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The Little Princess
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The Little Princess (1939) More at IMDbPro »

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The Little Princess (1939) -- A poor but proud girl searches army hospitals for her father, reported dead in the Boer War.

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   1,488 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 75% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Walter Lang
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Writers:
Ethel Hill (screenplay) and
Walter Ferris (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Little Princess on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 March 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Family | Musical more
Plot:
A little girl is left by her father in an exclusive seminary for girls, due to her father having to go to Africa with the army. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Little Princess- Thank Heaven for Little Girls ***1/2 more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
93 min (TCM print)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Hindi
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
Canada:G (Ontario) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | USA:Approved (PCA #4712)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The original source of the movie was a novel called "Sara Crewe; or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's" by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and it was published in 1888. She later adapted her book for the stage calling it "A Little Princess" (in London, 1902) and "The Little Princess" (in New York, 1903). It was successful enough that her publisher, C. Scribner's Sons, requested that she expand her original novel to include scenes from the play. The result was the final novel, "A Little Princess; being the whole story of Sara Crewe," which was published in 1905, and is the secondary source for the movie. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Sara Crewe: Why are they sending so many soldiers, daddy, if it's only going to be a little war?
Captain Reginald Crewe: To make those stubborn Boers take us seriously this time, my darling. When they realize Her Majesty intends to put a stop to their nonsense, they'll quiet down.
Sara Crewe: They'd better. Anyhow, when you get there, you'll stop them. Won't you, daddy?
Captain Reginald Crewe: I'll do my best, dear.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Lost: Walkabout (#1.4)" (2004) more
Soundtrack:
Rule Britannia more

FAQ

What does the poster in the opening montage say?
What does the opening title card say?
Is this available on DVD?
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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful:-
Little Princess- Thank Heaven for Little Girls ***1/2, 16 October 2006
9/10
Author: edwagreen from United States

Charming film in color where Shirley Temple's dad goes off to fight in the Boer War. She is left is a fancy girl's school with a headmistress who is stern.

When word is brought to the school that the father, who adored his Sarah (Temple), has been killed and the child is left penniless, poor Sarah is shut up in the attic and made to work in the kitchen. Move over Cinderella.

Sarah never gives up hope that her dad (Ian Hunter) is living and she searches feverishly for him.

When a Indian mystery man (Cesar Romero) makes her room beautiful during a ballet sequence, Sarah is suspected of stealing.

Mary Nash is the wicked headmistress and acts in the same way as Margaret Hamilton in "The Wizard of Oz." Richard Green and Anita Louise play lovers, who are discharged from the school, by Nash for loving each other.

The ending is wonderful when Sarah finds her dad with the help no less of Queen Victoria (Beryl Mercer).

Enjoyable tale for children and adults alike.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Little Princess (1939)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Becky Brighidsgirl
Why are the film adaptions so different from the book? hellotrouble
British version eaward27
They don't make movies like this any more stargazer1701-1
Wasn't this movie originally in black and white? Shawmin9
Temple's best film? classicmoviecomedy
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