Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

bkoganbing It's a good thing that both Shirley Temple is so adorable and that John Boles was on a mission of mercy trying to get his sick wife and Shirley's mother through the lines for proper care. Otherwise there ain't no other reasons to look at this ode to the Ante Bellum South that we see in The Littlest Rebel. I also could add Bill Robinson's dancing.Even today I find it unfathomable that people bought into this wonderful stereotype. The film opens with Shirley's birthday party with her peers being served by the happy slaves willing to do all for dear old master. Even the slave children who can't attend the party as equals get up a collection and make little Shirley a doll.The news of the firing on Fort Sumter interrupts the festivities and it's war. During the course of the war because of his knowledge of the terrain Boles becomes a noted Confederate spy. But then Karen Morley gets sick and he has to undertake a personal mission. Unfortunately it's with Jack Holt's Yankee uniform so he and Holt are in a jackpot.Without the entertaining of Shirley and Bojangles this second cousin film of Birth Of A Nation would rate a lot lower than it does.

lugonian THE LITTLEST REBEL (20th Century-Fox, 1935), directed by David Butler, another agreeable and rewarding motion picture featuring child star, Shirley Temple, teams her once again opposite 1935 co-stars John Boles (CURLY TOP) and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (THE LITTLE COLONEL). Capitalizing on the success of THE LITTLE COLONEL, set after the Civil War, THE LITTLEST REBEL, taking place during the war between the states, finds Temple as a little girl winning the hearts of those around her, especially a tough Yankee soldier (Jack Holt) and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (Frank McGlynn Sr.), with whom she shares his apple. An old chestnut by Edward Peple that was first staged and  later filmed during the silent era in 1914, this edition, Temple's last for 1935, further demonstrates her as a fine child actress who equally handles her lighter and dramatic scenes with conviction and sincerity.The story is set on a Southern plantation where Herbert Cary (John Boles) and his wife, Helen (Karen Morley) honor their child, Virginia, better known as Virgie (Shirley Temple), with a birthday party where she and her little guests are gathered together with ice cream and cake along with tap dancing entertainment by Cary's slave/ butler, Uncle Willie (Bill Robinson). Shortly afterwards, the party is disrupted by startling news that war has been declared between the states. Enlisting in the Army, Cary leaves his wife and child under the care of Uncle Willie. With Yankee scouts invading their property, Virgie, while playing soldier, sling shots Colonel Morrison (Jack Holt), addressing herself as a "confederate." In spite of their differences, Morrison, a father himself, takes an immediate liking to Virgie, later rescuing her from the threat of the villainous Sergeant Dudley (Guinn Williams) for not revealing the whereabouts of her "daddy." After the Cary estate is burned to the ground, causing Mrs. Carey to fall ill and die within three weeks time, Cary leaves his post to take Virgie over to Richmond where she's to be placed in the care of her Aunt Caroline. Complications arise when Carey is recognized and captured, separated from his daughter, imprisoned along with Morrison for helping him, each charged with treason and sentences to be executed.    With 20th-Fox specializing in Southern stories set during, before or after the Civil War, THE LITTLEST REBEL is a fine example capturing Southern hospitality and flavor with the reconstruction of plantations and notable songs from that era including "Swanee River" (by Stephen Foster) sung during opening credits; "Turkey in the Straw" (tap dance by Bill Robinson); "Those Endearing Young Charms" (sung by Shirley Temple); "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" (by Thomas Moore and Matthew Locke); "Polly-Wolly Doodle" and "Polly-Wolly-Doodle" (sung by Temple and reprized during closing titles).Of its cast members, Bill Robinson and Willie Best provide lighter moments to their traditional servant roles. Best's performance as a shiftless and comical slave gives the impression that his role as James Henry was actually intended for Stepin Fetchit. While Best doesn't imitate Fetchit's comical methods to the extreme, he works well alongside Robinson as his comic foil doing a brief takeoff in the popular "Amos and Andy" radio show tradition in the question and answer session where Best asks Robinson: "Why is a shoe called a shoe?"  Although portraying their roles through stereotypes, Robinson comes through as an intelligent, caring and sensible slave with a talent for dancing. He's very convincing and sincere through his interacting with Temple, which is why they work so well together. John Boles satisfies as the easy-going father turned soldier and accused spy while Karen Morley, despite of her screen limitations, makes due with her role.Due to controversy in how the black performers are portrayed, cable television revivals of THE LITTLEST REBEL in recent years have been limited, though shown frequently at some point on American Movie Classics (1996-1999), the Fox Movie Channel, and availability since the 1980s on home video and afterwards DVD either in black and white or colorized formats. In May 2006, THE LITTLEST REBEL was one of the films chosen as part of its subject matter of "Black Images on Film" theme co-hosted by author Donald Bogle, where he and host Bob Osborne discussed the film, performances of Robinson and Best, as well as a scene where Temple gets herself corked up to avoid Yankee soldiers. THE LITTLEST REBEL, along with THE LITTLE COLONEL, were intended as screen entertainment with no intention to offend, yet something to consider as a reflection of the times, and how a Civil War story such as this is seen through the eyes of Virgie Carey, the littlest rebel. (***)

Karl Ericsson One could say that the essential thing about all ruling, all exploiting and all humiliation is to make most of those that you rule over, unaware of their slavery, even if, as in this film, they are called slaves. Right after the civil war, there was a general understanding amongst winners of that war to go easy on the conquered South. Even Lincoln is said to have the orchestra playing "Dixie" as he stood there on the balcony receiving the praise of the people for the victory. Why, one might ask, was this so? The South's kind of slavery was a very lazy one, in which the slaves knew that they were slaves and in which there were only black slaves. Less lazy rulers want all to be slaves, except themselves, of course. The South's kind of slavery was a provocation and to let it go on could easily have resulted in another, for the men in power much more dangerous war, the war of all slaves (not just those being called slaves) of all colors against the rich and powerful. That was not allowed to happen. This film glorifies ruling and cleverly even manages to glorify the kind of slavery in which people are called slaves and openly are bought and sold. By taking a stand for the South in the times of the civil war, Hollywood did with this film sanction "fatherly" leadership, which we are supposed to believe being "good", even if we are sold and bought. Using a lovely motherless child and any number of "Uncle Tom's" for this purpose, as in the story of this film, does, as it seems, give rise to no blushing whatsoever. The liar lies so much that, in the end, he believes his own lies. A gruesome "cute" little film selling slavery to the slaves!

ccthemovieman-1 This was the first Shirley Temple movie I ever watched (on VSH....hey, I'm not THAT old) and I still consider it one of her best.That's because it has a great mixture of drama, comedy, song/dance and suspense. Almost all the characters are likable. The two dances scenes with Temple and Bill Robinson are excellent....a joy to watch. I don't know if Shirley ever looked cuter than in this film. She runs the gamut of emotions in here quite frequently.The 74-minute story never has a lull. John Boles and Karen Moreley are people you root for, Willie Best provides good comedy and there is a surprising amount of suspense.Overall, however, this is simply a sweet, sentimental film that leaves you feeling good after watching it.....and what's wrong with that?