It’s rather rare for me to happen upon a Disney movie I’ve never heard of before, but such was the case with Candleshoe,
a 1977 movie directed by frequent Disney director Norman Tokar and
based on a book by Michael Innes. Though the book was entitled Christmas at Candleshoe,
the movie isn’t tied to that season; while I love movies with a
Christmas theme, it’s probably just as well that this one lacks it
because that makes it more likely to be watched year-round.
Candleshoe stars a young Jodie Foster as Casey, a tough-talking street teen who reminds me of Jesse, the surly thug-in-training in Free Willy.
The movies share similar scenes at the beginning of kids running
rampant in the streets, wreaking havoc, and those scenes seem to end in a
similar way too until it becomes apparent that Casey has been
apprehended not by the cops but by a petty crook with a complex scheme.
In a storyline that made me think very much of Don Bluth’s Anastasia,
the bearded Bundage (Leo McKern) and his sour accomplice Grimsworthy
(Vivian Pickles) plan to groom Casey, who looks remarkably like the
long-lost granddaughter of wealthy widow Lady St. Edmund (Helen Hayes).
If they can convince the old lady that her beloved relative has
returned, Casey will be in an ideal position to find her late husband’s
fabled treasure. Other elements akin to Anastasia
are a loose brick in the wall, a song from a music box as a bond
between a woman and her grandchild, and a waltz in a decrepit room that
recalls memories of regal magnificence. It makes me wonder whether Bluth
was inspired by this movie at all.
Unlike the titular orphan
in that animated classic, Los Angeles-based Casey doesn’t much care
about her roots, but she agrees to Bundage’s plot because it means an
all-expenses-paid trip to an English estate, where she presumes she will
live in the lap of luxury, and a cut of the spoils once she finds the
treasure. She is also a skilled con artist herself, and it is her skill
that grants her entry into Lady St. Edmund’s household. However, as she
begins to compile clues, she makes two startling discoveries: this
aristocrat is no longer wealthy, and she actually likes the old woman
and her ramshackle family. Will she have the heart to go through with
her plan under these new circumstances?
The supporting cast is
great, with David Niven the clear standout as the devoted Priory, Lady
St. Edmund’s butler who performs multiple roles in an effort to protect
her from finding out that the rest of the staff had to be let go due to
insufficient funds. Most of the movie’s funniest moments involve him
frantically juggling guises, a charade known to the four waifs who call
the castle of Candleshoe home.
Of these, we see the most of
Cluny (Veronica Quilligan), a somewhat stuffy girl around Casey’s age
who is deeply suspicious of her when she arrives. The only orphan who
isn’t is Bobby (David Samuels), an adorable little rascal who takes to
her immediately. Hayes, who I love so much in Herbie Rides Again,
isn’t quite as feisty in this movie but still is a sweet-natured woman
willing to fight for the home her husband gave her, the same battle she
wages in Herbie Rides Again, though she joins the battle much later here.
This movie has plenty of humor to it between Niven’s role-switching,
the children’s squabbling and Bundage’s clumsy efforts to make sure
Casey holds up her end of the bargain. Nonetheless, I’d classify this as
more of a drama than a comedy. There’s a wistful tone to much of the
film, and its central element is Casey’s development from a cynical
pickpocket to someone willing to open her heart to love amidst the
gorgeous ruins of a once-grand country mansion. As few tales move me
more than those that involve the redemption of a troubled character,
that’s hardly a complaint. I don’t know why it took me so long to find
out about Candleshoe, but I’m very glad I did.
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