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Wee Willie Winkie (1937)

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14 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
A Passage to India, 28 June 2005

Author: jotix100 from New York

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.

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11 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Shirley Temple in Rudyard Kipling Tale of British India, 30 April 2000

Author: Ron Oliver (revilorest@juno.com) from Forest Ranch, CA

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.

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10 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
I have to admit that I liked it a lot!, 22 August 2002

Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN

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.

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7 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
McGlaglen and Temple have great chemistry...good John Ford touches..., 26 June 2005

Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

SHIRLEY TEMPLE has always said that WEE WILLIE WINKIE was her own personal favorite among her childhood films because it gave her a chance to indulge herself as a tomboy. And because it has a good script, fine all around performances and moves along at a nice clip, it's one of the best Temple vehicles, showing exactly why she was such a popular young child star.

The story is a simple one, with Shirley and her mother (June Lang) arriving at a British military outpost in India under the gruff but lovable protection of the colonel (Sir C. Aubrey Smith). Temple immediately wants to join in the marching and soldiering and McGlaglen is assigned to teach her the ropes. Therein lies the film's strongest bits of interplay between Temple and a co-star of equal scene-stealing abilities. There is genuine bathos in their ultimate scene together, with Shirley rendering a sweet rendition of Auld Lang Syne while the soldier lies on his deathbed.

There are John Ford touches everywhere, so it's no surprise that the picture still holds up pretty well today. Temple fans will not be disappointed. Shirley fits the role of the tomboyish Priscilla with abundant good humor and a considerable amount of innocent charm.

In secondary roles, there is an unobtrusive romance between Michael Whalen and June Lang and a surprising comedy bit by Constance Collier as a snooty matron urging her daughter to be less "anemic" so she can catch the eye of a soldier. Willie Fung as a spy adds some additional comic relief although the PC crowd will probably cringe at his antics.

Ideal family entertainment.

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11 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
At 100 Mnutes, Too Long For Shirley, 12 September 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This was okay but Shirley Temple made enough better movies that this wasn't a "keeper"in the end. I still have at least a half dozen of her other films which, I thought, were far more appealing.

They were also shorter, too. At 100 minutes, this is too long a movie for the normal Temple fare. It was her longest movie as a child actor. The major fault, which also involves the time, is that is simply wasn't that interesting.

It has its cute moments as all Temple films did and the cinematography was good. The fact John Ford directed it may have something to do with the better-than-average photography. I also enjoyed Victor McLaughlen in here. He played the best character.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
John Ford directs Shirley Temple...but results are still sticky, 25 May 2008

Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca

Star-vehicle for Shirley Temple, produced on a much grander scale than most, has the feisty youngster and her newly-widowed mother traveling to war-torn North India in the late 1800s to live with the Shirley's estranged paternal grandfather, a Colonel stationed with the British Army. Loosely adapted from a Rudyard Kipling story, with some exciting set-ups and sequences at the outset; but, sadly, the picture runs out of intriguing ideas before the finale. Director John Ford seems to lose track of the supporting characters in an attempt to resurrect the typical Shirley Temple scenario, although Cesar Romero is well-cast and memorable as Khoda Khan. Handsome, to be certain, but not one of Shirl's better efforts. ** from ****

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6 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A Little Child Shall Lead Them --------- At the Box office, 19 April 2006

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

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.

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1 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Maybe Shirley's Best, 13 April 2007

Author: Wayner50 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I've seen "Wee Willie Winkie" dozens of times and it's always fresh and interesting. Shirley doesn't dance and only sings a little. John Ford directs in his straight ahead "cavalry" mode, with the usual hearty horseplay, humor and heroics. There's a touch of tragedy when gruff Sgt MacDuff dies. The Sarge is played perfectly by the great Victor McLaglen, who made a career of playing tough, but lovable sergeants (see John Ford's cavalry trilogy with John Wayne), is terrific holding his own with the angelic Shirley. Incidentally, they also appeared in Ford's great "Fort Apache". The film is based on a Rudyard Kipling adventure, but Wee Willie is a boy in the written story, of course, the role becomes a girl's for her. The story takes place in Northwest India, where Shirley and her widowed mother arrive at the British outpost to stay with the colonel, who's Priscilla's grandfather. The colonel, portrayed by C Aubrey Smith is of course, the universal ramrod straight arrow who is befuddled by his granddaughter. Sgt MacDuff takes a liking to Priscilla and renames her Pvt Wee Willie Winkee. He lets her participate in drills, but he gets in trouble for it. He gets her a uniform and carves a miniature rifle. Kodha Khan, a rebel chieftain is captured and held in the fort's jail, but his tribesmen spring him during a dance held by the British officers. A patrol led by Priscilla's mother's beau, Capt "Koppy" is ambushed and Sgt MacDuff is badly wounded. He dies and Priscilla sings a heart rending "Auld Lang Syne". After the sergeant's funeral, Wee Willie goes with the treacherous Muhammad Dihn to talk to Khan in an effort to avert war. The regiment moves out to get her back safely. Priscilla charms Khan, who is well played by Cesar Romero, and he agrees to meet with the colonel. Shirley does it again, war is averted and the family is reunited. This is done in such a great manner that Shirley's cuteness doesn't overwhelm the picture. By the way, the colorized version features some really odd hues that don't seem natural. Altogether it has great acting, superior directing and a solid plot.

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