Cheap The Little Princess (DVD) (Shirley Temple) (Walter Lang, William A. Seiter) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Little Princess

ONE OF SHIRLEY'S WORST FILMS
I have not read the book by F.H. Burnett, on which this film was based, or seen the 1995 remake, but I agree with the majority of reviewers who feel that Shirley Temple did not give one of her best performances in THE LITTLE PRINCESS as Sara Crewe, the poor little rich girl who goes from "riches to rags". This film, in my opinion, suffers from an excess of overacting, not only from Shirley but also from her supporting cast. Shirley is unconvincing in her attempts to display emotion, whether it is grief over her father's reported death, or joy when she is finally re-united with him at the end of the film. Though I never considered her a remarkable child actress, still she seemed unable here to re-create the irresistible charm of her earlier films, which so endeared her to the public of the 1930s. Not helping her in any way are the British actors and actresses who fill the supporting roles. They overplay their "Englishness" to the point of irritation (especially Arthur Treacher), which detracts from the enjoyment of the film. Shirley, too, overplays the English bit in her song-and-dance routines with Treacher, and has as much trouble with the Cockney accent as the poor American actress who was stuck playing the part of the Cockney servant girl who befriends Shirley at the school. In THE LITTLE PRINCESS her talent for dance never has the opportunity to shine as it did in previous films. It was obvious in the ballet sequence that she didn't possess the strength to dance in point shoes, and her duets with Treacher cannot compare with the memorable scenes of her dancing with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in THE LITTLE COLONEL, or with Buddy "Jed Clampett" Ebsen in CAPTAIN JANUARY. For children and adults who want to see examples of her dancing prowess, these two films are strongly recommended. And for those wishing to see Shirly performing at her best, take a look at WEE WILLIE WINKIE or POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL. (A note to fans of Marcia Mae Jones: My favorite scene in THE LITTLE PRINCESS, and possibly the highlight of the film, occurs near the end when Marcia, playing the haughty schoolgirl Lavinia, gets a pail of ashes dumped on her head. Touche', Shirley.

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Daddy's Little Girl
Based on the famous novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Shirley Temple plays the pampered daughter (Sara Crewe)of a British officer named Captain Crewe. The movie starts with scenes from 1899 and the entire movie revolves around the war going on in South Africa as seen from a British perspective. The cinematography is superb and this is Shirley's first picture in Technicolor. There are a few song and dance routines.

When Sara and her father arrive in London, England, Captain Crewe is again called away to serve his country. Since they just arrived from India, Sara must find a school quickly so her father can leave for military duty.

"Why are they sending so many soldiers daddy, if it is only going to be a little war?" --Sara Crewe

In Sara's mind, her father is invincible. She never imagines that he might not make it through the war. Since she has never been away from her father for any extended time, the separation is more difficult for her.

After a tearful goodbye, the brave little Sara must face the unkind Miss Minchin who runs the Seminary for Young Ladies. Here, reputation is of the utmost concern and due to her wealthy status, she is treated well (at first).

During her time at the school, she learns to ride the pony her father purchased for her. Goeffrey Hamilton is her riding instructor who falls in love with her school teacher Rose. Miss Minchin will have none of that and tries to break up the relationship. Sara has other ideas and is quite the little matchmaker as always.

This is a completely delightful movie which also includes a wonderful ballet scene which is quite funny and you will laugh at many jokes throughout the movie. The little maid Becky is very cute and seems to be Sara's only true friend. When something happens to Sara's father we think she will never stop looking for him.

The beauty of the Shirley Temple films is their ability to teach children something great about life. Sara's hope, optimism and polite spirit helps her to fulfill her social obligations. When someone shows her a kindness, she is quick to show them one in return. I related well to this movie as my own father had gone to India when I was very young and then took me to South Africa. All I can say is I am happy he took me to South Africa and didn't leave me in England! He did take me to England later when I was a teenager. You will see what I mean after you see this movie. While some of the scenes are sad, you will laugh more than feel sad.

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A candidate for a restoration
The Little Princess remains one of my favorite childhood movie memories. Finding the DVD version was simple enough. I was unaware of how widely the quality varied between the different versions available. The first version I purchased from a Canadian group was horrible. This DVD presentation was reasonable but not striking. The image was grainy and lacked that "Technicolor" brilliance I had hoped for. All of the DVD and VHS versions seem to be made from one film transfer made from an old print. The color rendering is poor. Some scenes appear almost Black and White. Unlike "The WIzard of Oz" or "The Secret Garden" I don't think this was intentional. This version is not transfered from Technicolor stock. I wonder if it was even made from 35 millimeter film. The quality if any in this DVD is from some digital processing available to old video. It does not appear a flying spot scanner or any film restoration equipment was used to create this DVD. The only really nice color image was the cover of the DVD package. I wish someone could find the real Technicolor masters, either the negative or positive film. If you were going to restore one Shirley Temple work, this film would be the one. It is a classic of the time with a glimpse at that time. And Shirley Temple was good in this film. You wipe tears away from your eyes at least twice. And Temple sings a great little song. Did I mention she dances a little too.