Pippi Longstocking

Astrid Lindgren's Pippi was filmed in 1969 as a thirteen-episode television series co-produced by Sweden and West Germany. Lindgren wrote the scripts with Olle Hellbom, who directed, and Inger Nilsson played Pippi. The first episode aired on 8 February 1969. The cinema version came out of re-editing that series: episodes were combined, dubbed into German and later English and many other languages, and released as two features in 1969. Watching the film, you are watching a compressed television series, and the episodic structure shows in places. That Lindgren wrote the scripts herself matters. The essence of the character, a child who answers to nobody, finds adult authority funny and never explains her strength, survives intact in this version. The theme song, written by Jan Johansson, is sung by Inger Nilsson. Who it is for: anyone looking for a classic adaptation to watch with children, and readers of Scandinavian children's literature. Who it is not for: viewers expecting technical polish, since the source is television and it shows.