Heidi (1968 film)

Heidi
Promotional poster
Based on	Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Written by	Earl Hamner, Jr. (teleplay)
Directed by	Delbert Mann
Starring	Maximilian Schell Jean Simmons Michael Redgrave Jennifer Edwards Walter Slezak
Theme music composer	John Williams
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Frederick H. Brogger James Franciscus Gyula Trebitsch
Cinematography	Klaus von Rautenfeld
Editor(s)	Walter Boos Donald J. Cohen
Running time	105 minutes
Distributor	NBC
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	November 17, 1968

Heidi is a 1968 NBC made-for-TV film version of the original 1880 novel of the same name which debuted on November 17, 1968. It starred actress Jennifer Edwards, stepdaughter of Julie Andrews and daughter of Blake Edwards, in the title role, alongside Maximilian Schell, Jean Simmons, and Michael Redgrave. The score was composed by John Williams. The film was sponsored by Timex.

The film altered the plot of the novel considerably, primarily by redefining the relationships of characters to one another. Heidi, instead of being the orphan of Grandfather's late son, becomes the orphan of the Grandfather's late daughter and her late husband; Dete becomes Heidi's aunt as the living but estranged daughter of the Grandfather. In addition, Heidi is further recast as Herr Sesemann's niece because of his late brother's marriage to Grandfather's late daughter. As Sesemann's niece, Heidi becomes cousin rather than simply companion to Clara, who early in the film is negatively portrayed as a hateful and spoiled child. By casting Simmons as Fräulein Rottenmeier, governess for both Heidi and Clara, the film remakes Rottenmeier as an extremely sympathetic character; she becomes almost a surrogate mother to Heidi. This drastic character transformation removes the antagonism between the two, thus removing the tension which dominates and enlivens the novel. So changed is Rottenmeier's personality that she falls in love with Sesemann, and he with her, a situation impossible in the novel.

The film also added a subplot in which Heidi's grandfather, a church organist in this version, has long been unable to play because of a family tragedy, which is shown to be his daughter's marriage to Sesemann's brother and her subsequent death. At the very end of the film, he regains his confidence, mounts the steps to the organ, and begins to play.

Another difference between the book and the film occurs during Clara's attempts at walking after Sesemann has accepted the Grandfather's invitation for Clara to visit Heidi in his home. In the novel, Sesemann's kindly and strong-willed mother teaches Heidi to read and to pray; she visits the girls on the Alp. Her character is cut completely from the film. In the novel, Peter becomes jealous of Heidi's attentions to Clara and deliberately destroys Clara's wheelchair so that the crippled girl will have to return home; the chain of events resulting from that destruction ends in Clara's taking her first successful steps on the Alp while leaning on Peter and Heidi. In the film, Fräulein Rottenmeier and Herr Sesemann visit the girls, and Grandfather deliberately leaves Clara alone on the mountains, knowing that she actually can walk but has been afraid to try. Clara struggles to get out of her wheelchair, knocking it over and falling down in the process. As she tries to get up, she sees her father, Herr Sesemann, looking at her encouragingly, and haltingly walks towards him. The film ends with a significant glance between Fraulein Rottenmeier and Herr Sesemann, a glance which promises a future for them together.