Wee Willie Winkie

Surprisingly great John Ford film starring Shirley Temple. I was unsure if I could stand her cuteness for an hour and forty minutes, but I was never as annoyed as I expected to be. She's actually quite - good (I'll probably never live that down, will I?).Once in a while, she got a bit cloying, but for the most part I enjoyed her performance. Believe me, though, John Ford and his screenwriter were careful to balance her with the rest of the film, which is indeed quite masterful. All of the other performers are pitch perfect, including C. Aubrey Smith, Cesar Romero, Michael Whalen, Constance Collier, June Lang, and especially Ford regular Victor McLaglen. He's amazing, as always. The story, based on a Rudyard Kipling book, is very good. Lang plays Temple's mother. Her husband has apparently died, and she accepts the gracious invitation of her father-in-law (Smith), a colonel in India, whom she has never met. While there, Temple becomes a sort of a mascot of the soldiers, with Sgt. MacDuff (McLaglen) taking care of her and teaching her how to be a soldier. Another soldier (Whalen) courts Temple's mother. Cesar Romero plays Khoda Khan, a bandit prince who is being held prisoner in the fort. Ford's direction is as exciting as ever, and the cinematography is halfway between the expressionism of The Informer and the naturalism of Stagecoach. The musical score is also quite good. One might object to the colonialist viewpoint of the film, but, to be fair, Wee Willie Winkie is a lot more palatable in that respect than George Stevens' much more famous Gunga Din is. 9/10.

Rudyard Kipling's story serves as the basis for this excellent John Ford film. Mr. Ford, one of America's best directors of all times, got probably a fantastic budget to get this movie made. It paid well as we are given a great account of Mr. Kipling's novel by the man who knew about how to make movies come alive.

This was obviously a Shirley Temple vehicle. Ms. Temple was one of the best child actress of all times. Whenever she is in front of the camera, this little girl has a way of stealing the viewer's heart. In all the films we have seen, this seems to be her best, and in fact, Ms. Temple always speaks about her fond memories about this movie.

Of course, this film wouldn't have worked the way it did, had it not been by the amazing performance by Victor McLaglen, who as Sgt. MacDuff, befriends the little girl that has come to live at the headquarters where he is serving. His roughness are tamed by the love he feels toward young Priscilla.

John Ford got excellent performances from everyone, but of course, Shirley Temple and Victor McLaglen run away with the film and our admiration. C. Aubrey Smith, the distinguished actor makes a great appearance as the Colonel in charge of the outpost in India. Cesar Romero is also good as the rebel Khoda Kahn. June Lang plays Priscilla's mother and Michael Whalen is "Coppy", the man who falls for the young girl's widowed mother.

This is a film that will delight anyone, young or old, because it is a timeless classic, thanks to John Ford.

India - the 1890's - the North-West Frontier. Precocious young Priscilla arrives with her widowed mother to live with the grandfather they've never met, a stern old Army Colonel. Gaining the nickname of Private WEE WILLIE WINKIE, the little girl quickly charms nearly everyone around her, including a tough Scots Sergeant. But it is her influence with the local bandit chief that portends the greatest impact on all their lives.

This was arguably Shirley Temple's finest film. It is certainly her most lavish. Fox & director John Ford fashioned a mini-epic with great atmosphere and much to please family viewers. The detailed sets & huge cast of extras do the picture proud.

Shirley is wonderful, as usual, in her own unique way, but this time she has a couple of co-stars that can hold their own with her. Victor McLaglen is every inch the embodiment of a bluff British sergeant - and well he should, given his real-life background as a boxing champion and Provost Marshal of Baghdad. Gruff & tender by turns, he gives an unforgettable performance. As Shirley's grandfather, marvelous old Sir C. Aubrey Smith gives another sterling portrayal as the archetype of the colonial officer class - crusty & domineering.

The rest of the cast is equally enjoyable: Cesar Romero as the chieftain; June Lang & Michael Whalen as Shirley's mother and her new lieutenant friend (fortunately their romance is unobtrusive); Willie Fung as the giggling, treacherous house boy; and Constance Collier as the waspish wife of a brigade officer.

"Wee Willie Winkie" is a very, very schmaltzy film. In addition, it is one of many films of this era that strongly reinforced the notion that British imperialism was wonderful (as an American, I never understood why we make pro-imperialism films like this, actually). So, for those two reasons I should hate the film...but I just couldn't.

The film begins with a mother and daughter (Shirley Temple) arriving in India to live with the child's paternal grandfather--who is the Colonel in charge of a Colonial regiment (circa about 1890). It seems that the child has never met the old man and the pair have come there because they are destitute. For the mother, adjusting to India and the loneliness of camp life is tough, but for perky little Shirley, it's a snap. She is seen as a sort of regimental mascot. And, I must say that the child was freakin' adorable dressed up in a cute little uniform.

Everything seemed pretty cool (except for the mother) until the wicked Khoda Khan (Cesar Romero) escaped custody. This villain had the effrontery not to want to become 'civilized' and a loyal subject of the Queen (sarcasm intended)! And, when little Shirley is abducted and taken to him, things look pretty grim. After all, the British just want to be their friends (and enslavement, but that's only a trifle).

All this is packaged in a very attractive sepia-toned package. Some of this is due to Shirley's amazing acting, some is because the film was directed by the king of sentimental films, John Ford. And, some was because of Victor McLaglen's wonderful portrayal of the Sergeant and C. Aubrey Smith as the Colonel. Overall, despite its faults, the film is hard not to like and it is exceptionally well made.

By the way, it was very strange seeing Willie Fung in this film. Not only did he usually play a Chinese man (as he was of Chinese origin) but instead of the rather dim but affable sort, here he plays someone quite evil and blood-thirsty! For fans of old Hollywood films, this should come as a bit of a surprise.

Wee Willie Winkie is quite an interesting mix of a film, combining the seemingly disparate talents of Rudyard Kipling, John Ford, and Shirley Temple in one film. The very British Mr. Kipling and the very Irish Mr. Ford is odd enough right there.

But when all is said and done it's a cavalry picture, just like Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Rio Grande. The same rough house monkeyshines among the troops, the same tribute to regimental tradition and of course the same Victor McLaglen. All military units for Ford are the same, be they the Scotch Highlanders posted to India or the Seventh Cavalry fighting the Indians.

Little Shirley and her mother June Lang go to live with Shirley's grandfather, C. Aubrey Smith, colonel of a regiment on India's northern frontier. He's a spit and polish soldier of the old school, but like she does in all her films, the little moppet melts the old guy.

But she does more than that. She also gets into the heart of bandit chief Cesar Romero who probably gives the best performance in the film. He's a warrior chief fighting for his people, but he's light years removed from the terrorists of today. Since Shirley is the only one on speaking terms with Smith and Romero, she stops a frontier uprising as well.

Wee Willie Winkie will not go down as one of John Ford's greater films, but it's decently entertaining enough. And I'm sure he didn't care about filming a Kipling story because with Shirley Temple in the lead it was going to make money.