Customer Reviews

Bright Eyes

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This review refers to the 20th Century Fox DVD edition of "Bright Eyes".....

I've always been a sucker for little Shirley Temple singing "On The Good Ship Lollipop" and couldn't resist picking up this DVD.From 1934, this story takes you back to a time of innocence that just can't be done again in today's world. Shirley will tug at your heartstrings and you're happy to let her do it!

This story was tailor made for Temple's charms. Already having lost her father, "the best aviator there ever was", she is now the apple of they eyes of all the flyers at the airport.Espcially one,'Loop' Merritt(James Dunn), her father's best friend who loves her dearly.Shirley lives in the home of a wealthy but nasty couple where her mother is a maid. When tragedy strikes again, and Shirley's mom meets with an unfortunate accident, the fight begins over who will adopt this adorable orphan.

In the short span of 83 minutes, it's a story that has laughter, tears, adventure and lots of love. If you love Shirley..this is a must have. But it's not just the Shirley show...the rest of the cast is terrific. James Dunn, Jane Darwell,and Lois Smith will all touch you, but the two that nearly steal the show are Charles Sellon as Uncle Ned, an old curmudgeon who becomes a real softy around Shirley, and little Jane Withers...the brattiest brat there ever was. All this little tyke wants for Christmas is a machine gun!

I was very pleased with this DVD by 20th Cent Fox. Yes it was a bit on the grainey side, but the film, now 70 years old, showed no scratches, lines or cracks.I hope I look that good at 70! I nearly had a panic attack though when I read the back of the box and it said that this version was colorized, but don't worry, when you pop it in the player, the first thing that comes up is a choice of the original B/W or the colorized version..so you can watch both and see which you prefer. You also get the choice of viewing it in the newly enhanced stereo or mono.There are also subtitles in English(captions), and Spanish.

It's a nice one to watch during the holidays as a good part of the story takes place during Christmas.If you are a fan..introduce a new generation to Shirley. This a great one to start with.

Sweet Landings.....Laurie

more classic family friendly recommendations:
Little House on the Prairie - Three Video Set (Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Christmas They Never Forgot, The Premiere Movie)

The Little Princess

Christmas Collector's Pack (The Bells of St. Mary's / It's a Wonderful Life)

Note that the clamshell version from Fox is colorized. The color is terrible.

The year was 1934.America was wheeling from the devastation of the Great Depression and economic woes.Then came a young actress that helped bring movie patrons back to theatres and also helped an upcoming studio that nearly faced bankruptcy.Shirley Temple was just six years old when she made nearly eight feature films in 1934,but the most beloved and well made of those eight was her second Fox feature film "Bright Eyes" and it definitely shows!

"Bright Eyes" is the simple story of a young girl (Temple) who ends up becoming fascinated with her aviator stepdad pilot (James Dunn) and also facing the hardships of life such as death,adoption and her unquestionable future.Her life is combined with that of a rich family named the Smythe's and their bratty daughter (Jane Withers) and her stepdad's friends.But when tragedy strikes Shirley's mom,it brings her and her stepdad closer than ever.Directed by David Butler and featuring Temple's signature song "On The Good Ship Lollipop",and a standout hilarious performance by Withers,"Bright Eyes" is definitely at times sad,but hilarious,and enjoyable film that has a strong central story mixed with comedy and child-like mischief that will appeal to any family member and adults old or new.Recommended for all !

ABOUT THE DVD:
Originally released as part of a short-lived three movie collection of Temple's films to DVD in 2002,it's easy to see why this version is such a big improvement over the '02 release.This version has been digitally restored to its original black & white version with very few specks,dirt,and contrast boosting that plagued the earlier DVD version and also the main intrusion of this new DVD is a brand-new,digitally restored,and enhanced colorized version.The '02 release simply took a lousy-looking and poor color version done in the late '80's and the results were just poor and unnatural-looking compared to today's technology.Speaking of which,this new color version was produced by Legend Films as with previous new Temple DVD releases and the new technology brings out the film's color appeal than the previous incarnation.Purists will definitely stick to the original restored b&w and very little extras (hence the four star rating) round out the disc.All you get is an unrestored trailer for "Heidi" and a trailer for "Little Miss Broadway" which is missing its text and narration (note that the two same trailers both appear on most of the recent Fox Temple DVD's).Finally,Fox has put out a very decent and well-deserved presentation of one of Shirley's best-loved films and far superior to the version beforehand.Highly recommended for classic film buffs and fans alike !

...when you find out that Shirley's trademark song, "On the Good Ship Lollipop" premieres in this movie, not on a boat, but on an airplane! Shirley's aviator dad was killed in a crash before the movie begins, but his best pal James Dunn is still very much on the scene and in her life. Darling Shirley and her mom live in the home of some rich folks, for whom Mom is the maid. They are an unhappy family for all their money, with a bratty daughter (played to perfection by future Josephine the Plumber Jane Withers) and a cantankerous old wheelchair-bound uncle. Things take a spin when Shirley's mother is struck by a hit and run driver en route to Shirley's birthday party. The ensuing custody battle is wrapped up just about as you might expect.

"Bright Eyes" is a very good children's movie, and like so many of Shirley's movies, treats the topic of death with sensitivity--we know the mother has died because we see the birthday cake ornament, a little plane, is broken by the side of the curb. There's a neat scene also when Shirley and Dunn (and a puppy dog) have to bail out of a plane via parachute--that should really brighten the eyes of your little ones!

It's about time these early Shirley Temple films are being reissued on DVD. Yes, "The Little Pincess" has been on DVD for years but up to now that has been the only one available. This is the first of three films released by Fox Studios (Heidi & Dimples being the other two) and while I am happy it is on DVD the picture quality is a BIG disappointment. Maybe because it was made earlier than other Temple films (1934) the graininess really shows through. In this case, it isn't much better than VHS, and that is sad. Perhaps, the original film negative is in poor shape but Fox probably could have done better. So, while I am ecstatic that Shirley Temple (the greatest child film star EVER) is getting her due on DVD, I am disappointed that the quality of this release isn't better. However, it still is better than VHS, but not by much. By the way, the "Heidi" DVD is much better, in both picture quality and story, but "Bright Eyes" is a great movie by a great little actress.

Shirley Temple and Jane Withers are a dynamic duo together as Shirley plays a orphaned child that everybody wishes to adopt and Jane plays a selfish brat who has no compassion for Shirley or anybody else. This movie is simply hysterical with the rude Joy (Jane Withers)and the funny and political Uncle Ned. I have never laughed as much as I did in any other Shirley Temple film! Shirley sings her trade mark song "On the Good Ship Lollipop" and will dazzle you with her charm. The plot of the story is easy for young children to follow and consists of tear jerkers, hysterical moments, and dramatic scenes. I have to say this movie wouldn't receive 5 stars without Jane Withers!

This is definitely one of Shirley's best films, probably her very best. Shirley's widowed mother works as a servant for a very demanding, rich family. An aviator, Shirley's late father's best friend, is also Shirley's best friend and her mother's as well. A grumpy old grandpa paying to live in the wealthy family's house makes friends with Shirley after he saves her from an older, spoiled little girl(the employer's daughter).

My 2 yr old loves this movie! Shirley is adorable and Jane Withers is a classic brat -her performance alone is worth watching ! She's hysterical. For any child who loves airplanes this movie is also a must see. Parents should know that Shirley's mother gets hit by a car and dies, although it went over my toddlers head. No gore of course, it's Shirley Temple. But the explanation of her death by "Uncle Lou" to young Shirley is so touching it brought me to tears. Love this movie!

This was the first movie actually crafted just for Shirley and the kids should find it a fun diversion, even today. It's in this movie in which Temple sings her famed version of ON THE GOOD SHIP LOLLIPOP - while on an airplane! The supporting cast includes the little seen silent screen actress Lois Wilson who plays Shirley's mother (employed as a maid) and the talented Irishman, James Dunn - he won an Oscar for the happy alcoholic singing waiter in A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN - does well as Shirley's kind uncle. Cheeky Jane Withers (Remember Josephine, the plumber who endorsed Comet cleanser in the sixties?) plays Joy, and she's fun in contrast to Shirley's goody-goody personna- she's wild, mischievous, noisy, jealous, messy, angry and not particularly cute; she was eventually ranked second in popularity to Temple as a thirties female child star. Recommended for the little ones because these Temple films are inoffensive (with very few exceptions) and are expertly computer colourized!

I absolutely loved this movie! She plays such an unselfish
little girl. Shes a joy to watch! The way her and James Dunn
interact on the screen is just perfect. Especially when he has to explain about her mother! This is a must see Shirley movie.