The Little Princess
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Movie Reviews of The Little Princess
Movie Review: Mixed Feelings About This Movie
Summary: 3 Stars
I grew up reading the book The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and didn't watch this movie until after I had read and re-read the book. Having loved the book so intensely, this movie was a great disappointment. However, I do love Shirley Temple movies, and I think that if I had not loved the book as I did my feelings about this movie would be different. It is a cute movie, somewhat typical (lots of singing and dancing, very pretty young woman and handsome young man have a romance in which Shirley helps considerably) but there are also quite a few elements in the plot that make this movie different. If you haven't read the book, or you have but not much, then this movie will probably be an enjoyable one. If you loved the book as I did, then watch this film not as an adaptation of the wonderful book, but as another cute Shirley Temple movie, you might do okay. On a side note, I watched a perfectly stunning adaptation of The Little Princess years ago on our local PBS. I think it was produced by the BBC. That one was very, very good, it was really close to the book and the actors were superb. *sigh* I wish I could find a copy for sale.
Movie Review: It's okay...
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie was a major disappointment for me. I own "A Little Princess" the book, the movie from 1995 and a version from the eighties. Just a few hours ago I bought the one with Shirley Temple and it wasn't very good. Here's why:It lacked several of the most beautiful elements from the book: Ermengarde and Lottie, kind Amelia Minchin, the Large family, Melchisedic, and the sister-like relationship between Sara and Becky. The people who wrote the script obviously didn't respect the author's ending as she intended it to be. Although we may not have liked what happened in the book, but that's how it should have been. At least in the 1995 version they made the ending exciting and unforgettable.
Another thing, Shirley Temple was all WRONG for the portrayal of Sara Crewe. Sara was a shy, quiet, intelligent child who had the body of a child but the brain of an old spirit. She was into story-telling and make-believe. Shirley Temple, even in the movie, was hooked onto singing, dancing, and being adorable, when Sara is supposed to have a sour, grown-up yet lovable expression on her face. Now don't get me wrong-I love Shirley-she's my favourite actress-but she shouldn't have been cast in this movie. If you still want to see it though, I suggest the 1995 version-which was really beautiful and touching. It really sticks to the book, but the ending was changed so the makers could call it their own story. It is much better compared to this movie.
Movie Review: the little surreal rhyming ballet
Summary: 4 Stars
this was one of my favorite movies as a child and for little girls under 12 i would give it 5 stars! unfortunately it is not as striking as the excellent novel on which it is based; however it stands up for grown-ups nonetheless as a slightly sappy "real-life" fairy-tale. the musical numbers are clever and catchy though not as sing-alongable as some of shirley's more famous bits.notably, everyone should be exposed to the truly bizarre dream sequence near the end of this film which in performed entirely in rhyme. it's a tiny taste of surreal fantasy, like the bluebird, which doesn't often enter into shirley's films.
Movie Review: pleasant-enough Temple vehicle
Summary: 4 Stars
After MGM'S successful Technicolor fantasy THE WIZARD OF OZ set the box office on fire, Fox decided to give Shirley Temple a big Techicolor vehicle as well. Turning, as they had done with 1937's HEIDI, to classic literature for a new story idea, they chose the classic novel "A Little Princess" by Frances Burnett.THE LITTLE PRINCESS gave Temple her first real dramatic role, as well as showing off her astute singing and dancing skills in a lavish dream sequence.
Sharing the screen with Temple is a wonderful and capable supporting cast including Arthur Treacher (MARY POPPINS), Mary Nash (who also co-starred with Temple in HEIDI), Marcia Mae Jones (also from HEIDI), Anita Louise, Arthur Malet, Caesar Romero and Sybil Jason (who would go on to co-star with Temple again the following year in THE BLUE BIRD).
The film is a lovingly-crafted tale of young Sara Crewe, who is sent to Miss Minchin's school for girls during the Boer War when her father is called into service. When her father is listed as missing in action, the girl is forced into labor at the school in order to repay the debt she owns to Miss Minchin.
Stunning color photography, a good three years before the system was fully-developed, and an equally-colorful script engage the viewer from beginning to end.
Utterly delightful, and still regarded as one of Temple's best films.
Movie Review: Glazed over ending ruins the story
Summary: 2 Stars
Don't get me wrong, I adore Shirley Temple, and have since I was a little girl. This is one of the movies I will refuse to watch though. The magic of the original story of The Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is desimated with this Disney-ized version. The original story has Sara Crew's father die in war, which entirely turns around the little girl's fortune. But this film gives it a happily ever after Disney ending in which the father ends up not being dead at all. It ruins the plot entirely, and is a disgrace to the original. If you want a movie that lives up to everything the book was and more, check out the 1995 version "A Little Princess"; beautifully done. If you want a good Shirley Temple Movie, check out Heidi, or Bright Eyes, or Poor Little Rich Girl instead.