This is one of those movies I know inside out after watching it on HBO every time it was on (which was quite often). These live-action Disney flicks don't seem to get a lot of attention nowadays, but when I was a kid I was more into movies like "Candleshoe" than the animated Disneys.
Obviously the charm of "Candleshoe" is the talent involved. Helen Hayes and David Niven are on hand, and Jodie Foster is splendid as the American orphan who becomes part of a con man's plot to swindle Hayes's Lady St. Edmund out of a fortune that is hidden somewhere in her very own manse. Goaded by Leo McKern, Foster poses as Hayes's long-lost granddaughter in order to gain admittance to the mansion, where she must follow up on a series of clues regarding the hidden treasure's location.
Although definitely made for kids, the best thing about "Candleshoe" is that it's just as fun watching as an adult. The plot has a certain giddy excitement to it--after all, who could resist a treasure hunt in an old mansion?--and David Niven's many disguises are pretty funny (especially his grouchy Scottish gardener who has an amusing argument with Lady St. Edmund). The other kids in the movie are enjoyable, too.
What really strikes me about the film today are the two surprisingly adult scenes between Hayes and Foster. The way Hayes wins over the distant Foster is a little abbreviated, but the film's denouement between the two of them at the train station is genuinely touching.
Obviously the charm of "Candleshoe" is the talent involved. Helen Hayes and David Niven are on hand, and Jodie Foster is splendid as the American orphan who becomes part of a con man's plot to swindle Hayes's Lady St. Edmund out of a fortune that is hidden somewhere in her very own manse. Goaded by Leo McKern, Foster poses as Hayes's long-lost granddaughter in order to gain admittance to the mansion, where she must follow up on a series of clues regarding the hidden treasure's location.
Although definitely made for kids, the best thing about "Candleshoe" is that it's just as fun watching as an adult. The plot has a certain giddy excitement to it--after all, who could resist a treasure hunt in an old mansion?--and David Niven's many disguises are pretty funny (especially his grouchy Scottish gardener who has an amusing argument with Lady St. Edmund). The other kids in the movie are enjoyable, too.
What really strikes me about the film today are the two surprisingly adult scenes between Hayes and Foster. The way Hayes wins over the distant Foster is a little abbreviated, but the film's denouement between the two of them at the train station is genuinely touching.