The Little Princess

"A great classic comes to life in glorious Technicolor!"

1939 1h 33m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 129

FamilyDramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A little girl goes in search of her father who is reported missing by the military during the Second Boer War.

“A great classic comes to life in glorious Technicolor!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Shirley Temple
Sara Crewe
Richard Greene
Geoffrey Hamilton
Anita Louise
Rose
Ian Hunter
Captain Crewe
Cesar Romero
Ram Dass
Arthur Treacher
Bertie Minchin
Mary Nash
Amanda Minchin
Sybil Jason
Becky

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Walter Lang
Writers: Ethel Hill, Walter Ferris
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

87 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Walter Lang, shot by William V. Skall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Louis R. Loeffler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Shirley Temple and Richard Greene and Anita Louise carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A great classic comes to life in glorious Technicolor!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0031580 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Walter Lang directs. William V. Skall behind the camera. Louis R. Loeffler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Walter Lang, shot by William V. Skall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Louis R. Loeffler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Shirley Temple and Richard Greene and Anita Louise carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "A great classic comes to life in glorious Technicolor!".
6IMDB entry: tt0031580 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: William V. Skall
Editing: Louis R. Loeffler
Costume design: Gwen Wakeling
Sound: E. Clayton Ward
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Little Princess (1939)

Also by

Walter Lang

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-22
★ 7/10
Young "Sara" (Shirley Temple) is the apple of her military father's eye. When he (Ian Hunter) is sent abroad to fight in the Boer war, she is left at a posh boarding school run by the pernickety "Miss Minchin" (Mary Nash). Initially, this all goes swimmingly until news reaches them that her father has been killed at the siege of Mafeking and she, now penniless, has to serve as a glorified scullery maid. Disbelieving of her father's fate, the young girl and her fellow skivvy "Becky" (Sybil Jason) have some fun escapades that make her some new friends amongst the war wounded (including a touching cameo from the shell-shocked Morton Lowry), severely test the patience of her reluctant new guardian and hopefully track down her father. Yes, it smacks a little of "Cinderella" with a little "Annie" thrown in too, but the star is on great form as she sails, nonchalantly, through the proceedings with a charming and engaging air. Maybe the romance between Richard Greene ("Geoffrey") and Anita Louise ("Rose") clutters it up a bit, but otherwise a strong cast support the youngster ably with a suitably curmudgeonly Miles Mander ("Lord Wickham"), a cheery Arthur Treacher and Cesar Romero as the old lord's kindly butler. It's fun to watch - we always know what's going to happen in the end, but so what - it's a harmless and enjoyable bit of colourful escapism made just before times got really grim for many.

Production companies