Product Details

• Actors: Shirley Temple, Victor McLaglen, C. Aubrey Smith, June Lang, Michael Whalen
• Directors: John Ford
• Writers: Ernest Pascal, Julien Josephson, Rudyard Kipling
• Producers: Darryl F. Zanuck, Gene Markey
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301802535
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,191 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, April 23, 2001

By 

"sopera" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shirley Temple: Wee Willie Winkie [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an outstanding movie. What makes it so fantastic is that it isn't just a great Shirley Temple vehicle...it's a great FILM all the way around. The director, John Ford, the supporting cast, including Victor McLaglen and Caesar Romero, and the production values are all top of the line.

The story seems predictable at first--once again, Shirley's precocious character, Priscilla, is missing a parent (this time, her father). As in some of her other films, she goes to live in a new environment with a grumpy older relative (this time, her grandfather, a British military general).

This is where the similarities end, however. Priscilla decides she isn't content sitting at home with her Mum, sewing samplers--she wants to join the Queen's Army. With the help of Sgt. MacDuff (McLaglen), she procures an official uniform, learns the drills, and adopts a military name--Wee Willie Winkie (the name, by and by, comes from a Scottish nursery rhyme). She also dabbles in international diplomacy by striking up a friendship with the Indian leader jailed in the army camp, Khoda Khan (Romero). When Khan's chieftains attack the base, it's up to Winkie to find a way to achieve peace.

One neat thing about this film is the theme of empowerment it has for young girls. It was made in 1937, and set in the prim-and-proper Victorian era--and it was about a little girl joining the army! Priscilla holds her own among the soldiers--at one point in the film, unhappy with a decree made by her grandfather, she storms into his office to argue about it (and she wins the argument!). The film sends the message that girls CAN do anything--be it sew or march in the army.

There is also a strong message of peace, in spite of all the military trappings--the battle between the British and Indian forces is not solved with guns or cannons, but through mediation. Winkie impresses her fellow soliders not by killing people, but by using her head and thinking things through.

Ford's direction is beautiful, and the script is strong. There are several extremely memorable scenes: the one that stands out in my mind is at the end of the film, when Khoda Khan, Winkie and the British general meet on a hill, surrounded by British and Indian troops.

Temple is wonderful in this--it is probably her strongest dramatic film and one of the best story-wise. She actually did her own stunts in this film--the scene where she ran across the path of the stampeding horses wasn't done with camera tricks! McLaglen is endearing as Sgt. MacDuff. Romero is also phenomenal--he makes Khoda Khan much more than a one-dimensional villain.

No, this isn't a light, happy musical. It IS, however, a film with a lot going for it, and definitely worthwhile.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shirley in India!, July 19, 2001

By 

Linda McDonnell "TutorGal" (Brooklyn, U.S.A) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wee Willie Winkie [VHS] (VHS Tape)

One over-looked strength of so many Shirley Temple movies is that they can introduce young children to the topic of death and loss in a sensitive way. When Shirley's soldier friend Victor McLaglen dies of his wounds in his hospital bed during Shirley's visit, it is obvious to the audience, but not to the naive child. I found that scene the most touching in the whole movie. In other respects, it is a very good piece of movie-making, with old war horses C. Aubrey Smith and Cesar Romero turning in solid performances as Shirley's commander-grandfather and the villainous enemy to British concerns, respectively. Shirley manages to quell troubles in India, at least for now, by virtue of her innocence and pluck. Well worth seeing.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic movie, March 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Wee Willie Winkie [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I love all Shirley movies, but this one takes her acting
a cut above. It allows Shirley to show her acting range.
I loved the story especially because it made you laugh and cry.
The scenery is beautiful and so is the story!