`MADELINE' THE MOVIE MANAGES TO DO RIGHT BY BELOVED BOOKS.

Byline: Michael Rectshaffen Hollywood Reporter

It can be a daunting task adapting a beloved children's classic for the big screen, especially when the work in question happens to be no less than Ludwig Bemelmans' enduring, Paris-based ``Madeline'' books.

But ``Madeline'' the movie manages to get it delightfully right. A lively, spirited take on the adventures of the fearless red-headed heroine who has been a role model for several generations of little girls the world over, the picture is graced by pitch-perfect casting and energetic direction by Daisy von Scherler Mayer that is never precious or pandering.

Seamlessly stitching together elements from four of Bemelmans' whimsically illustrated works - ``Madeline,'' ``Madeline and the Bad Hat,'' ``Madeline's Rescue'' and ``Madeline and the Gypsies'' - the film follows the exploits of its title character (highly capable newcomer Hatty Jones), the unflappable orphan who lives with 11 little girls at the school run by Miss Clavel (a wonderful Frances McDormand) ``in an old house in Paris, that was covered with vines.''

Not prepared to let the fact that she's the smallest of the group limit her capacity for adventure, Madeline has her appendix removed, falls into the Seine and takes on both the Spanish ambassador's troublemaking son, Pepito (Kristian De La Osa), and stuffy old Lord Covington (Nigel Hawthorne), who has decided to sell the old house after the death of his wife and the school's patron, Lady Covington (Stephane Audran).

Did we mention that she's also kidnapped by a bunch of bumbling circus performers?

Thanks to von Scherler Mayer (who, surprisingly, also directed the deservedly ill-fated ``Woo''), the proceedings never feel rushed or forced. Working from a screenplay credited to the husband-and-wife team of Mark Levin & Jennifer Flackett, who wrote the screen story with Malia Scotch Marmo, she gives equal weight to the comedic and dramatic elements of the story. Nothing feels formulaic or contrived under her light-as-a-souffle touch.

Of course, the cast works a little magic of its own, with 9-year-old London native Jones, resembling a baby Brenda Blethyn, making for one remarkable Madeline. Terrific, too, is McDormand as the big-hearted nun who always seems just on the verge of losing control over her dozen distinct charges - very real little English, French and Franco-American girls.

Significant credit for nailing just the right tone also goes to cinematographer Pierre Aim, production designer Hugo Luczyc-Wyhowski and costume designer Michael Clancy, all of whom create a vivid mid-'50s Parisian canvas (bumped up from the late-'30s setting of the books) that is both timeless and innocently nostalgic at the same time.

Old pro Michel Legrand seals the continental flavor with a gently accented score, while Carly Simon, whose publisher father helped Bemelmans land his first book deal, is a natural to provide the end title song: the appropriately bouncy ``Two Straight Lines.''

THE FACTS

The film: ``Madeline'' (PG).

The stars: Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne, Hatty Jones, Kristian De La Osa, Stephane Audran.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer. Written by Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett. Based on the books by Ludwig Bemelmans. Released by TriStar Pictures.

Running time: One hour, 29 minutes.

Playing: Citywide.

Our rating: Three Stars.

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Photo

Photo: Madeline and her schoolgirl friends sally forth with the vigilant Miss Clavel, played by Frances McDormand, bringing up the rear.