The Little Princess (1939)

Toby Beeny

The Little Princess is a much beloved story that has been filmed several times. Based upon Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1905 novel, it was first made into a movie in 1917, with Mary Pickford in the starring role. Since Shirley Temple's version in 1939, there have been numerous movie and television adaptations of the story, including a 1995 remake by Warner Brothers. Temple really shows her talents in the 1939 version and gives us a very touching movie about a little girl's love for her father.

The motherless and young Sara Crewe (Shirley Temple) must remain at a boarding school when her father is dispatched to fight in the Boer War. There she is put under the charge of a wicked stepmother figure, headmistress Amanda Minchin, who is more concerned with money and propriety than the well being of the girls. When her father is reported dead, Sara is quickly put into the position of indentured servant, and must toil in the kitchen while often being half-starved herself. She strives to be “a good little soldier,” and keep heart while carrying out her work. Refusing to accept her father's death, she often sneaks out of the school, seeking news of her father at the veteran's hospital.

Temple really is a very strong actress, and her scenes of despair at being separated from her only parent are genuinely moving. She conveys the sense of innocence being tested with hardships with emotion surpassing most adult actors of the era. Luckily, she is not completely alone at the school. Cesar Romero (better known to some in his later role as The Joker) puts in a strong performance as Ram Dass, the Indian servant next door. Dass functions almost like a fairy godfather to Sara, and does his best to help the young girl. Anita Louise seemingly resurrects her role from Judge Priest: she plays a kind teacher at the school in love with the riding master, a love that must be kept secret from the severe headmistress, who would find it an affront to the dignity of the school. A few song-and-dance routines with Sara and the headmistress' goofy brother Bertie help to break up the gloom. Another source of hope for Sara is her friendship with Becky (Sybil Jason). Originally groomed as a rival for Temple, Jason puts on a cockney accent to play the lower-class Becky in a role that might have been written by Dickens.

Despite her upper-class background, Sara shows that she is immune to the class concerns that run through the movie, judging others only through innocent intuition. Her warm nature and perseverance in spite of hardship must have resonated with child and adult alike during the lean years of 1939. They resonate still, and the travails of this young girl dealing with very adult problems remain emotionally satisfying today.