mike48128 Review of The Blue Bird

The Blue Bird (1940)

Even Beautiful Technicolor Can't Save this Film

[6/10 · 10 February 2016]

The only thing worse could have been the entire film shot in black and white. No songs (probably edited out) except for a short one at the start. My synopsis will make it sound wonderful but it is lifeless and humorless for much of the film. Starts out b/w and turns to color 10 minutes in when she falls asleep. A kindly old witch sends Shirley Temple (and her brother) on a quest for the proverbial "Blue Bird of Happiness". She travels far. She visits her "sleeping" grandparents in the cemetery, visits The Land of Luxury, struggles to survive a truly scary burning forest, and the Land of the Future where all the unborn children wait until birth. The dog and cat are magically transformed into humans. Eddie Collins gives a good performance as the feisty bulldog and Gale Sondergaard, a beautiful villain as always, plays the devious cat. Nigel Bruce is Mr. Luxury and beautiful blonde "Light" is played by Helen Ericson. Also in the cast are Spring Byington (as her Mother) and Sterling Holloway as the plum tree. The trees want to kill them and the only funny action is the cat and dog fight in the mansion of Mr. and Mrs. Luxury. In spite of all this, a very boring movie with stiff looking yet beautiful sets and obviously painted backdrops. Her father is a woodcutter just called to fight in the war. Shirley awakes, after traveling everywhere in vain, and lo and behold, the caged bird is now blue! In spite of the great cast, it's a terrible example showing "How not to make a children's movie". (I quote another reviewer.) I own a huge collection of children's movies, both live action and animated, and not just Disney. I also own several other Shirley Temple films for my family to watch, but not this mess.