Author Archive: Retro

Award-winning children’s tale.

Snowdrop, lured by the emerald plains, plans to desert January, her father, and the snowy surroundings of her abode. January places her in charge of Silvano, the god of the woods, who orders his gnomes to watch her. She eludes their vigilance, however, and flies to the plains, where she meets a gentle shepherd called Sprinblossom, and the two fall in love. Her icy kiss chills him to the marrow, and he rushes home to his fireside. Snowdrop follows, and the warmth of the hut turns her into a heap of melting snow, from which she emerges a beautiful fairy. Being Snowdrop in the form of the newly born spring. Snowdrop in the form of the newly born spring. Snowdrop and Springblossom are then turned into two large butterflies, whose golden wings reflect the sunshine of a perfect May day.

A Mexican boy without young neighbors to play with, befriends a diverse group of desert animals.

Narrated by Paul Tripp. Produced in Germany.

Unlike previous adaptations of the Johanna Spyri children’s classic, this 1952 English-language version of {#Heidi} was lensed on location in Switzerland. Elsbeth Sigmund plays the title character, who endures all sorts of hardships and setbacks before finding happiness in the form of her ex-curmudgeon grandfather (top-billed Heinrich Gretler). Isa Gunther co-stars as the crippled girl whom Heidi befriends; with her twin sister, Guenther had previously starred in the successful German farce Two Times Lotte(1950), which served as the inspiration for the 1961 Disney film The Parent Trap. Thanks to the built-in popularity of the Spyri original, Heidi managed good international booking even before it was finished. The film was the fourth effort by Praesens Productions, which had previously struck box-office gold with Four in a Jeep(1951). It was directed by Italy’s Luigi Comencini, a specialist in films featuring wise-beyond-their-years children.

A Greek soldier leads the fight against an invading Persian army.

Evil killer is strung up for his crimes, but a doctor steals the body, injecting brain tissue from the killer into his own brain to test a theory.