This version of the classic tale has become a holiday favorite in our house. While it's a musical, it's not at all slick & over-produced; instead, it has a rough-hewn charm & simplicity to it that's far more engaging than a professional polish so bright that nothing sticks. Yes, the actors aren't "real" singers by any means ... but I like them all the more for that, as Hans & Annie sound like actual young people on the verge of first love, their voices straining & creaking just a bit with all the emotions inside them. And the adult actors are very good, from Richard Basehart's gruff but compassionate doctor, to Cyril Ritchard's wonderfully eccentric innkeeper, to Eleanor Parker's beautiful & strong Mrs. Brinker, worn by sorrow but still filled with love & hope for her family. Add to that the pleasure of songs like "Proper Manners" and you can't go wrong!
English films of the late 1960s/early 1970s had a particular look to them, a certain lighting & tone, that sets them apart. Whether it's the film stock, the lighting, the age of the source material, everything has a sort of burnished glow to it. There's an artificial atmosphere in the best sense of the word, the beauty of an unreal Victorian confection. It's the same with the stage sets, intercut with location footage: it has an almost fairytale quality at times. There's a certain simple magic here, completely devoid of cynicism, that never melts down into mere mawkish mush. And that's no small feat!
