The Littlest Rebel

[igenlode]

I've just seen the 'classic' Shirley Temple in action for the first time after acquiring a videotape of "The Littlest Rebel" -- previously I'd only seen her in a straight acting role as Myrna Loy's younger sister in "Bachelor Knight". As a child star she really is something pretty special: I was particularly impressed by the distinction made between her 'acting' valiantly and unconvincingly within the film (when she trots out her prepared story about her father having left the house "an hour ago") and the fact that she was of course acting throughout the surrounding scene as well!

And she manages to be cute and charming without being obnoxious about it; it's credible that she manages to win her enemies over (though I liked the touch that it's precisely this eagerness to please that gets her recognised and betrays her father when he's trying to talk their way out of the Yankee camp; she's memorable, yes, but not everyone has cause to remember her kindly!)