Pippi Longstocking
(aka PIPPI LANGSTRUMPF)
With: Inger Nilsson (Pippi Longstocking), Par Sundberg (Tommy), Maria Persson (Annika), Hans Clarin (Thunder-Karlsson), Paul Esser (Bloom), Beppe Wolgers (Papa Longstocking), Margot Trooger (Miss Prysselius)
English Language Version:
Plot Outline: A small Swedish coastal town is turned upside down by the arrival of a mysterious young girl, who calls herself 'Pippi Longstocking', who rides into town on a large horse, with a monkey on her shoulder. Moving into an abandoned house, the Villa Villekulla, the red-headed Pippi befriends two local children, Tommy and Annika Settergren.
Soon inseperable companions, the three children embark upon a series of colourful adventures, including going on a balloon flight, beating up the local bully Bengt, and a 'Spunk hunt'(!?)... However, not everyone is pleased to see Pippi: a local busybody, Miss Prysselius, schemes to have Pippi taken into care and put in a children's home, and sends the local Police after her, though Pippi soon sends them packing.
For along with her great generosity and friendly nature (she buys sweets and toys for all the town's children) Pippi also happens to be the strongest girl in the whole World. For Tommy and Annika things couldn't be better. Who could wish for finer friends than Pippi and her horse 'Old Man' and monkey 'Mr Nilsson'?
The sudden arrival of Pippi's sea-captain father, missing after being swept overboard in a storm in the South Seas, threatens their happiness. For Pippi is now faced with an impossible dilemma. Should she stay behind with her two best friends, or depart with her beloved father and break their hearts forever? Torn between conflicting loyalties, Pippi must make a painful decision...
***
Based on the internationally best-selling children's book by Astrid Lindgren and boiled down from the original 13 part Swedish/German TV series PIPPI LÅNGSTRUMP, which aired in 1968, this film first appeared in Germany in 1969 as PIPPI LANGSTRUMPF, but most will know it from its slightly edited U.S. release in 1973. As befits a film knocked-up from bits and pieces of more coherent half-hour-long TV episodes, PIPPI LONGSTOCKING is free-form and somewhat rambling in structure.
Perhaps the best way of describing it is as a 'flow of consciousness', as an apparently unrelated parade of noisy, lurid and comical scenes roll by one after the other. Director Olle Hellbom had constructed the TV series with considerable care and a definite unfolding chronology, which is not immediately apparent from this film, which more often than not sees continuity tossed out of the window.
The creaking structure is however held together by the powerful presence of Inger Nilsson's Pippi, a role she made her own very quickly, and which has never been bettered, though both America and Russia made their own film versions during the 1980s, and a more recent cartoon film from Sweden has become popular with the tots. Along with a great supporting cast which featured then-well-known German and Swedish character actors and actresses, Inger was flanked by the wonderful double-act of Pär Sundberg's cheerfully squinting Tommy, and Maria Persson's ever-charming Annika. Spot on casting if ever there was.
A recognisable chemistry grew between these three characters, and a powerful bond between the two girls in particular was evident. This enabled the trio to become totally believable amongst the often thinly sketched, cartoony characters elsewhere in the film.
Of these Margot Trooger's hideous Miss Prysselius achieves an almost 'Cruella De Ville' status in this film and PIPPI GOES ON BOARD, though even she sheds a tear or two at the prospect of Pippi's departure... The bungling (Keystone) Cops Kling (Ulf G. Johnsson)and Klang (Göthe Grefbo), and inept thieves Thunder Karlsson (Hans Clarin) and Blom (Paul Esser) add a level of slapstick that small kids will surely love and most adults find annoying.
The shift in tone at the end, with the palpable grief given off by Tommy and in particular an inconsolable Annika, is all the more accentuated by the largely lightweight flim-flam that has preceded it.
Here Inger really emotes as she is pulled this way and that emotionally by the tough decision she must make (in the TV series this was played on even more). With great sets (the interior of Pippi's ramshackle house is fantastic!), cool music and some effective camerawork helping to paper over the cracks (cheap model work and unconvincing 'opticals'), the film serves as a worthy introduction to the film series.
Best scenes? It's a tough call, but for this reviewer the sequence of Pippi and Annika dancing in the dress shop, especially Inger's 'sexy' Spanish Shuffle, rates top, followed by the moment that Pippi, hanging upside down by her feet several storeys above the street, talking to a terrified Miss Prysselius through her open window, abruptly drops like a stone to the ground!
The scene where Pippi leads Kling and Klang a merry chase over the rooftops of the Villa Villekulla is also memorable, and two languidly scored, laid-back scenes of the three children rafting down a stream and floating above the rooftops of town in Pippi's balloon are magically evocative of carefree childhood.
Ignore bile-drenched, zenophobic and factually-ignorant negative reviews of this film as epitomised by the Medved's voting of this film as one of the worst of all time. Nearly all the things they criticised stemmed from the shoddy dubbing of this film for its U.S. market (including a truly awful, inanely-worded, out-of-time version of the theme song).
However, accusing a Swedish child-actress of poor delivery of lines is arguably unfair when in fact you are referring to badly lip-synched, flatly delivered American-English instead of Inger's own voice (as recorded live for the TV series, which was scripted by Astrid Lindgren herself). Granted, this film is certainly no CITIZEN KANE, but neither is it a true Golden Turkey. It's always trendier to sneer though, isn't it?
Better films in the series were to follow, but PIPPI LONGSTOCKING laid firm foundations. Put aside cultural snobbery and enjoy. You know it makes sense...
Available on DVD in Germany from 'Junior' as PIPPI LANGSTRUMPF and in The Netherlands as PIPPI LANGKOUS (also from 'Junior'). The print utilised is full-screen and on both releases offers German or Dutch soundtrack options. Through 'branching' the Dutch version offers a different opening sequence (actually the U.S. one) to the German print on which both DVDs are based. No extras are offered, only chaptering.
--- Nigel Burrell, copyright 2003, all rights reserved
Video/DVD availability: VHS, DVD (Junior)
(1969, Germany/Sweden) color 99 minutes
Beta Film GmbH / Iduna Film-KB Nord Art / Constantin-Film
Story: Astrid Lindgren
Screenplay: Astrid Lindgren
Music: Jan Johansson
Cinematography: Kalle Bergholm
Produced by Olle Nordemar
Directed by Olle Hellbom
(1973) GG Communications 84 minutes
