U GOTTA SEE THIS CLASSIC `HEIDI' OFFERS SOME QUIET PLEASURE.Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor Although he's been in some bad films, the appearance of Max von Sydow in any movie automatically makes it a little more interesting. As the kind but gruff gruff adj. gruff·er, gruff·est 1. Brusque or stern in manner or appearance: a gruff reply. 2. Hoarse; harsh: a gruff voice. and reserved Uncle Alp in this new version of ``Heidi'' (Warner; $19.98) -- it wasn't released in America -- the distinguished Swedish actor seems like he was carved carve v. carved, carv·ing, carves v.tr. 1. a. To divide into pieces by cutting; slice: carved a roast. b. from the mountains. The story -- set around the beginning of the 1900s -- has been told numerous times on film, including once with Shirley Temple. Heidi (Emma Bulger) is a Swiss orphan orphan: see adoption; foundling hospital; guardian and ward. See widow & orphan. Orphan See also Abandonment. Adverse, Anthony finally, at middle age, discovers origins. [Am. Lit. being cared for by an aunt who, when offered a position as a domestic in the city, ships the girl off to live with her grandfather. Known as Uncle Alp, he's a man who lives high in the Alps as a way of escaping the pains of life. Eventually, the lively and feisty Heidi breaks down his iciness and their life takes on a pleasant, idyllic i·dyl·lic adj. 1. Of or having the nature of an idyll. 2. Simple and carefree: an idyllic vacation in a seashore cottage. quality, until Heidi is summoned by her aunt to the city to become a companion for a wheelchair-bound girl. Heidi encounters new wonders in the city but longs to return to the mountains. When she returns, she finds her grandfather is again cool toward her. By today's standards, it would be next to impossible to make ``Heidi'' exciting, unless it was rewritten into the equivalent of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride. This version is slow at times, but it takes advantage of the spectacular scenery. There is a dramatic ending, however, and some worthwhile sentiments, which is why filmmakers keep returning to the story. And there's also the presence of Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944 in Santa Monica, California) is an American actress. She was the first child of Charlie Chaplin and his last wife Oona O'Neill (daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill and author Agnes Boulton). and, of course, von Sydow, whose half-smile can display a range of emotions from pain to joy, and sometimes all at once. There are two more titles out from the ``Popular Mechanics for Kids'' series: ``Firefighters and Other Life Saving Heroes'' and ``Lightning and Other Forces of Nature'' (Koch Koch , Robert 1843-1910. German bacteriologist who discovered the cholera bacillus and the bacterial cause of anthrax. He won a 1905 Nobel Prize for developing tuberculin. Koch named after Robert Koch, a German bacteriologist. ; $14.98 each) . The series uses three young hosts -- Jay, Elisha and Tyler -- to learn about science and how things are done. In ``Heroes,'' they not only accompany firefighters but lifeguards and police and go behind the scenes at an armored car factory. In ``Lightning,'' they explore NASA's ice tunnel, Niagara Falls' hydroelectric plant and a volcano volcano, vents or fissures in the earth's crust through which gases, molten rock, or lava, and solid fragments are discharged. Their study is called volcanology. in Hawaii. It seems aimed at the under-10 set. But I bet there are parents who could use a brush-up course on some of this stuff. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: no caption (``Heidi'') |
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