Heidi
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Movie Reviews of Heidi
Movie Review: Heidi
Summary: 4 Stars
Heidi is a movie for all memebers of your family. I enjoyed the movie and would highly recommend it for kids.Movie Review: puzzled
Summary: 2 Stars
Reading over these reviews, I wondered if these people watched the same movie that I watched. Perception is relative, and relative to the klutzy Shirley Temple version (where the only good thing about the movie was Shirley Temple), this is a good movie--relatively speaking. Apparently none of these people saw the other versions.
The 1952 version. Black and white, the film torn to shreds, the sound track nearly unbearable. But the story and the little girl (dubbed) are delightful and endearing. They changed the story, and usually when they do that, their version of the story is grossly inferior. This version is not superior to the book but it is not bad either. Worth watching.
The 1963 Swiss version. I have not seen this one but have read good things about it.
The 1968 version. NBC had a crack at this story. The scenery is superb, good photography. Music by John Williams. They threw in a love story which weakens the movie, and the girl is too old for the part, but she did a good job and Michael Redgrave as the grandfather was superb. Worth watching and hearing. Other than the love angle, the story follows the book, although at a fast clip.
The present Disney version. It looks like people simply imposed their perceptions of the characters from the book onto those in the movie and overlooked any behavior that didn't fit. In fact, the grandfather is openly hostile and nasty (not just grumpy as in the book). The child Heidi is almost as bad. The family in Germany hits you with a reality check: they are not German, though they perfectly portray an ethnic minority in Germany. The hostility that crackles around the dinner table will grate on anyone who doesn't mask it out or make excuses for it. The story does follow the book except--and it's an important exception--except in the healing of the crippled girl. In the book, the grandfather essentially applies physical therapy to the girl, gradually strengthening her legs until she can stand, then helping her take a first step, etc. etc. This movie version, like all the others, has the girl suddenly start walking due to some extreme situation. Not credible, but it makes for good cinema.
Historical note: This movie was released on VHS in the early '90s with tons of promotion. A lot of people bought it. But once word got around, this movie all but disappeared from the store shelves. (Anne of Green Gables, by way of comparison, sold steadily from its release date to the present and is still selling.) I suspect a lot of people will fall for this movie again and buy the DVD, but once word gets around, this movie will once again earn its oblivion.
Bottom line: see this if you want to, but don't be surprised if you have a very different reaction from the people who have posted here.
What we need is a movie that follows the story all the way and that keeps the characters as they are in the book: decent people however grumpy or rigid some of them may be.
Movie Review: Overdramatic, and characters are much meaner than in the book
Summary: 2 Stars
I have to agree with the reviewers who can't see much in common with this movie and the book. The first time I tried to watch it, my toddler was in the room and I thought nothing of it since the book is not violent and this adaptation is G-rated. But lo and behold in the first few minutes there is a loud argument (at which point I should have stopped it until she wasn't watching) and then a sudden tragedy involving a falling tree which really upset her. So I learned the hard way to NEVER let her see anything I haven't seen myself unless it's a preschool educational program!
Later I watched maybe a half hour of it then stopped. It was way too tense. In the book, the grandfather immediately makes Heidi at home and is never mean to her, but in the movie he is nothing BUT mean, and Heidi (age 8 instead of the book's 5) has to give him a piece of her mind before he starts being even halfway decent, prior to which he doesn't even offer her entry into the house, food or a bed or anything - totally different from the book. Heck, I'll take the Shirley Temple version over this one as it at least captures the tone better.
Since I'd already read several of the reviews here I decided to stop because it was already just like the negative reviews said it was: the characters too harsh to be much sympathized with, and unnecessary plot changes. As others have said, sometimes it's best just to stick with the book. I think that's the case here since there doesn't seem to be an accurate film adaptation.
Movie Review: Did the screenwriters actually LIKE the book? *SPOILERS*
Summary: 1 Stars
I chose this movie to watch with my daughter because I had loved the story as a child and thought this would be a great way to introduce her to the story (she's still learning how to read). I have to say that I love the actors, the settings are lovely, and the two-part format works well...However- and this is a BIG one- I don't know why the story was so horribly modified. I know that whenever a book is adapted into a film there have to be changes to have the story adapt to the new format: characters and events may be changed or even cut, etc. What makes a successful book-to-movie adaptation, however, is a respect for the essence and spirit of the story. This adaptation is very flawed and reveals deep misunderstandings of the characters and plot. Do not read further if you don't want any spoilers, but here are the main things that prompted me to give the review only one star:
* Grandfather in the novel is a gentle man who behaves in a curmudgeonly manner because he's seen some ugly sides of life (a brother who lost the family's estate, war, death of a wife and a beloved son). When Dete brings Heidi to him, he's angry at Dete- but never at Heidi. In the movie he's this rabidly angry man who constantly loses his temper in really awful ways. And that ridiculous beginning- with the argument between father and son...what crazy drama was that?? It was needless and rather pointless.
* Clara is a manipulative hypochondriac in the movie. In the novel she is a lonely and quiet little girl who truly loves Heidi and understands when it is time to let her return. There is no guilt tripping, no conditions at Heidi's departure. In the novel Clara's father is a reasonable and moral man who'd never want to cause a child any suffering. Clara's a very sweet and generous child- in the movie she is prone to temper tantrums, jealousy, and selfishness. Clara would never have slapped little Heidi. It was so out-of-character.
* In this film, the Doctor strikes up a little romance with Brigetta. That's his motivation for liking Dorfli, the mountains, and wanting to return. In the book he is a sad widower who has recently lost his only child. He's moved by the kindness and affection shown to him by Heidi and her grandfather and moves to the mountains to pretty much become a part of the family.
*Grandmother is killed off soon after Heidi returns. Why? One of the nicest things that happens in the book is when Heidi returns to the mountains and surprises Grandmother with the fact she can now read. She brings the old woman comfort by reading her the old prayer book. Grandmother is given joy, hope, and health thanks to Heidi and her friends. Why make that very central and important relationship disappear?
* When Clara and her family leave the mountains, you get the sense that this will be the only and last visit. The feeling is that their worlds just don't mix...But in the novel, you are told that Clara plans on returning to visit her friend and are informed that her father has made a promise to Grandfather regarding Heidi's future and well-being after he passes away.
I don't understand why they felt they needed to change so many key aspects of the story- even the fact that Dete was Heidi's aunt! I guess they wanted to emphasize that Heidi's love transformed her monstrous grandfather, and proceeded to demonstrate that with a clumsy, leaden hand. It's such a waste of a lovely cast (even the little girl who plays Heidi- even though a big deal is made in the novel about how Heidi has dark hair and dark eyes) but the manipulation of the story is disastrous and does not stay true to the novel's spirit.
We'll be looking for another version...or just wait to read the book.
Movie Review: A sad adaptation
Summary: 1 Stars
If you know and love the original story (and I mean the unabridged book version) you will probably not like this adaptation. Heidi is one of our favorite family read-alouds--in fact, we read it for the third time last summer while living temporarily in the Swiss alps. This movie is radically different in spirit from the book, which is really a redemption story. In this version, the grandfather is cruel and cold and you really don't see him change too much, except for the obligatory "hug Heidi" scene at the end. Klara is a selfish, manipulative girl who winds up shouting at Heidi, calling her a liar, and telling her she hates her and never wants to see her again. (My children all agreed that they wished Peter had sent the wheelchair down to its doom with Klara sitting in it.) The grandmother dies. There is a quasi-happy ending, but let's just say that it doesn't leave you with a lump in your throat or tears in your eyes. The scenery is gorgeous (although entirely shot in Austria rather than Switzerland) and the beauty of it made watching the movie endurable for me, but I'm very glad I tried it out at Blockbuster first since it's definitely not one I care to own.
Once again I'm left scratching my head as to why the writer and producer thought they could improve on an already near-perfect story.