Heidi: Movie review


I had read this classic by Johanna Spyri as a little girl. I won it as a prize along with my merit card when I was graduating from Primary to Middle School. 

When I stumbled upon this on Amazon Prime, I was delighted. It always feels good to watch your favorite fictional characters on screen. Its often slated that the book is always better as it captures a lot more depth with regards to the plot and characters. However a couple of adaptations that I had seen in the recent past made a good watch. A couple of them ended up being a visual treat. One was The Call of the Wild which showcased the beauty of the Alaskan Wilderness. Another one was Heidi which exhibited the splendor of the snow clad Alps. 

Heidi is the story of a young orphaned girl who is sent to live in the mountains with her rather eccentric grandfather-who is known as Alm Uncle by the villagers. Heidi manages to melt his heart as he develops an affection for her. She spends her carefree days in the mountains and befriends Peter and his goats. One fine day, Heidi is whisked away to the city to keep Clara company. Clara is a motherless child of a rich father who is wheel chair bound. Heidi feels stifled in the mansion, longing for the fresh air and the life in the mountains with her grandpa. Depressed Heidi resorts to sleep walking which prompts Clara's grandmother to send her back to the mountains. Things take a turn when Clara visits Heidi and Alm Uncle. 

Heidi was a treat to watch with its brilliant cinematography, capturing the majestic mountains. Themes of friendship, forgiveness and healing are touched upon here. I remember tearing up while reading the book several years ago. The movie was evocative as well. Your heart bleeds for little Heidi, empathizing with her when she is homesick for the mountains. Or when she is scorned upon by the grim faced governess of Clara or met with a disapproval stare by Clara's tutor for her inability to read. You rejoice when she returns to Alm Uncle and bask in the moment of their reunion. 

It is heart wrenching to see Clara's wheelchair being pushed down the mountains. Yet it turns out to be a blessing in disguise when Clara is able to walk again. It can be assumed that there is certainly some amount of magic in the mountains. Nature is often a healer and this classic manages to impart this message in a subtle manner. 

Memories of my trip to Switzerland in 2015 came back to me. I had managed to visited Maienfeld where Heidi's village was based. It felt nice to see the cariatures of the characters and Alm Uncle's cottage. 

Heidi is a book that stayed with me for a long time. The movie made me long to go back to Switzerland. It would probably take a while considering the current situation.  

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