Heidi
– ‘Three Years She Grew’ in Alps
"Three years she
grew in sun and shower,
Then Nature said,
"A lovelier flower
On earth was never
sown;
This Child I to myself
will take;
She shall be mine, and
I will make
A Lady of my own."
- William Wordsworth
Wordsworth's Lucy poems, Thoreau's Walden, Wilde's 'The Selfish Giant'... Ample hyperlinks pop up on the screen of my mind when I wish to put in black and white an amazing movie-watching experience I had this evening.
In 1948, national
leaders of India and Switzerland signed a trity of friendship and cooperation
in the realms of research, agriculture, aesthetics etc. To celebrate the 70th
Friendship Day of these two beautiful countries, the Swiss Ambassy in India has
initiated a nation-wide open for all film-viewing program called 'Swiss Films on
Wheels' under which Ahmedabad got a privilege to watch an enchanting swiss film
called 'Heidi'. It is a step in the direction of heralding values like mutual
acceptance and coinhabitation, piety of innocence and value of Nature.
Mr. Chintan Pandya, the pioneer of Fanatika - an Ahmedabad based group for theatrical activities invited me to watch this film and I thank this respected friend for a cherishable experience.
Mr. Chintan Pandya, the pioneer of Fanatika - an Ahmedabad based group for theatrical activities invited me to watch this film and I thank this respected friend for a cherishable experience.
Heidi - a cute, little,
innocent but orphan girl lives with her aunt who then shifts her to her
grandfather's home in the countryside. No.... wait, I must avoid spoilers here
but to say the least - her life swings just like a pendulum between two
extremes - absolutely authentic, soothing, natural life in countryside and
artificial, smothering, unnatural life in urban areas. Through Heidi's life
shuttling between two polar opposites, the filmmaker has showcased the massive
and worldwide diasporic shift from rural life to urban life and the price that
we pay for it - loss of innocence and childlike curiosity. Here you don't have
to awaken the giant within. Rather you have to awaken the child within. Let it
live carefree. Let your childlike nature fly and soar high in sky. Under the
disguise of sophistication and civilization, people have turned more
pretentious and less transparent, more burdened and less true to life. However,
the film at no point sermonizes nor does it become loud, it rather conveys the
message subtly. Based on a work of children's fiction with the same title
published in 1881 by Swiss author Johnna Spyri, this lovely film brings to us
the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care in the Swiss Alps. There
have been more than twenty adaptations of the aforesaid book worldwide which
includes films, T.V. Series, stage performances etc.
Frankly speaking, I was
a little apprehensive about the film while going there due to a pre-conceived
notion that watching a film in Swiss German language with English subtitles
would divide my attention between scenes and subtitles, marring the charm.
Luckily, my conjecture was proven wrong (as was the case with an amazing
Marathi film 'Natsamrat').
But what's so special
about this film?
It has an inexplicable
emotional appeal to one's heart (if one has something more than just a
blood-pumping device on the left side of the chest.). The girl is accustomed to
live in the lap of Nature with apparently harsh but affectionate company of her
grandpa. It is an absolute bliss to see her running with her arms stretched on
the lush green slopes of mountain. Goats and swan are her companions, grumpy
grandpa (who looks like Santiago of The Old Man and the Sea) is her caretaker,
Peter - a raw and rustic but believably innocent goatherd is her friend and above
all - NATURE is her world.
(Heidi with her beloved Grandpa)
However, the season of ecstasy does not last long
for her. When she is shifted to a high-profile, rich, urban family in Frankfurt
as a companion of a differently abled girl.... Oh, wait! I must not spill the
beans. Right? Let's construe various aspects of the film. To begin with dialogues,
there isn't much use of flowery language, irony, punches etc yet there are some
statements which would reverberate in spectator's mind even after going home.
Such as,
"You have to make
a choice between whether to believe your eyes and ears or to believe what
people say."
"If you get joy in
doing something, you just have to do it regardless of what people say."
Cinematography is a plus point of the film. The way the camera captures various locations is appealing - be it goats grazing the grass on hillside or an eagle hovering in the sky or the hustle and bustle of market in the city. Although there isn't any song in the film, the background score is perfectly in harmony with the tone and ambience of the film.
Cinematography is a plus point of the film. The way the camera captures various locations is appealing - be it goats grazing the grass on hillside or an eagle hovering in the sky or the hustle and bustle of market in the city. Although there isn't any song in the film, the background score is perfectly in harmony with the tone and ambience of the film.
Plot construction is
quite coherent except a few scenes in the second half where fantasy eclipses
realism and hence it makes some happenings unconvincing. However, considering
holistic appeal and genre of the film, such anomalies can be given benefit of
doubt.
Performance is one of
the most potent elements of the film. Heidi is a sweet little girl with 24
carate pure smile and pious heart, grandpa is an angry old man with a tender
heart, governess of Klara is a typical, snobbish lady... - all thanks to the
effortless performances of actors. So casting plays a vital role in the success
of the film.
Is there any symbolism
in the film? Yes. An eagle flying high in the wide open sky and Heidi mimicking
it, signifies freedom that Heidi and even Klara yearn for throughout the film.
Roughly speaking, the eagle appears thrice in the film:-
At the beginning (Heidi
on the mountain)
At the middle (Heidi in
the city)
At the end (Heidi again
in the countryside)
This signifies a
remarkable symmetry of the plot construction. When Klara secretly brings home
three kittten which she bought from the market, her governess is panicked. Her
bewildered behaviour and allergic sneezing represent her extreme detachment
from Nature. Large gates of home are heavily bolted blocking rain or dead
leaves or even a breeze entering home. Heidi's frequent attempts to open up
windows can be interpreted as Nature knocking the doors of people living life
of pretentiousness in urban areas. Recurrence of goats, swan, eagle, kitten etc
underline the contrast of countryside v/s urban life. No wonder why Heidi
sleepwalks and dreams of grandpa and eagle when she is in the golden cage of
Klara's home. Her angst as a misfit to aristocratic life and yearning for home
reminds me of Ishan Avasthy at the boarding school in the film 'Taare Zameen Par'.
As Wordsworth said:- "Child is the father of the man.", Heidi -
Nature Personified - plays catalytic role in transforming lives of surrounding
characters. Whether it is grandfather or Klara or Peter - the Midas touch of
Heidi rejuvenates every life. Her goodness, tenderness, selfless acts, love for
the living beings etc make the eyes moist and at the end of the film, we carry
home a little bit of Heidi in our hearts.
To sum up in just one
sentence:- Watching 'Heidi' feels like someone gently brushing a feather of
peacock on our cheeks. Period.
Written
on 10-11 March 2018
