When I was a young boy I watched this show with my heart in my mouth, due to the fact that the girl who played Heidi (Katia Polletin) was quite simply the most beautiful human being I had ever seen. I was absolutely besotted! She was perfectly cast. Her enchanting little face and impossibly pretty eyes, which were full of soul and wisdom, mirrored the character of Heidi to a tee. She'd apparently never acted before, but you can see why they chose her. They must have thought the stars were aligned when her photo landed on their desk. Despite the lack of acting experience, Polletin portrayed Heidi perfectly and her performance was just beautiful. In fact everything about this show was exquisite - the girl, the scenery, the affection she had for her grandfather and vice versa, and the soundtrack, which goes perfectly with the stunning mountain views.
Revisiting it again recently as a fully grown man, I enjoyed it just as much. It really is a wonderful production and many of the scenes between Heidi and her grandfather were so touching I don't mind admitting that I was moved to tears. God bless everyone who was involved in making this show - there'll never be anything as delightful as this made for kids again. I looked everyone up and was very impressed to learn that Katia Polletin gave up acting and studied architecture instead. That seems about right - she had a very intelligent look about her and I doubt whether a career in acting would have challenged her intellect enough. I was also pleased to see that she grew into a very beautiful woman! Still the gorgeous eyes and million dollar smile.
This is well worth buying if you can get the full thing on DVD. If you have kids, expose them to it ASAP!
