Una ragazza, un maggiordomo e una lady

In this film Jody Foster is a typical tome-boy, who acted more than a boy than a girl. She is more adult than the adults and in her point of view you must shoot first or you would be shouted. Her life is a great fight and she have no time to coming nearer with people. Thats her problem to - this fight distance - she never can give it up - and the grandmother - who talked to her see this problem clear. The other girl in this film - do what girls do - but Foster never do this. There is a strange fight between them before they like each other.

This is an adventure Disney-Film for children but adults can learn a lot of it. I think it's more seriously than "Pippi Langstrumpf" or something like this. The film played most of time in England and you can feel this. So it's the story of an American girl in England too.

Jodie Foster plays an American hard-knocks-life kid who travels to England, and together with a small-time crook tries to swindle an old lady (played by Helen Hayes) out of her fortune. Foster passes herself off as the child of a long lost relative (now orphaned), which makes Hayes feel responsible. Although the hoax is soon discovered, the two grow fond of each other, and when there appears to be no money at all in the estate, they band together to save the place from the tax man. The predictable ending is nonetheless satisfying.

This film makes for pleasant family fare, and incidentally features 3 Academy Award Winning actors (Foster, Hayes and David Niven).

One of Jodie Foster's first roles, but she succeeds brilliantly despite a script with some corny verbatim. Very tomboyish but still gorgeous and her demeanor and acting ability far surpass her years. Niven is great fun playing several roles, all while trying to keep a straight face. Fight scene near end perhaps a bit overlong and typical, but maintains some humour. Average script is made up for with strong, tender performances in a children's movie (which probably only appeals to adults, now)which surprisingly is not emotionally manipulative. 7/10

I worked at the Disney Studios when this film was made. It was given a wide showing to Studio employees prior to release. At that time there were no "main titles." We were also given a list of potential release titles, the simple "Candleshoe" winning out. The employee comments were overwhelmingly positive and the movie went on to do good business.

One reviewer commented that the movie contained a high level of violence for a live action Disney film. It is no more violent than many such Disney movies (just see the final fight in "Blackbeard's Ghost" for example). There are several general brawls in Candleshoe, (including the climatic battle between the good guys and the bad guys), but it all done tongue-in-cheek; it is totally unobjectionable, and meant purely for fun. This last "battle" is played so broadly in fact that one might even say it nearly goes "over the top."

David Niven is wonderful in a variety of roles, from the butler, to a gardener to a retired army colonel. (The role was originally set for Laurence Oliver.) This was the first of two Niven films for Disney, the other being "No Deposit, No Return."

The nice thing about "Candleshoe" is that it continues to entertain more than 25 years after its release.

I'm not a JODIE FOSTER fan, but she's well cast as the tomboy posing as a wealthy aristocrat's long lost daughter, really on a mission to discover where the wealth is hidden.

David NIVEN is the aristocrat's butler, but forced to assume many different disguises to keep HELEN HAYES from realizing that she has almost no household staff other than him. Seems they are facing hard times just keeping up with the payments on the castle called "Candleshoe," an elegant British house in the countryside that provides a handsome setting for the story.

Foster, Niven and Hayes give delightful performances and keep the film going whenever it runs out of steam--which, unfortunately, happens toward the end when the slapstick becomes something better left to the likes of a Buster Keaton or a Charlie Chaplin.

Neverthelss, kids and adults will be drawn into the story, deftly played and well directed with enough humor and excitement to keep any viewer interested until the wacky finale.

And that "Candleshoe" house is something to see. As Jodie Foster says, "What a shack!"