Heidi

Johanna Spyri's 1881 children's classic about a darling Swiss orphan, her gruff but loving grandfather, and her goatherd friend Peter has been adapted for the screen numerous times, most notably as a vehicle for Shirley Temple in 1937. Director Alain Gsponer's new version, starring Anuk Steffen in the title role and Bruno Ganz as her granddad, sticks closely to the original narrative, aside from jettisoning the religiosity (a major element in the book). After bonding with her grandfather and Peter (Quirin Agrippi), Heidi is literally kidnapped by her greedy aunt and deposited with a wealthy urban family as a playmate for their wheelchair-bound daughter, Klara (Isabelle Ottmann). Heidi is taught to read and write, but despite the opulent lifestyle and Klara's friendship, she becomes so homesick that she begins to sleepwalk, and is eventually returned to the Alpine farm she loves. Klara will eventually visit her there and undergo a transformation. Gsponer presents the tale in straightforward fashion, depending on the cast's charm and the lovely locations to win over viewers. In today's environment of frantic family entertainment, children might find themselves a bit bored here, and the artificial-sounding English dubbing sounds ponderous (English subtitles are also provided, although they differ from the dubbed track). Still, this is a reasonably pleasant addition to the already groaning shelf of movies and TV shows based on Spyri's book, so consider it a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)