La mascotte du régiment

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.

A widow (June Lang) and her young daughter (Shirley Temple) arrive in the Indian North West Frontier to stay with her Britsh uncle father-in-law (C. Aubrey Smith), a colonel in the British Army. The young girl soon makes a positive impression on all those she comes into contact with, including the warring Khan (Cesar Romero).

Apparently "inspired" by a Rudyard Kipling, this colonial family film is one of Temple's best vehicles and most charming films, surprising from macho director John Ford who didn't like working with children. Ford regular McLaglen and Temple work particularly well together. There's plenty of action too, even if some of the film's politics are somewhat dubious.

Shirley Temple and mother are traveling to India to see grandfather in this John Ford movie based on a Rudyard Kipling tale. In fact, in most of the Shirley Temple movies, she is the main focus of the film. Here, she is one of many, due to the exceptional talent that went into the making of this film. There's director John Ford's touch that usually makes gold. There's Victor McLaglen, one of John Ford's more frequent actors. There's the colorful and versatile Cesar Romero as a supposed villain here, who also costarred in "The Little Princess." And lastly, there's the locale of India, which seems to be the real star of this film. The mood, the shadows, the direction of Ford all tell a story besides the actual plot and dialogue. McLaglen is a stern officer, but then he meets and befriends Shirley. And, Shirley get embroiled into the war between the natives and the officers, when they think she has been kidnapped. The end result may be somewhat predictable, but the journey is a very different one than most Temple films. Although she is the title character, she just happened to be cast in this John Ford production. And, what a production! Along with "The Little Princess," this has to be one of the best films she ever made. I wanted to watch this over, once I finished it. A true testament to a great film!

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.

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.