The Secret Garden

Originally, I was captivated by the Maberly/Agnieszka version of this film. Forced to rate one over the other, I couldn't do it. Both are excellent. My greatest peave was in the denoument of this one. Despite a very rare slightly mechanical performance by Miss James, the movie/story remains supremely enjoyable. I have had so many joyful chuckles over some of Miss James' character's irrascible, and powerfully driven responses. "I'll put a SNAKE in their millet!" I deeply and thoroughly enjoy strong-willed but well-bahaved kids. This young lady's character is an absolute classic! Aside from her natural loveliness, Miss James knows what she's doing!!! The musc/soundtrack in this version is truly beautiful, supremely tasteful. The settings somehow, seem slightly more accurate, for some reason in this version. but, again, Agnieszka's scenes are breathtaking. This one somehow just seems to 'put you there' with some immediacy in THAT time. There is an interesting (and unfortunate!) conflict between this version, the novel, and the Kate Mabry story by Agneiszka Holland. It is a question easily resolved by reading the original novel. This version of the story fails to remain true to the original plot/story. In the original story Mary, and Colin are clearly stated to be first cousins. In the Mabry/Holland version, that point is expressly made. Yet in this version, there is no mention of a such a relationship, and that error creates a truly badly written, artificial, and uncomfortably phony conclusion to the story. Otherwise ... five stars !!! As to "Miss Mary" .... Genny James' "Miss Mary" is superbly delightful. I can't watch the film without breaking into hard laughter over her "recalcitrant", "vixen" portrayals of a defiant, resilient, head-strong, independent, proud, precocious ... and very delightful young lady. She could level a skyscraper with her defiant glares! Very enjoyable performance. The DVD arrived in store-bought condition ... totally perfect!! As brand new ... no scratches ... no damage, no skips etc. I did purchase a "used, like new" disc, for a few bucks more .... but the disc came as advertised ... like new. Finally, I have NO idea how the heck the writers/screen personnel expected to get by all the scripted referrals of "Miss Mary" as "plain" .. not pretty etc. It's a certain contradiction to reality!! .

I have been searching for this film for years! The DVD came in perfect condition, but somehow the copy I received still skips during one particular scene. It's not severe, so I ignore it. Speaking on the movie itself, I find that this is the best adaptation of the book. The acting is a bit hokey (the girl who plays Mary can't fake an English accent, so thankfully she doesn't try... but every once in a while you'll hear an almost Southern USA accent from her... It's a bit jarring). This version was filmed at Highclere Castle in Berkshire, which adds to the authentic feel of the story. The overall elegance of the cinematography captivated me as a child, and still as an adult. This story has also inspired a tattoo for me, taken from the line, "Where you tend a rose, a thistle cannot grow." I will always love this movie, and will share it as much as I can. All of my nieces and nephews will know it, and if I have children of my own, they will, too.

This is in my opinion the best of the films made about this book. Of the movies I've seen this most closely follows the book, except that in the book Mary and Colin are cousins. Mary is a little English girl orphaned in India at around 10 years old after a cholera outbreak. She is sent to Yorkshire England to live with distant friends of her father and she has nobody there she knows or who cares about her. She is also a disagreeable child who has been raised by servants and does not know how to be nice. In Yorkshire Mary makes friends with the crusty old gardener and a local boy with a special gift for animals, and discovers that there is a secret garden, locked up since the mistress of the house died, several years before. Mary is driven by two goals - to find the key to the garden and claim it for herself, and to discover the mysterious crying that she hears in the house every night. This is actually a children's movie, as is the book, but it is one of my favorites. The theme music is a Chopin nocturne that in and of itself makes it enjoyable to listen to.

This is the only movie production of The Secret Garden worth watching! It is very true to the beloved book! The casting done for this movie is absolutely PERFECT! The movie quality is excellent! The movie is so well made that it pulls you into the story and makes you feel like you are a part of it! This is a beautiful story of growing up and changing who you are from within. The main character has her life completely changed overnight as a child. She matures into a wonderful young lady despite starting out as a spoiled brat. Everyone should watch this movie, and read this book! There are many twists and turns, with unexpected benefits and consequences! It keeps you entertained, but pay attention because you never know what will happen next!

Had forgotten about this version for a while (I'd loved it as a kid). Tried to find it in resale stores, but no luck--they only had the 1993 version. Very happy that Amazon had this so that I can again enjoy a much loved childhood movie. Only negative that I've found so far is that the screen image isn't formatted for the widescreen TVs that most people have nowadays, but is instead the more standard box screen shape. So there are black areas to the left and right of the movie as it plays. Not too detracting, but I did notice it a time or two. A young, spoiled girl, Mary Lennox, is sent from India to England after the deaths of her parents in a plague, to live with an elderly relative/family friend, Mr. Craven. Mary soon finds herself in the midst of several mysteries: who (or what) is making the moaning sounds that echo through the massive old mansion, and how can she find and get into a mysterious locked garden rumored to exist somewhere on the grounds of the property? As Mary solves both mysteries, she begins to change into a more compassionate and caring person. I think the actors all did a fine job, and the scenery and music really fit the story. Love the bit of a younger Colin Firth (playing the adult Colin Craven) at the end.

When I was growing up The Secret Garden was one of my favorite books. I can't tell you how many times I read that story. My daughter recently adopted a ten year old girl and I wanted to share this wonderful story with her. She had read the book and seen the most recent version of the story on DVD, but I wanted her to see this version as I found it to be the best telling of the story. The ending is changed to a more romantic version, but I find that appealing. The main characters are perfectly portrayed and the story line (until the ending) stay true to the book. A great movie to watch with a special young lady. After searching I found this video through Amazon.com

I know it is an older movie but the quality was definitely lower. The recording looked hazy. I recall watching on VHS long ago and the quality was better so it’s not the film itself. Still, it was intact and watchable.

As a kid I watched this movie with my family and haven’t seen it since the 90s! It was nostalgia when I watched it on dvd!