HEIDI (2oth Century Fox 1937) Fox Home Video

A high-water mark in both the career of its pint-sized star, Shirley Temple, and, indeed, 2oth Century-Fox’s early kick start in the picture-making biz, director Allan Dwan’s Heidi (1937) is beloved and for good reason. Based loosely on Johanna Spyri’s 1880 children’s classic, the screenplay by Julien Josephson and Walter Ferris took full advantage of the tale’s Austrian locale – albeit, in Hollywood – while jettisoning its maudlin treacle in favor of a heartfelt tear-jerker that saw the orphaned Heidi taken from her doting grandfather, Adolph (Jean Hersholt) as a companion for Klara (Marcia Mae Jones) a spoiled cripple, whose doleful outlook on life, this ringleted moppet reforms. Temple marked her third straight year as the #1 box office draw in the nation with this beautifully conceived retelling that, in truth, bore little earthly resemblance to Spyri’s original, but retained just enough of the book to lend an air of authenticity while generating a charm all its own. Lake Arrowhead, California stood in for the Alpine air, with cast and crew staying at nearby private chalets. Alas, Temple’s rabid following swamped the shoot, forcing Fox to hire eight around-the-clock bodyguards to escort their star to and from her private – and as heavily guarded – bungalow trailer. It can safely be said no other star of this generation, except maybe Garbo, warranted such blind devotion, bordering on hysteria from her fan base.

Midway through the shoot, Josephson and Ferris approached Dwan about incorporating a ‘dream sequence’ into the movie – a decision Temple had no say in, but partook of once the details had been ironed out. For decades, the rumor would endure Temple and her parents had petitioned the studio to have a dream sequence, as they believed the picture ‘lacked’ something dramatically. But Temple would later deny such a claim in her autobiography, pointing out that neither she, nor her parents, had been given creative control in her contract.  Just prior to Heidi, Temple had made Wee Willie Winkie (1937), based on Rudyard Kipling’s children’s classic. That film had allowed Temple her first real opportunity to play a more straight-forward ‘dramatic’ role. So, Temple had hoped Heidi would continue this trajectory. Instead, Fox fell back on extolling child-like innocence that had marked virtually every Temple classic with cockeyed optimism.  Perhaps sensing his diminutive star was less than happy with the role, though nevertheless quite obedient and committed to doing her best work, director, Dwan instituted the Shirley Temple Police Force – an informal assemblage of behind the scenes crew who were given ‘badges’ and ‘sworn in’ with an oath of allegiance to ‘Chief’ Temple. Thereafter, Temple playfully strutted about the set, giving ‘commands’ – harmless fun in which everyone participating, enjoyed the game.

Less of a match was the scene where Temple milked a goat and later, gets butted by the animal. Alas, Temple’s lack of farm experiences resulted in Dwan hooking up a tube to the goat to suggest milking was taking place. However, during the goat-butting scene, after several go-arounds with Temple in heavily padded pants, Temple’s mother stepped in to demand all further takes be done with a double. As Temple’s usual double was not available, one of the extra boys was outfitted in Temple’s garb and wig to perform the stunt. When the boy’s father discovered this, he was livid and removed the child from the set. Rumors would abound, the boy was never again allowed to act in the movies. Indeed, Temple’s growing up – fast – presented the studio with a quandary. And while Heidi expertly avoids the pitfalls of revealing Temple’s burgeoning maturity on the screen, in hindsight, it also clearly marks the apex of her film career. Thereafter, the smokescreen allowing for Temple to continue to sell her wares in such harmless and sugary-sweet floss increasingly became strained. The thing that keeps Heidi from regressing into a glossy ball of fluff, is Temple’s beautifully nuanced central performance. Indeed, she has superb chemistry with Jean Hersholt as her gruff, but protective grandfather. We can believe in these two as utterly devoted to each other, and thus, celebrate in their triumphant reunion at the end of the picture.

Heidi is a poignant tale of enduring love, set against seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The picture stars Temple as the orphaned, impoverished waif sent to live with her stern, though kind-hearted grandfather, Adolph Kramer (Jean Hersholt) in the Austrian Alps. At first, the gruff old goat does not take to his new charge, even forcing Heidi to sleep in the barn with the animals. However, as this is Shirley Temple – an impossibly adorable child, Heidi easily wins over Adolph’s heart. Unfortunately for Heidi and grandpa, her aunt, Dete (Mady Christians) kidnaps the girl from this idyllic mountain paradise, selling her as a companion to a wealthy family whose daughter, Klara Sesemann is an invalid, sheltered by the overly protective, Fraulein Rottenmeier (Mary Nash).  Undaunted and determined to make the most of a bad situation, Heidi befriends the foppish house butler, Andrews (Arthur Treacher). She also breaks down Klara’s bitterness and eventually making her walk again, much to the amazement of Klara’s father, Herr Seseman (Sidney Blackmere). Determined to get the child back, Adolph scours the town in search of his beloved Heidi. Grateful for his daughter’s renewed health, Herr Seseman releases Heidi from her bond. She is returned to Adolph. The movie ends with Heidi inviting Klara and her father to grandfather’s cottage in the Alps.  

Heidi is a sentimentalist’s excursion into the sort of escapist children’s fantasy Hollywood used to produce regularly, while rarely becoming overwrought. Director, Dwan performs a near perfect balancing act here, never allowing the treacle to drown the picture’s narrative poignancy. To be certain, Temple is impossibly cute. But Dwan tempers her trademarked saccharinity with a stellar cast of vintage ham actors, each performing as the perfect counterbalance to Shirley’s formidable optimism. In the end, we seek the simplified happiness only grandpa can offer our heroine and are readily delighted when Dwan and Temple give in to our expectations, reuniting the two in blissfully obtuse true Hollywood fashion, just moments before the final fade to black. Like all of Temple’s best-loved movies, Heidi is the antiphon between all human malice from without and the ever-lasting appeal of Temple’s undying sunniness from within. For years after its theatrical release, Heidi remained a much beloved movie, annually shown at Christmastime on TV until an issue over film rights effectively barred any network from broadcasting it, or any other Temple movie after 1968. In more recent times, Fox Home Video has been rather circumspect about releasing Temple movies to home video – odd, as she was the reason for the studio’s profitability in those early years after amalgamating. And Heidi, with its seasoned performances and skillful direction, is a movie deserving of more play time to re-introduce it and Temple to a whole new generation of film lovers.

It is rather disheartening that Fox Home Video’s bastardization of Shirley Temple’s film legacy continues with this DVD release. The film is presented in both its original B&W (thank God!) and (e-gods!) a grotesquely colorized rendition. The B&W image here is what counts, and, is quite solid. Evidently, some basic clean-up has been applied to ready this for DVD. But the movie, as with most all of the Temple classics, could definitely use a ‘ground-up’ restoration effort. Age-related artifacts, though tempered, are present throughout. Film grain appears to suffer from marginal DNR that creates waxy images not indigenous to their source. Contrast is a tad anemic and there is the occasional bout of edge enhancement to suffer through. As a matter of record, the colorized version is painful. Throughout, flat, pasty hues have been liberally applied. The movie – in color – looks like a child of Temple’s age was let loose with a box of Crayolas.  No sensible viewer, much less a film purist, would be caught watching any Temple classic this way. The audio has been remixed to 2-channel Dolby Digital stereo (the original mono is also included). Both are quite similar. There are NO extras! Bottom line: Heidi is a seminal children’s classic deserving of better on home video. Indeed, by now, Temple’s better films ought to have made the leap to Blu-ray – restored and remastered for all future generations to admire in their own good time.

FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)

4

VIDEO/AUDIO

3.5

EXTRAS

0