IMDb > The Secret Garden (1993)
The Secret Garden
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The Secret Garden (1993) More at IMDbPro »

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The Secret Garden (1993) -- A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle...

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   8,720 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 19% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Agnieszka Holland
Writers (WGA):
Frances Hodgson Burnett (book)
Caroline Thompson (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Secret Garden on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
13 August 1993 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Family more
Tagline:
The timeless tale of a special place where magic, hope and love grow.
Plot:
A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
Wee still love you Eve
 (From t5m.com. 27 October 2009, 7:30 AM, PDT)

Photo Flash: Rebecca Luker Celebrates Greenwich Time at Barnes & Noble
 (From BroadwayWorld.com. 23 October 2009, 4:41 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Has the rare quality of understanding and enhancing its source more (74 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
101 min
Country:
USA | UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The corridor leading to Colin's room and the interior of the room are decorated with tapestries depicting Edward VI, a sickly boy king who died young at the age of 16. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Mary finds the key to the garden, in a room obviously untouched for many years, she leaves the key facing to the back, head to the right, later when she comes back for it, it is facing to the front of the drawer, its head to the left. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Mary: My name is Mary Lennox. I was born in India. It was hot, and strange, and lonely in India. I didn't like it. Nobody by my servant, my ayah, looked after me. My parents didn't want me. My mother cared only to go to parties. And my father was busy with his military duties. I was never allowed to go to the parties. I watched them from my mother's bedroom window. I was angry, but I never cried. I didn't know how to cry.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in What Love Is (2007) more
Soundtrack:
Mistress Mary Quite Contrary more

FAQ

Chapter Headings, one of many possible unofficial versions:
What was the magic of the Secret Garden?
more
14 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
Has the rare quality of understanding and enhancing its source, 16 January 2006
9/10
Author: kingtrio9 from Kansas

The Secret Garden is a rare treat where in the screenwriter and director actually understand their source, The Secret Garden by Frances Hogsden Burnett, and make a translation to the screen that not only captures the essence of the book but enhances the story as well. Too often directors spoil the story with their own self-interested spin (Little Big Man and Chocolat come immediately to mind)but here is a jewel that leaves the viewer saying "That was as good as the book." A genuine triumph.

The cast is outstanding, the children in particular, Kate Maberly as Mary Lennox above all. Even to the most minor extra everyone brings a smooth and compelling reality to the story.

However, the real star is director Agnieszka Holland. Against a challenging climate ( a rainy location) she manages to create a movie with a touching commentary on how children can literally change the world. Her insightful grasp of the themes of isolation, growth and rejuvenation, the need for a balance between nurture and allowable risk are all managed through the controlling metaphor of a garden. The artful rendering of these literary themes are what many directors apparently find most challenging ( I'm looking at you Arthur Penn)and generally blissfully ignore them compensating by glib insertions, extra action or clumsy sentiment. Not so here.

Not only is her focus exemplary but the photography is amazing. The interplay of light and dark, the time elapse photos of clouds rolling and flowers emerging all set to beautiful music captivate the viewer. The rainy weather was not shunned but used to fullest effect. I can only imagine the discipline it must have taken to wait for the sun to peep out from the clouds and then roll film hoping that the cast can pull off the shot before the light changed and a second take became a long wait. Fortunately all are up to the task and the film, the final scene in particular, results in a brilliant piece of motion picture art.

The 1993 version of The Secret Garden is a must for every family film collection, one the parents and kids can enjoy for its sophistication or simply for the great way in which this timeless classic is retold.

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