and the results were just poor and unnatural-looking compared to today's technology.Speaking of which,this new color version was produced by Legend Films as with previous new Temple DVD releases and the new technology brings out the film's color appeal than the previous incarnation.Purists will definitely stick to the original restored b&w and very little extras (hence the four star rating) round out the disc.All you get is an unrestored trailer for "Heidi" and a trailer for "Little Miss Broadway" which is missing its text and narration (note that the two same trailers both appear on most of the recent Fox Temple DVD's).Finally,Fox has put out a very decent and well-deserved presentation of one of Shirley's best-loved films and far superior to the version beforehand.Highly recommended for classic film buffs and fans alike !

Movie Review: The Beginning Of Stardom For Shirley
Summary: 4 Stars

Even though there is very little singing and dancing, which is a big part of the appeal of Shirley Temple, it's still a solid film.

This was the first movie in which was Shirley was the big star, I believe, and you can see why she quickly won the hearts of Americans.

Although there is only one song, it's perhaps her most famous: "On the Good Ship Lollipop." The rest of the film is almost as charming as that song with many sweet, touching moments that made her films so endearing.

It also helped to have James Dunn as the male lead. Dunn was one of the more likable guys in classic Hollywood, on and off the screen. He and Shirley make a great pair.

Other interesting people to watch in this movie are the crabby old grandfather, played by Charles Sellon; the spoiled brat played by Jane Withers, who is so bad she's funny and an assortment of other characters from fliers to cooks to old girlfriends.

The only negative is the ending. It looked like they didn't know how to end this, so they rushed to finish it without much thought. Oh, well, the main thing is Shirley's charm.....and that's there in abundance.

Movie Review: Next generation of Shirley Temple watchers
Summary: 4 Stars

My three-year old daughter was recently dancing around and someone told her she looked like Shirley Temple. Of course, she kept asking me who Shirley Temple was. I showed her photos on the internet and decided to get her "Bright Eyes" because I knew it had the song "On the Good Ship Lollipop." What's nice about this DVD is that you have the option of watching it in black and white or color. My daughter often asks to watch "the gray one"!!! It's a cute movie but obviously dated. But a good movie to introduce the young ones to Shirley Temple.
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