It was directed by Christopher Leitch and stars Charlie Sheen, Leslie Caron, Juliette Caton and Jan Rubeš.

Heidi is at first unable to adapt to modern life at the school, often clashing with her more sophisticated classmate Ursula.

Italian troops arrive at the school with a letter from the Governor and commandeer the building for use as a military post.

The four Brookings girls, Clarissa, and another orphan named Giovanni escape and hitch a ride on a cart for the countryside.

[3] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the film is uneven but has stunning cinematography.

[4] TV Guide rated it 1/4 stars and criticized the film for its "sloppy", "mediocre" script and the casting of Sheen.

[7] The rights have since passed on to Metro Goldwyn Mayer via its purchase of the pre-1996 PolyGram library, which contained the Epic film catalog.