Jodie Foster is Casey Brown and is billed as the star of this movie. However, the stellar performances by David Niven as four different characters and Helen Hayes as Lady St. Edmund are what make this movie enjoyable.
Casey Brown is a juvenile delinquent who lives in America, where Harry Bundage (Leo McKern) discovers her. It seems that Casey resembles the granddaughter of Lady St. Edmund, which would thus give her access to the St. Edmund estate, Candleshoe. We learn that Lady St. Edmund, her staff of one (David Niven), and a host of orphans are living in near poverty themselves, barely making ends meet. However, there may be a long lost treasure somewhere in Candleshoe if it can be discovered.
At first, Casey is more than happy to seek clues to the treasure. However, Bundage consistently mistreats her at the same time that Lady St. Edmund treats her well, and Casey responds to that treatment by helping Lady St. Edmund, Mr. Priory (Niven) and the other children locate the treasure on the eve of everyone being forced to leave the house because they are unable to pay the taxes.
This movie contains a number of very good scenes. There is a chase scene between a car and a train as Lady St. Edmund, Mr. Priory and the children track down a clue. In another scene Mr. Priory, in the role of Colonel Dennis, is challenged to ride a horse when he can barely ride. Some of the minor scenes are also interesting, including a couple of scenes in the library, and a scene in a graveyard.
This movie is a perfect family movie because it combines a number of humorous moments with family friendly tension. There are a couple of fight scenes, but they are relatively mild. I think with adult presence children of any age should be able to watch this movie. The final scene in the movie is an extended fight that ultimately leads to a valuable discovery.
Unfortunately, Disney has chosen again to release this movie in full screen format only. We have this movie because we enjoy watching it, and will watch it again, but Disney should release this movie once more in wide screen format. Until then, we will have to be satisfied with the full screen format. I just hope this is not a Disney marketing ploy.
fun-filled Disney adventure!
CANDLESHOE is a fun-filled adventure from Disney with Jodie Foster leading the cast of veteran actors. This was Foster's second Disney movie of 1977 (the other being the delightful FREAKY FRIDAY). The story is based on Michael Innes' book "Christmas at Candleshoe".
The movie opens with feisty orphan Casey (Jodie Foster), who is convinced by slimy opportunist Harry Bundage (Leo McKern) to pose as the long-lost granddaughter of Lady St. Edmund (Helen Hayes). Once inside Lady St. Edmund's Candleshoe estate, Casey must find the valuable treasures hidden there. With some 'help' from ex-housekeeper Grimsworthy (Vivian Pickles), Casey is given the first clue to finding the loot, but soon her loyalties are put to the test when she grows fond of Lady St. Edmund and her family of orphan children (Veronica Quilligan, Ian Sharrock, Sarah Tamakuni and David Samuels).
David Niven also puts in a delightful performance as Lady St. Edmund's faithful butler Priory, a man of many guises! Disney's attempt at an ANASTASIA-style adventure mystery is one of their finest movies of the late 70's. Jodie Foster gives an amazing performance as cynical street-urchin Casey. Helen Hayes, as always, offers a touching portrait of comedy and wisdom as Lady St. Edmund. Leo McKern and Vivian Pickles are hilarious as grasping villains Bundage and Grimsworthy.
The movie is presented in pleasing 16:9 enhanced widescreen. Sadly, no extras to speak of. Originally released by Anchor Bay, now being distributed under the Walt Disney banner proper.
WIDE SCREEN, BUT NEEDS SOME RESTORATION!
I BELIEVE, AS I AM SURE MOST OF THE OTHERS DO, THAT DISNEY SHOULD PUT IN WIDESCREEN EVERY DVD THEY SHOULD ATTEMPT TO SELL. THEY NEED TO RESTORE EVERY SINGLE ONE AS WELL, IF IT IS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OLD. NO ONE CAN TELL ME THAT THEY CAN NOT AFFORD IT, WITH ALL THEIR THEMEPARKS AND SUCH. I WILL CONTINUE TO BUY THESE INFERIOR DVDS HOWEVER, AS THEY HAVE A NASTY HABIT OF RIPPING THESE AWAY FROM PUBLIC VIEW FOR MANY YEARS AT A TIME. THESE FILMS ARE FAR BETTER THAN THE APPALLING, SOMETIMES VULGAR, TRASH THAT THE DISNEY NAME NOW OFTEN REPRESENTS ITSELF WITH. FOR SHAME. I WOULD BOYCOTTALL DISNEY ITEMS IF NOT FOR THE WONDERFUL FILMS OF YESTERYEAR. THE REMAKE OF THE PARENT TRAP IN ADDITION TO MULAN IN 1998, WERE THE LAST DECENT ONES, AND THEN THE MAGICAL WORLD OF DISNEY WAS NO MORE, PROBABLY GONE FOR GOOD. NO DOUBT SOME OF YOU AGREE.
Typical of Disney's 1970s output, this squeaky-clean comic adventure about a group of church volunteers and soccer moms who take on local gangsters is packed with slapstick humor, sight gags, and nonlethal car crashes. Curiously enough, it's based on the true story of Reverend Albert Fay Hill, who wrote a book about his efforts to stop mob-run gambling in his city. Edward Herrmann plays the fictionalized Presbyterian minister Mike Hill, a soft-spoken widower with two kids who ruffles the feathers of the dedicated church secretary (Susan Clark) when he organizes a group of women to help the Treasury Department catch the bookies in the act. The mobsters are more Damon Runyon than John Gotti: no one gets hurt and everything ends in a demolition derby free-for-all as the suburban-lady... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Edward Herrmann - Barbara Harris Director(s): Bruce Bilson (II) DVD Release Date: Released the 06 July 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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What would you do if you were in your mother's shoes? Spunky teenager Annabel Andrews would want her own shoes back. On Friday the 13th, Annabel found herself switching places with her uptight mother, Ellen. Suddenly she finds herself responsible for preparing a large dinner; take care of house renovations and driving her brother `Apeface' around. Meanwhile, Ellen has to drudge through a high school game of field hockey, eat food only Annabel could enjoy and perform in the big water-skiing extravaganza. Both of them are not too happy to have switched but the event sure makes them understand each other.
For the nations Bicentennial, the folks at Disney put out this high concept film and it was reason enough for fireworks. The film has much in common with earlier Disney... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Barbara Harris - Jodie Foster Director(s): Gary Nelson DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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In Search of the Castaways was Hayley Mills's third feature for Disney, an agreeable adventure--loosely based on a Jules Verne story--with enough derring-do to make kids happy and with the right touch of self-conscious silliness to keep adults smiling. Mills plays Mary Grant, a missing freighter captain's daughter convinced her father is still alive somewhere in Earth's southern hemisphere. With the help of her brother (Keith Hamshire) and a veteran seaman (an extremely unlikely if charming Maurice Chevalier), Mary convinces a shipping magnate, Lord Glenarvan (Wilfrid Hyde-White), to set sail and find the missing Captain Grant. The team survives freezing weather, avalanches, a menacing condor, an active volcano, Maori captors, and a plot by a slick George Sanders to steal a ship.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Maurice Chevalier - Hayley Mills - George Sanders Director(s): Robert Stevenson DVD Release Date: Released the 03 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Purportedly one of Walt Disney's most personal pet projects, Darby O'Gill shows the effort and care put into it. Even now the special effects hold up shockingly well. Darby O'Gill is an estate caretaker, but in his advanced years he's more fond of telling tall tales in the local pub about the wee folk than keeping the grounds. A new man (a very youthful Sean Connery) is sent in to take his place, and O'Gill doesn't know what will become of himself and his daughter. He snags three spectacular opportunities, however, when he catches the king of the leprechauns. This film is whimsical without being silly, supernatural without being outlandish, and all and all a treat for the whole family. --Keith SimantonMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Albert Sharpe - Janet Munro - Sean Connery Director(s): Robert Stevenson DVD Release Date: Released the 03 August 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The Gnome Mobile is a cute movie and stars Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber the children who played Jane and Michael Banks in Mary Poppins. They are again playing a sister and brother but this time they are named Elizabeth and Rodney who go to California to visit their wealthy grandfather D.B. Mulrooney who is played by Walter Brennen who also plays one of the gnomes who Elizabeth and Rodney discover in a forest. The Great cast also includes Ed Wynn, Richard Deacon, Ellen Corby and Tom Lowell and I highly recommend this movie! This is a 5 star movie but I'm very disappointed that it's a pan and scan DVD and not widescreen! More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Walter Brennan - Matthew Garber - Karen Dotrice Director(s): Robert Stevenson DVD Release Date: Released the 02 March 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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