Candleshoe

There is a girl who grew up on the streets of Los Angeles. Casey picks pockets and trusts nobody. A confidence man named Harry brings her an offer: there is a large house in England and the old countess who lives there has a granddaughter who disappeared years ago. Casey will play that granddaughter. A treasure is said to be hidden in the house and Harry is after it. Casey goes to Candleshoe. In the house there are the countess, a butler and a few children. The house is not as well off as it looks; the butler is playing several people at once to keep it going. Norman Tokar directs. Jodie Foster plays Casey, David Niven plays Harry and Helen Hayes the countess; Leo McKern is in the cast. It is a Walt Disney production. Helen Hayes was one of the great names of the theatre and this is among her last film work. David Niven takes several disguises in the film and those parts carry its comedy. It was shot in England and a real country house was used. The matter it treats is belonging; the treasure hunt is the ground and the actual subject is a child belonging to a house. Jodie Foster was known at the time as a child actor and did work in very different kinds in the same years. The narrative keeps the treasure puzzle simple; the clues are set for children. Its limit is age; the narrative is slow, the tension low, and the ending too tidy. Who it is for: viewers who like seventies Disney and family adventure. Who it is not for: it is old, the pace low, and the ending foreseeable.