Heidi forever: Switzerland's most famous orphan is back
Philipp Jedicke / adDecember 3, 2015
Everyone knows at least one version of Heidi, the Swiss character created over 135 years ago - whether as a Japanese anime or as a little girl who interrupted a tight football game. Now Bruno Ganz stars in a new film.
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9 different versions of Heidi
The "Heidi" novels written by Johanna Spyri are among the most successful children's books ever. Her adventures has inspired many different adaptations, among them, a new film.
Image: Zuiyo Production/Studio 100 Media
Sweet Heidi, better than chocolate
"Heidi is better than Swiss chocolate, and more famous than our banks," once said the actor Bruno Ganz. He'll be starring in the new "Heidi" film as the grandfather, along with Anuk Steffen in her debut role as Heidi. Just like in the first Swiss film adaptation of 1952, filmmaker Alain Gsponer decided to remain faithful to the books written by Johanna Spyri in 1880 and 1881.
Image: Studiocanal
Heidi goes Hollywood
In 1937, the musical drama "Heidi" starred the young Shirley Temple. This version was only remotely based on the novel, as the story rather focused on the typical Hollywood scheme opposing good against evil. In the US, the film immediately became a family classic.
Image: Imago/Zuma
Postwar home idyll
The first German-language film version of "Heidi" was produced in Switzerland. Director Luigi Comencini took risks with amateur actress Elsbeth Sigmund in the lead role, but it paid off: his movie became very successful not only in the German-speaking countries, but also in the US, where a clumsily dubbed version was released - which many viewers still consider the very best "Heidi" version.
Image: picture-alliance/akg-images
Heidi ruins a football game
This American-German co-production was directed by Blake Edwards, who cast his daughter Jennifer Edwards in the lead role. It also starred Oscar winner Maximilian Schell. The 1968 film is famous to this day in the US, as its first broadcast controversially cut off the last 50 seconds of a very tight football game to start precisely at 7 p.m. It became known as the "Heidi Game."
The best-known adaptation of "Heidi" is a Japanese animation series of 1974. Directors Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki traveled around Switzerland for a whole month in order to portray the nature of the Alps as faithfully as possible. To this day, the series is very successful all over the world and has shaped Heidi's image for generations of young viewers.
Image: Zuiyo Production/Studio 100 Media
True to the original
This series in 26 episodes was a 1978 Swiss-German-Australian production. It was praised for its historical correctness and for offering a faithful adaptation of the original novels, allowing the viewers to discover the Heidi universe created by Johanna Spyri better than in any other version.
Image: picture-alliance/Dieter Klar
Heidi in the 21st century
In his "Heidi" version of 2001, director Markus Imboden transferred the story of the girl from the Alps into present day: Aunt Dete is a fashion designer, her daughter Clara a Berlin brat thrown out of her boarding school. The goatherd Peter raises money for Heidi's return to her beloved grandfather through crowdfunding. And toward the end of the film, the two of them open up a motel.
Image: picture-alliance/Vega Film
Heidi as a musical
Heidi has been successful not only through films, series or comic books, but also as various musical versions. Here Anna Silvia Lilienfeld is dancing as Heidi, next to Marco Fahrland as goatherd Peter during a rehearsal of the musical comedy at the Leipzig Opera. The premiere of the musical based on the Heidi novels took place on October 22, 2004.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Endig
The original
In 1880, Swiss author Johanna Spyri published "Heidi's years of learning and travel." The story of the good-hearted orphan girl became an immediate success. The second volume, "Heidi makes use of what she has learned," came out the following year. The books have been translated into more than 50 languages and continue to shape the image of Switzerland as an idyll in the Alps.
Image: picture-alliance/Arco Images
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With his version of "Heidi," film director Alain Gsponer did his best to remain faithful to the original novels. Producer Lukas Hobi told the Swiss news agency SDA, that their goal was not to produce another sugarcoated home movie in the style of the 1950s, but a "classic, authentic" Heidi version. The Swiss part of the story was filmed in the Rhine Forest, in Bergün and in the Canton of Grisons, the German part in Quedlinburg in Saxony-Anhalt.
With her "Heidi" books, first published in 1880 and 1881, Swiss author Johanna Spyri immediately gained international acclaim. To this day, her novels, translated into more than 50 languages and turned into several film adaptations, continue to be a never-ending success. Heidi's adventures were adapted into numerous feature films and series.
The new film is released in Germany on December 10. Release dates for an English version have not been announced yet.