This, along with several other Shirley Temple vehicles, has been an Italian TV perennial for years particularly over the Christmas period but I never bothered with it, despite the involvement of director Dwan. Just a couple of weeks ago, it turned up again and I even recorded it despite being both dubbed and colorized! However, since I managed to find it on DVD, I opted to watch HEIDI 'as intended'. Incidentally, not only have I recently acquired or watched a number of the director's later efforts, but I've even watched a later TV adaptation of the Johanna Spyri novel.
As it turned out, the film is an utterly professional (and typically handsome) Darryl F. Zanuck production but I think that the story was tailored far too much to suit the ebullient child star's usual formula: not only do we get Arthur Treacher (receiving unwarranted third billing!) as a typically bemused butler, but Temple is made to act as cupid between the new parson and the local schoolmarm; besides, we're treated to a totally irrelevant fantasy song-and-dance number, two separate antagonists in the shape of her aunt and jealous governess not to mention the apparently requisite corny final close-up!
Among the differences I noticed from the 1968 version (which is probably more faithful to the source material) is the fact that Temple befriends the invalid child immediately and even gets to be the one who cures her psychosomatic ailment! Besides, the incidents which climax the later version i.e. Grandfather's religious redemption and Clara's 'cure' itself occur earlier here, whereas the highlight of the film is taken up by a sleigh-chase in the snow with the Police pursuing the hysterical Grandfather! The overly made-up Jean Hersholt is fine as the latter, while the supporting cast also includes Mary Nash as the overbearing Governess, Sidney Blackmer as Clara's father (whose role is much reduced here) and Sig Rumann in a bit part as a police official. All in all, then, I found the 1968 TV adaptation to be the superior effort.
As it turned out, the film is an utterly professional (and typically handsome) Darryl F. Zanuck production but I think that the story was tailored far too much to suit the ebullient child star's usual formula: not only do we get Arthur Treacher (receiving unwarranted third billing!) as a typically bemused butler, but Temple is made to act as cupid between the new parson and the local schoolmarm; besides, we're treated to a totally irrelevant fantasy song-and-dance number, two separate antagonists in the shape of her aunt and jealous governess not to mention the apparently requisite corny final close-up!
Among the differences I noticed from the 1968 version (which is probably more faithful to the source material) is the fact that Temple befriends the invalid child immediately and even gets to be the one who cures her psychosomatic ailment! Besides, the incidents which climax the later version i.e. Grandfather's religious redemption and Clara's 'cure' itself occur earlier here, whereas the highlight of the film is taken up by a sleigh-chase in the snow with the Police pursuing the hysterical Grandfather! The overly made-up Jean Hersholt is fine as the latter, while the supporting cast also includes Mary Nash as the overbearing Governess, Sidney Blackmer as Clara's father (whose role is much reduced here) and Sig Rumann in a bit part as a police official. All in all, then, I found the 1968 TV adaptation to be the superior effort.