Captain January details
| Format: | U DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Shirley Temple, Guy Kibbee |
| Director: | David Butler |
| Genre: | Drama - General |
| Studio: | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Captain January |
U Feature |
DVD Information
| Rental release: | 25 Oct 2004 |
|---|---|
| Main languages: | English |
| Hearing impaired subtitles: | English |
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Most helpful review
Cutey Pie
By FrankIV (506 reviews) from Cirencester, England , 15 Oct 2005[Highly rated reviewer]
Graham Greene found the Shirley Temple phenomenon a little suspect, but this film doesn't bear that view out. What he saw as 'dubious coquetry' comes across as precociousness, which is what most of the film's humour is based on. It's a typical mid-thirties studio vehicle for a huge star, with a silly plot, pretty tunes and a couple of good set pieces. Shirley Temple herself, however, is quite astoninshing, a thorough professional at eight years old who doesn't put a foot wrong and whom the camera never catches out. Her song and dance routine with Buddy Ebsen is shot in extended takes, a la Astaire/Rogers, and she is perfect, although some lengthy glances off screen to the right of cameras indicate that there is an element of coaching still going onwhile she performs. It's all too cutesy and twee for modern eyes, I suspect, but put yourself in a contemporary frame of mind and you'll enjoy it. You'll certtainly be impressed by little Shirley.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(2)A Lovely Classic 1936 Family Film
By a customer from Bath , 14 Dec 2008As a long time devoted fan of Shirley Temple I cannot but help find this movie a delightful experience.
Her amazing talent, (at not quite eight years old when this was in production) luminous charm and precociousness are all conveyed with astounding immediacy.
I must agree that the dance routine 'At The Codfish Ball' with Buddy Ebsen is one of the highlights of this little movie. It is probably also the best one that she ever performed on camera.
Veteran Hollywood actor Guy Kibbee is perfectly cast as the elderly lighthouse keeper who has rescued the little girl, when only a baby from, from the flotsam of a shipwreck and has raised her as his own daughter.
The movie's screenplay is very loosely adapted from the sentimental and extremely popular (1890) story, of the same name, by the American children's author Laura Richards, (1850-1943) but TCF executives could not bring themselves to retain the tale's original sadly poignant ending.
For 1930's moviegoers happiness just had to prevail at the end, after all the tears had been shed, especially in a Shirley Temple film!
If anyone is interested, Laura Richards' story is available to read online.
Could Shirley have played the part of Star (this was indeed the actual name of the character!) in a more faithful adaptation of the original?
I am firmly of the opinion that she could have easily done so and convincingly conveyed to the screen the little orphan's anger, feistiness and petulance too.
Sadly the studio would not, under any circumstances, permit this versatile young actress to deviate from the stereotypical casting which they knew was a certain massive money earner at the box office.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Cutey Pie
By FrankIV (506 reviews) from Cirencester, England , 15 Oct 2005Graham Greene found the Shirley Temple phenomenon a little suspect, but this film doesn't bear that view out. What he saw as 'dubious coquetry' comes across as precociousness, which is what most of the film's humour is based on. It's a typical mid-thirties studio vehicle for a huge star, with a silly plot, pretty tunes and a couple of good set pieces. Shirley Temple herself, however, is quite astoninshing, a thorough professional at eight years old who doesn't put a foot wrong and whom the camera never catches out. Her song and dance routine with Buddy Ebsen is shot in extended takes, a la Astaire/Rogers, and she is perfect, although some lengthy glances off screen to the right of cameras indicate that there is an element of coaching still going onwhile she performs. It's all too cutesy and twee for modern eyes, I suspect, but put yourself in a contemporary frame of mind and you'll enjoy it. You'll certtainly be impressed by little Shirley.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (4) Yes |
- No (0)
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