Search - Candleshoe on DVD

Foster, Niven, Hayes, McKern and Let's Not Forget...Disney

Virginia Lore | Seattle, WA United States | 08/26/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I was 11, I saw this movie eight times in the theater. Candleshoe has it all for kids: orphans, danger, a rags-to-riches story with pranks and an imaginative chase scene.Candleshoe is the story of an American street kid, Casey Brown (a young Jodie Foster) who joins with con man Harry Bundage (Leo McKern) to convince the wealthy Lady St. Edmund (Helen Hayes) that she is her long-lost granddaughter. Her mission: to worm her way into the household and find a missing fortune. Protecting Lady St. Edmund is her longtime servant Priory (David Niven) and three English kids who already call Candleshoe home. As it becomes evident that Candleshoe is a poor estate and Lady St. Edmund grows to love her, Casey's loyalties are thrown into chaos. Jodie Foster displays her already considerable talent in her portrayal of Casey, making this Disney's most touching of the caper movies of the 1970's. Adults will appreciate Helen Hayes, David Niven, and Leo McKern, who is wonderfully villainous in this family movie with lots of action but little violence."

Excellent family fun

Kali | United Kingdom | 03/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"David Niven gives it his all as a butler trying to protect his Mistress played superbly by Helen Hayes from the harsh realities of the present. He takes on various guises of people long dead so that Hayes can pretend her life in the crumbling English mansion Candleshoe has not changed in forty years. A youthful Jodie Foster is a street-wise young con artist who agrees to impersonate Hayes long-lost granddaughter in order to make a fast buck. What follows is a barrel of laughs as Jodie, an assortment of orphan children, Niven, Hayes and a band of hilariously inept baddies, one of whom is the fabulous Leo McKern, find themselves on the hunt for a lost English treasure. A treasure that Niven wants to find so that his Mistress will not have to leave Candleshoe which is about to fall into the hands of debtors. Slowly Jodie finds herself at odds with the task she has been paid to do, and she changes sides, helping Niven and the children save Candleshoe for the old woman she has grown to love. Disney has created a cast of colorful characters that have you laughing and crying in the same breath and Jodie Foster is brilliant as the cynical young American girl who just might be the real heir to Candleshoe. Delightful, and wonderfully harmless fun. Well worth buying just for the innocent it exudes from every single frame."

One of my favorite live-action Disney films

Molly P. | Portland, Oregon USA | 09/12/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jodie Foster stars as a juvenile delinquent/orphan named Casey who's in the right place at the right time -- and has the right look. A con man hires her to pose as the long-lost granddaughter of a rich English woman (played by Helen Hayes), who lives in a big house/castle called Candleshoe. The catch? There's a treasure hidden somewhere in Candleshoe, the con man knows about it, and he wants Casey to find it. At first, it's easy for Casey to dupe "Grandma", her butler, and the four precocious orphans who also live at Candleshoe. But before long, Casey begins to feel a little guilty about what she's doing. This is a wonderful movie, with great performances by Foster, Hayes, and David Niven as the Candleshoe butler. It is one of my favorite life-action Disney films. This DVD has the movie in full screen, widescreen, and has scene selection."

A refreshing film!

Bunny Man! | Seattle, WA USA | 02/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Time has not dimmed the appeal of this refreshing film. It may not be fashionable for a film to be heartwarming these days, but Candleshoe IS heartwarming, and I like it fine that way.Banner performances are found here from Helen Hayes, David Niven, and the young Jodie Foster. Hayes is great in her old age, and there is already visible in Ms. Foster the greatness she will achieve later on. David Niven is extraordinarily versatile (doing work every bit on the caliber of Peter Sellers).The plot is engaging, as a con-man and his hench-persons try to ferret out the location of an old pirate treasure, only to be repeatedly foiled by the much weaker "good guys." Though I will not reveal the ending (except perhaps to hint that the butler may NOT have done it), that ending is truly satisfying.This is a film for folks of all ages."