Heidi (2005)

Swiss girl Adelheid 'Heidi' is orphaned young. Aunt Detie brings her to grandpa Alp, who lives isolated in the Alps since his murder charge. Heidi soon takes to the wild country, especially... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Marcus

Writers:

Brian Finch (screenplay), Johanna Spyri (novel)

Stars:

Emma Bolger, Max von Sydow, Geraldine Chaplin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emma Bolger	...	Heidi
Max von Sydow	...	Uncle Alp
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Rottenmeier
Diana Rigg	...	Grandmamma
Pauline McLynn	...	Aunt Detie
Sam Friend	...	Peter
Jessica Claridge	...	Clara
Del Synnott	...	Sebastian
Kellie Shirley	...	Tinette
Robert Bathurst	...	Mr. Sessemann
Oliver Ford Davies	...	Dr. Classen
Caroline Pegg	...	Bridget
Jessica James	...	Grannie
Alexander Main	...	Frankfurt Boy
Karl Johnson	...	Old Man

Storyline

Swiss girl Adelheid 'Heidi' is orphaned young. Aunt Detie brings her to grandpa Alp, who lives isolated in the Alps since his murder charge. Heidi soon takes to the wild country, especially accompanying young goatherd Peter. Grandpa refuses to send her to school in the city, but aunt Detie returns and forces him to give in. She's sent to a posh lady in Frankfurt, where she'll be a companion for crippled daughter Clara after school hours.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | heidi character | alps | girl | goatherd | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 August 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Альпийская сказка

Filming Locations:

Krnica valley, Slovenia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$154,579

Company Credits

Production Co:

Piccadilly Pictures, Surefire Film Productions, Storm Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

After the wheelchair rolls down the hill Heidi and her Grandfather run some distance down the hill after it before Heidi falls over the edge. After Heidi is rescued they turn round and Clara is standing behind them, at this point she is supposedly unable to walk.

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Connections

Version of Heidi (1965)

User Reviews

An uplifting & faithful adaptation of breathtaking execution.

To keep this short & succinct: An awesome retelling of Spyri's novel, with minor deviations from the original story.

This (Paul Marcus' 2005) version of 'Heidi' starts with a gripping psychological intensity which it maintains throughout the duration of the film. To some degree this intensity is conveyed by the excellent shot composition evident during the entirety of the production, which masterfully captures both the geographic & emotional context of the narrative. The main credit however must go to Emma Bolger, whom I can only describe as a true prodigy of her craft.

One would expect fine performances from such practised professionals as Rigg, Chaplin & von Sydow, but it is only when the final credits roll that it becomes apparent how stunning Bolger's performance really is. This is a film where one does not need to suspend disbelief in order to be enveloped & caught up by the narrative, instead it is a truly superb synthesis of cast & crew working harmoniously to produce something truly valuable.

Do yourself a favour & see for yourself.