A Little Princess (1995)

Director:

Alfonso Cuarón

Writers (WGA):

Frances Hodgson Burnett (novel)
Richard LaGravenese (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 May 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Every girl everwhere is a princess.

Plot:

A young girl is relegated to servitude at a boarding school when her father goes missing and is presumed dead.

Plot Keywords:

Boarding School | British | Presumed Dead | Princess | WWI

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Liesel Matthews	...	Sara Crewe
Eleanor Bron	...	Miss Minchin
Liam Cunningham	...	Capt. Crewe / Prince Rama
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Amelia Minchin
Arthur Malet	...	Charles Randolph
Vanessa Lee Chester	...	Becky
Errol Sitahal	...	Ram Dass
Heather DeLoach	...	Ermengarde
Taylor Fry	...	Lavinia
Darcie Bradford	...	Jesse
Rachael Bella	...	Betsy
Alexandra Rea-Baum	...	Gertrude
Camilla Belle	...	Jane
Lauren Blumenfeld	...	Rosemary
Kelsey Mulrooney	...	Lottie
Kaitlin Cullum	...	Ruth
Alison Moir	...	Princess Sita
Time Winters	...	Frances (milkman)
Lomax Study	...	Monsieur Dufarge
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Mr. Barrow
Pushpa Rawal	...	Maya
Rahi Azizi	...	Laki
Ken Palmer	...	John Randolph
Helen Greenberg	...	Flower lady
Norman Merrill	...	Doctor in hospital
Peggy Miley	...	Mabel (cook)
Robert P. Cohen	...	Ermengarde's father
Will Blomquist	...	Rich boy in street
David Fresco	...	Beggar man in Fantasy Forest
Judith Drake	...	Bakery woman
Chris Ellis	...	Policeman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jonás Cuarón	...	Chimney-sweeper (uncredited)
Jack Holland	...	Infantry Soldier (uncredited)
London Vale	...	Schoolgirl (uncredited)
Sandeep Walia	...	Indian servant (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfonso Cuarón

Writing credits (WGA)
Frances Hodgson Burnett		(novel)
Richard LaGravenese		(screenplay) and
Elizabeth Chandler		(screenplay)

Produced by
Alan C. Blomquist	....	executive producer
Dalisa Cohen	....	co-producer
Amy Ephron	....	executive producer
Mark Johnson	....	producer

Original Music by
Patrick Doyle

Cinematography by
Emmanuel Lubezki

Film Editing by
Steven Weisberg

Casting by
Jill Greenberg Sands

Production Design by
Bo Welch

Art Direction by
Tom Duffield

Set Decoration by
Cheryl Carasik

Costume Design by
Judianna Makovsky

Makeup Department
Fríða Aradóttir	....	hair stylist
Bonnie Clevering	....	hair stylist
Julie Hewett	....	makeup artist
Robert Norin	....	makeup artist (as Robert N. Norin)

Production Management
Robert P. Cohen	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Catherine Bond	....	second second assistant director
Tom Davies	....	first assistant director: second unit
Stephen P. Dunn	....	first assistant director
David Fudge	....	second assistant director
Christina Stauffer	....	second second assistant director
Gabriela Vázquez	....	second assistant director: second unit
Bo Welch	....	second unit director

Art Department
Fred Apolito	....	propmaker
John Dexter	....	set designer
Michael Diersing	....	construction coordinator
Giacomo G. Ghiazza	....	illustrator
Lawrence A. Hubbs	....	set designer (as Larry Hubbs)
Scott Lafferty	....	carpenter
David Manhan	....	lead man
Andrew Petrotta	....	assistant property master
Jacques Rey	....	illustrator
Stephanie Schwartzman	....	art department coordinator
Jeffrey Thomas	....	stand-by greensman
Clyde Zimmerman	....	paint supervisor
Carlo Basail	....	greens crafts service (uncredited)
Tim R. Lafferty	....	construction foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mary Andrews	....	supervising adr editor
José Antonio	....	sound
Richard Beggs	....	sound designer
Richard Beggs	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Michael J. Benavente	....	sound editor
Laurie Bernard	....	first assistant sound editor (as Madalin Laurie Bernard)
Ruth Bird	....	assistant adr editor
Marty Church	....	adr mixer
Simon Coke	....	sound editor
Pud Cusack	....	boom operator
Ann Ducommun	....	first assistant sound editor
Barbara Gandolfo-Frady	....	assistant sound editor
José Antonio García	....	sound mixer
Steven Gerrior	....	assistant sound editor
Catherine Harper	....	foley artist
Michael Herbick	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nicholas Vincent Korda	....	adr editor (as Nicholas V. Korda)
Tom Meadows	....	sound mixer
Bob Newlan	....	supervising sound editor
Thomas J. O'Connell	....	adr mixer
Mark Pappas	....	sound editor
Kim Petty	....	cableperson
Ken S. Polk	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Richardson	....	sound editor
Donald Sylvester	....	foley editor
Donald Sylvester	....	sound editor (as Don Sylvester)
Hugo Weng	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Matt Farell	....	technical director
Alan E. Lorimer	....	special effects
Lambert Powell	....	special effects
Floyd Van Wey	....	special effects foreman

Visual Effects by
Matt Farell	....	digital artist
Evelyn Fitzgerald	....	visual effects coordinator
Amy Harrington	....	visual effects production manager
Rob House	....	digital artist
Hiroki Itokazu	....	digital artist
Eugene Jeong	....	digital artist
Kallen Kagen	....	visual effects coordinator (as Kallan Kagan)
Amy McNamara	....	digital artist (as Amy McNamara Farrell)
Katherine Percy	....	digital artist
Dane Picard	....	digital artist
John Scheele	....	senior visual effects supervisor: Warner Bros.
John Scheele	....	visual effects supervisor
Jesse Silver	....	visual effects supervisor
Ariel Velasco-Shaw	....	CGI supervisor (as Ariel Shaw)
Gary Allan Parks	....	production engineer (uncredited)
Kevin Andrew Smith	....	systems administrator: Warner Brothers Imaging Technology (uncredited)
Joseph Thomas	....	animation cameraman (uncredited)

Stunts
Kathy Brock	....	stunt performer
Charles Croughwell	....	stunt coordinator
Joe Finnegan	....	stunt performer
Svetla Krasteva	....	stunt performer
Lee Poppie	....	stunt performer
Scott Sproule	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Brian W. Armstrong	....	first assistant camera
George M. Chappell	....	electrician
Murray Close	....	still photographer
Glenn Corbett	....	rigging gaffer
Robert Gray	....	key grip
Chris Hayes	....	camera operator
Bud Heller	....	best boy
Chris Hood	....	additional second assistant camera
Kenny King	....	best boy
Kris Krosskove	....	camera operator
Mark Mele	....	rigging technician
Charles Minsky	....	director of photography: second unit (as Charles D. Minsky)
Dayton Nietert	....	chief lighting technician
Brad Rea	....	dolly grip
Greg Wardell	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Steve Wolfe	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Harry Zimmerman	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Adele Daniller	....	casting assistant: Los Angeles
Tracy Kaplan	....	casting: Chicago
Leigh Ann Oshirak	....	casting associate: Los Angeles
Amy Taksen	....	casting associate: Los Angeles
Sheila Trezise	....	casting: London
Erika Herzog	....	casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marci R. Johnson	....	set costumer
Marilyn Matthews	....	assistant costume designer
Florence-Isabelle Megginson	....	assistant costume designer
Sue Moore	....	costume supervisor
Kelly Porter	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Camille Bourque	....	assistant editor
Samuel Craven	....	additional editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Bob Kaiser	....	color timer (as Robert Kaiser)
Evelyn Purwins	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Lawrence Ashmore	....	orchestrator
Paul Hulme	....	scoring mixer
Roy Prendergast	....	music editor
Maggie Rodford	....	score co-producer
David Snell	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Kenneth Newland	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Steph Benseman	....	location manager
Paula Benson-Himes	....	production secretary
Christof Bove	....	intern
Kevin Brennan	....	staff assistant
Richard Castro	....	payroll accountant
Jonás Cuarón	....	staff assistant
Chandos Erwin	....	staff assistant (as John Chandos Erwin)
Jill Frenzel	....	staff assistant
Gonzalo García Barcha	....	title designer
Shawn Gillespie	....	assistant accountant
Claudette Grand	....	studio teacher
Mark Harden	....	animal coordinator
Steve Hinton	....	pilot
Susann Jones	....	assistant: Mark Johnson
June Jordan	....	stand-in
Bryan A. Kenny	....	assistant: Mr. Cuarón
John Labib	....	assistant production secretary
Matt Luber	....	staff assistant
Andrew Magarian	....	consultant
Robin Meier	....	staff assistant
Rebecca Melisi	....	staff assistant
Kari Ann Messina	....	unit publicist
Lori Miyakawa	....	assistant accountant
Steve Montal	....	staff assistant
Carol Mukhalian	....	harp coach
B.J. Smith	....	first aid (as PJ Smith)
P.J. Smith	....	first aid
Ricki L. Stein	....	production accountant
Linda Stone	....	studio teacher
Cynthia Upstill	....	script supervisor
Nadia Venesse	....	dialect coach
Chris Winn	....	key craft service
Harry Winters	....	staff assistant
Deborah Ambrosino	....	milliner (uncredited)
Bill Daly	....	post-production accountant manager (uncredited)
Michael Haro	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)
Jack E. Herman	....	extras set coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
• Baltimore Pictures
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1995) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Bros. (1996) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1996) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1997) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Bros. (199?) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (199?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1996) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vidéo (1997) (France) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Warner Bros. Imaging Technology
• Windlight Studios (additional CGI animation) (as WindLight Studios Inc.)

Other Companies

• Animals R Us  animals
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Technicolor  color timing
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:G (certificate #33528) | South Korea:All | Germany:o.Al. | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | Chile:TE | Italy:T | Singapore:PG | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Family Entertainment

Trivia:

Some of the extras in the flower lady scene also played parents in the parents day scene.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sara's shawl is blown off, she goes to retrieve it and stops because of the Ram Dass. When Ram Dass walks away, Sara turns in the opposite direction and doesn't pick up the shawl or the basket, but in the next shot, she has both.

Quotes:

[Randolph and his servant are at a military hospital, where Randolph has discovered that the amnesiac soldier there is not his son John]
Charles Randolph: All the hoping... you must think me a fool.
Ram Dass: Is it your wish to be wise, sahib?
Charles Randolph: I don't know. I suppose a wise man wouldn't have come here at all.
Ram Dass: But if he had, he would have looked more closely upon the soldier's face.
Charles Randolph: And what would he have seen?
Ram Dass: Pain, sahib. He needs to be cared for.
Charles Randolph: He's not my responsibility.
Ram Dass: A wise man would remember that this soldier was in John's regiment. If his memory returns... he might tell sahib what happened to his son. Perhaps sahib would learn that John is in British hospital now wishing a kind man would take him home... away from his pain.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tough Love (#5.19)" (2001)

Beautiful and entrancing

I saw this movie with my 5 year old daughter -- and while it was a little too complex for her to follow I completely fell in love with it. Everything about it is beautiful, the sets, the costumes, the acting, even the painful parts are perfect. The scene toward the end where she's dancing in the window is eyewatering...you just have to see it.

Probably this movie is only appropriate for kids 8 and up, (depending on how worldly they are, I suppose), and perhaps that's why it did so abysmally poorly in the theaters. Still, it's a great film.

thad