The Little Match Girl

Unfortunately it is the exception rather than the rule when a screenwriter leaves the original story as it is. In this case, the steps of the original were followed, but the details were changed. It is almost as if the film script of this Columbia "color rhapsody" toon was written with only one reading of the source-story, and it never was consulted again. The mood does remain the same, however, and the world may seem even a bit harsher in this particular adaption. The New Year's Eve crowd is quite antagonistic to the poor little match seller. In Andersen's 3 page story it is the weather and her father which are the main adversaries, here it is the uncaring revelers which dominate.

Since the main essence of the story is left intact, and the treatment is grandiose, what remains is an excellent cartoon on any level. The combination of plot line and Brahm's Waltz in A-flat is a match made in heaven! It is obvious much time and care went into the animation, and the choice of colors were superb. Since images were used to convey meaning rather than dialogue(only the words, "Happy New Year" are heard)it seems that the important character of the grandmother had to be dropped in place of an angel. If you haven't read the short story in a long while, you may be willing to overlook this.

This is my first "Color Rhapsody" cartoon from Columbia Pictures that I have seen. I thought it was a beautiful re-telling of the sad Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. But of course, the setting was changed to a modern American city, and Grandmother's angel was also omitted from the cartoon.

Here is something I just learned: this cartoon was nominated for Best Animated Short Subject. But sadly, it was lost to Walt Disney in "The Old Mill." So anyway, that is all I have to say about this beautifully animated cartoon as a fan of Hans Christian Andersen's tales. And this cartoon is also a favorite from the "Color Rhapsody" series.

I was fortunate enough to get hold of a Super-8mm sound copy of this animated masterpiece. Every time I watch it I promise myself I won't choke up, but it gets to me every time (and I'm not emotional as a rule). That any film, regardless of subject matter or style, can still grip the emotions so strongly after sixty-odd years says something about the talents that combined to make it. It excels on so many levels: One could watch it once for its gorgeous use of color, once for its visual concepts, once for its story - suffice it to say that it's a film I've never stopped discovering. And since it tells its story with no dialog, its appeal is truly universal. Why this hasn't been reissued on video by Columbia/RCA is anybody's guess.

Animated classic with a tremendous emotional impact. I saw this film in a theatre way back in the 1970s and many people were crying at the end. Very touching film from the Columbia cartoon folks. Hopefully, it will be available some day on tape or DVD.

She has, for years, been the epitome of the downtrodden, the hopeless. The little girl who only has a box of matches to sell, desperately burns them for a little warmth. This is Hans Christian Andersen's tale which chokes you up. It is colorful and exhausting, to say the least. The problem is that at no point does she have a chance--all hope has been pulled from her.