Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #291 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-10-25
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Bulgarian, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Dutch, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Filmed before (and quite nicely) in 1949, Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's story was remade for this admirable 1993 release, executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by acclaimed Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland. Splendidly adapted by Edward Scissorhands screenwriter Caroline Thompson, the film opens in India during the early 1900s, when young Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly) is orphaned and sent to England to live in Misselthwaite Manor, the gloomy estate of her brooding and melancholy uncle, Lord Craven (John Lynch). Because the uncle is almost always away on travels, struggling to forget the death of his beloved wife, Mary is left mostly alone to explore the estate. Eventually she befriends the young brother of a staff maid and Lord Craven's apparently crippled son, who has been needlessly bedridden for years. Together the three children restore a neglected garden on the estate grounds, and in doing so they set the stage for a moving reaffirmation of life and love. Filmed with graceful style and careful attention to the intelligence and cleverness of young children, The Secret Garden is that rarest breed of family film that transcends its own generic category, encouraging a sense of wonder and optimism to become a rewarding experience for viewers of any age. --Jeff Shannon

Synopsis
Agnieszka Holland's adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic fairy tale, THE SECRET GARDEN is a highly entertaining family picture that is overflowing with gorgeous imagery. Ten-year-old Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly) is a spoiled rich girl living in colonial India with her aloof parents who frequent elegant parties and leave her with servants who attend to her every whim. When her parents are killed, however, Mary's life changes drastically. She's shipped off to England to live in the enormous manor of her father's friend, Lord Archibald Craven (John Lynch), and his invalid son, Colin (Heydon Prowse). Lord Craven, a miserable recluse since his wife's death, ignores his son and leaves the household management to Mrs. Medlock (Maggie Smith), an ironhanded authoritarian. In this cold environment, the children, with help from spirited maid Martha Sowerby and her younger brother, Dickon, manage to find happiness in a special garden hidden away for years. Beautifully shot by Roger Deakins, Holland's film is a visual feast that captures the fantasy like tone of the book without sacrificing any of Burnett's original vision. Zbigniew Preisner's magical score adds another lovely dimension, making this a film that individuals of every age can enjoy.

Customer Reviews

Great family movie!
We watched this for our family movie night. Our 4 and 6 year old girls were enchanted. In the middle of the movie, our 6 year old said "this is a really good movie mom." Not a dry eye in the house at the end! We all enjoyed this movie and I'm sure this will be a family staple.

Beautiful
I love this story. It has a certin magic about it. Its a very well thought out story line and Kate Maberly preforms Mary very well.
It has a wonderful soundtrack which adds to the enjoyment of the film.

Not so seccret and not so enchanting
My garden at home is a little bit like how I imagine the Secret Garden should be. It is overgrown with winding paths and hanging willows. In the spring, the dawn chorus of blackbirds brings the promise of a new day. And each time I venture down the stepping stones into the dense foliage I become spellbound in my very own secret garden. If the occasion calls for it I allow myself to become Mary, the little girl who falls in love with the garden and I will tip toe through the tulips without a care in the world. My brother, Anders would sometimes fashion a makeshift pair of brown dungarees from an old potato sack and join in as Dickon.
Imagine my disappointment when I saw this film. The Secret Garden is a real let down. The garden is unimaginative and was clearly designed in about an hour or so with some make shift shrubs.
The acting is cynical and amteurish and the fact the garden is discovered and shown is a terrible decision. The whole point of it being a secret garden is that nobody knows about or ever finds it. I was left very demure after this picture.