The Wonderful World of Disney show was a staple on Sunday nights at our house.  Back in the days before cable and satellite we'd all gather around the family TV and wait to see what adventure Walt would take us on that week.  We preferred the cartoons of course, but the movies that were shown (split into two parts) were often very enjoyable too.  One such film is Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates.  Made in Holland with a native cast, this Technicolor film is enjoyable family fun; as much fun now as it was when it first aired on TV in the 60's.
 
Set in Holland in the mid 1800's the Brinker family is poor but happy.  The father is a fisherman, and the children attend school.  But one evening a horrible storm blows in and the dyke holding back the sea is badly damaged.  As Hans and his father help the men of the village repair the damage, the senior Brinker is badly hurt.  He suffers a sever blow to the head and afterwards cannot fish or work.  All he can do is sit by the window and look out.  Day after day.

With the family's only source of income gone, Hans has to drop out of school and go to work.  But he isn't old enough to take a man's job, so he ends up doing odd chores and errands.  The work is long and hard and he doesn't make much, but it keeps the family from starving (barely.)

In the village one day, Hans hears about a famous doctor in Amsterdam that may be able to cure his father, but his fee is very high.  To pay for the doctor, Hans enters into an ice skating race, the prize being 300 guilders and a pair of silver skates.  But poor Hans only has wooden skates, and the competition will be very tough.   But his father is depending on him.

This movie still holds up very well after all these years.  As a child,  I liked the story and suspense, but as an adult I was drawn to the wonderful cinematography and camera work.  Filmed in Holland, the scenery is absolutely beautiful.  The cast all wear traditional Dutch outfits including wooden shoes, and set designs and dressing look like they belong in a feature film.  The whole production was very well done, with a lot of attention to detail.

The thing that surprised me about the film is that it's very touching, without being sappy.  The way the family pulls together when the father is injured not only is a good lesson, it also makes for good drama.  When Hans gives his baby brother two figures he carved out of wood in his spare time, for example, it doesn't pull at the heart strings, but it does fill you with warmth for the young lad.

The actors were all top notch.  It didn't look like they were acting so much as living out their lives.  Hans' mother did an especially good job with her subtle performance.  When she would tell the children that everything was going to be alright, you could tell that she was putting on a brave face and deep down was very worried.  The cast really made the film.

This is a mid-level Disney film that really deserves more attention.  It is rare to find a true family film, one that youngsters and adults will both enjoy, rather than just tolerate.  This is one of them.

Audio:

The two channel mono soundtrack was very good for a movie of this age.  The sound was clear without any noticeable hiss or pops.  The dialog was clean and the music came through brightly.  There was not a large dynamic range, but that is to be expected for a film of this age.  As it is, this movie sounds much better than I was expecting.

Video:

Being a made for TV movie, the original aspect ratio was 1.33:1 and that is how it is presented.  The Technicolor image was absolutely wonderful with bright colors and fine detail.  The fields of tulips and traditional colorful dress of the people look just gorgeous.  The print used for the transfer was very good with virtually no damage or dirt.  Digital defects were also at a minimum.  This is a top notch looking DVD.

Extras:

There are no extras on this disc, which is a shame because the film really deserves them.

Final Thoughts:

I really had fun watching this movie again.  I hadn't seen it in probably 30 years, but I still found it as entertaining and engrossing as I did when I was a child.  The scenery and costumes are wonderful to look at, and the beautiful Technicolor print is very good.  A nice heart warming drama that the whole family can enjoy, and should.  Highly Recommended.