The Little Princess (1939)

Young "Sara" (Shirley Temple) is the apple of her military father's eye. When he (Ian Hunter) is sent abroad to fight in the Boer war, she is left at a posh boarding school run by the pernickety "Miss Minchin" (Mary Nash). Initially, this all goes swimmingly until news reaches them that her father has been killed at the siege of Mafeking and she, now penniless, has to serve as a glorified scullery maid. Disbelieving of her father's fate, the young girl and her fellow skivvy "Becky" (Sybil Jason) have some fun escapades that make her some new friends amongst the war wounded (including a touching cameo from the shell-shocked Morton Lowry), severely test the patience of her reluctant new guardian and hopefully track down her father. Yes, it smacks a little of "Cinderella" with a little "Annie" thrown in too, but the star is on great form as she sails, nonchalantly, through the proceedings with a charming and engaging air. Maybe the romance between Richard Greene ("Geoffrey") and Anita Louise ("Rose") clutters it up a bit, but otherwise a strong cast support the youngster ably with a suitably curmudgeonly Miles Mander ("Lord Wickham"), a cheery Arthur Treacher and Cesar Romero as the old lord's kindly butler. It's fun to watch - we always know what's going to happen in the end, but so what - it's a harmless and enjoyable bit of colourful escapism made just before times got really grim for many.