The Secret Garden (DVD)

...Her best films were perhaps the ones made in Poland which were not subject to any kind of a big promotion abroad, but some people might know her from excellent 'Europa, Europa' or (much less excellent but probably better known due to the appearance of Pretty Leo 'Total Eclipse').

'Secret Garden' was made in 1993 and is an adaptation of a definite children's classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett. As far as faithfulness of the adaptation ...
...be treated as 'based on'. The story, the crucial characters and the main moral are all present, but some changes have been made and a lot has been left out (the movie still is over 100 minutes long). Overall, and I am speaking as a fan of the book, I think that both the changes and the omissions work well and benefit the film. 'Secret Garden' is an Edwardian novel and is written in a certain convention that includes both the twee (a robin finding ... more

Agnieszka Holland is one of my favourite directors. Her best films were perhaps the ones made in Poland which were not subject to any kind of a big promotion abroad, but some people might know her from excellent 'Europa, Europa' or (much less excellent but probably better known due to the appearance of Pretty Leo 'Total Eclipse').

'Secret Garden' was made in 1993 and is an adaptation of a definite children's classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett. As far as faithfulness of the adaptation goes, it is neither exactly faithful, nor departed from the novel enough to be treated as 'based on'. The story, the crucial characters and the main moral are all present, but some changes have been made and a lot has been left out (the movie still is over 100 minutes long). Overall, and I am speaking as a fan of the book, I think that both the changes and the omissions work well and benefit the film. 'Secret Garden' is an Edwardian novel and is written in a certain convention that includes both the twee (a robin finding himself a mate and setting up the house, and having a conversation with his wife) and the moralising (constant treatment of unhappy, emotionally neglected children as 'spoiled', both by characters in the novel and the narrator). This convention is acceptable in the book, taken as being of its time. It wouldn't; however, work well in a modern film. From now on I am going to concentrate on the film and leave the issue of the differences between the two for the readers and viewers to find out. The advice is: don't watch the film soon after reading a book. It works better as a stand-alone piece.

---The story, in case you don't know it ---

Mary Lennox is a 10 year old girl, orphaned in India and sent back to England where here uncle (in fact, a husband of her aunt, who also happens to be dead) lives. She is not a happy child, totally neglected emotionally by her parents, without any friends, waited on hand and foot by Indian servants. The result is a sour, sullen child with no sense of humour and no sense of human warmth. She arrives in England in the winter and is met in the docks by the formidable housekeeper, Mrs Medlock who takes Mary to Misselthwaite Manor, a massive and truly frightening pile in a middle of a bleak Yorkshire moor. There she encounters secrets, omissions, whispered servant gossip, unexplained cries heard at night, abandoned rooms, dusty and cowwebbed corridors and the mystery of the garden which belonged to the deceased lady of the house. Encouraged by her maid Martha, she learns to play outside and finds the secret garden of the title. She starts to grow things, helped by Martha's brother Dickon - a village lad a bit older than her (and mysteriously allowed to just frolic on the moor rather than made to work to support the family). Discouraged by virtually everybody, she also explores the inside of the manor and finds Colin: her cousin and Lord Craven's son, bed ridden and even more spoiled and sour than she was when she arrived in England, and even more unhappy; rejected by his father, believing that he is going to die soon. I will not tell you if Colin indeed dies, if Mary gets sent to the dreaded boarding school, or if Colin's father breaks out of his 10 year old depression after the death of his beloved wife in childbirth. If you know the story, you know how it ends, and if you don't, it will enhance your pleasure of watching the film.

---Characters and Cast ---

Mary is played by Kate Maberly, well cast in her role and with enough range of expression in her body, face and voice to convey the change form the stiff and miserable child that arrives in England who didn't even cry after her mother's death to exuberant, strong willed but kind hearted, animated Mary of the Yorkshire summer. She is the main vehicle of change that touches the lives of Misselthwaite Manor's inhabitants and she fulfils this role admirably.

Heydon Prowse plays Colin Craven, again good casting for a perfectly unlovable, upper-class English boy (the typical look is there all right) alternating between unbearable hysteria and desperation, but who is in fact desperately lonely and very, very scared of dying. His acting is, however, pretty wooden - luckily he doesn't get that many lines.

Dickon, a boy from the moor and Martha's the maid brother is played by Andrew Knott, and although his accent is not always perfectly broad Yorkshire (or so a native speaker overhearing from few meters away told me), he is convincing enough. This character is extremely important to the story, as he lives at one with nature: he knows about plants and wild animals come to him without fear it is thank to him really that Mary, and then, indirectly, Colin; are made alive again. This is shown rather wonderfully in the movie, where 'close up' Dickon is a plain-faced, red-haired, slightly grubby lad; but form a distance, when seen galloping across the misty moor on his white pony, he takes on a quality of a spiritual being, benign and symbolic of the natural force of life. A slight hint of an attraction developing between Mary and him (to the jealousy of Colin) also acts to reinforce that idea. An adult viewer can imagine another kind of awakening that awaits Mary few years in the future.

The supporting cast of adults cannot be faulted. Lord Archibald Craven (John Lynch) is suitably depressed and emotionally distraught, still grieving and locked in his own suffering, with romantically long hair and a misty eye. Mrs Medlock the housekeeper (Maggie Smith) is only a slightly overdone but sharp portrait of a higher-class of servant, stuck between the loyalty and deference to her employer and her perhaps gentler nature. Martha the maid (Laura Crossley) is suitably cheery, good-natured influence as she should be.

--- Photography ----

The film is photographed beautifully (Roger Deakins), with the light and the colour scheme playing a crucial part in the story and enhancing the message. The first frames, depicting India, are in dry, dusty shades of clay and sand, with sudden splashes of red on Mary's mother's dress and in the Raja's procession. Winter England, and especially the moor and the abandoned parts of the Manor are cold and misty, all blues and greys and dirty, greyish browns. The light in both Indian and English Winter parts is subdued, diffused, without clear When the spring and the summer appear though, we have a sensually shocking explosion of light and colour, with blue sky, rays of sunshine, brilliant greens of the moor and the lawns and trees and the rainbow colours of the flowers in the garden.

The camera angle is meaningful as well, we often see the scenes from Mary's point of view, especially inside the manor, and the vistas of giant staircases and long corridors acquire truly frightening proportions. On other occasions a more objective camera is used, just showing us what is happening to the characters.

The garden is photographed in an odd way, often through an arch or a gap in the bushes, like through a keyhole, like with a hidden camera. We know that mary spends her almost every waking hour there, bu we don't see her in the garden much. The garden is her - and the other children's special, private space, and we are never allowed more than a sneaky peak or a view when they - the children - show the garden to somebody else. In this way, the garden retains its privacy and magical quality, its beauty hinted at rather than totally exposed.

The Misselthwaite Manor, on the other hand, is shown as a house from a gothic novel might be, bringing to mind the whole literary and movie tradition starting from the Bronte sisters.

--- Soundtrack ---

I normally don't notice the soundtracks much, but the music in this film is truly outstanding. Zbigniew Preisner managed to produce a hauntingly beautiful score, perhaps slightly sentimental, but nevertheless wonderfully expressive; incorporating more natural sounds (music box, echoes of crying, echoes of servants singing) and folk themes appropriate to the location (Indian in the opening sequences, British later on).

--- Verdict ----

A beautiful movie, both entertaining and inspiring. I enjoyed it on my first viewing in cinema as a 24 year old, and I was surprised about how magical it still was when I watched it on DVD two days ago. It is a joy to watch, and listen to as well, while the story of children and adults who are hurting and thus become unpleasant (which is and understatement, especially in relation to Colin's tantrums and Lord Craven's depression), being healed by the redeeming power of nature and human friendship. It's a vaguely pantheistic movie, with the spiritual life force filling the world, and us only needing to tap into this reservoir to regenerate and live.

I think this film would appeal to a very wide audience, from quite young children onwards. I watched it with my 3.5 year old daughter and she lasted throughout the whole viewing, probably not understanding much of the detail, but responding emotionally to the visuals, the music, the behaviour of the children and the backbone of the story. Overall though, 5 is probably the earliest age at which the movie could be appreciated. There is no gore, no sex, no violence. Some of the visuals are quite atmospherically scary and a lot of explanation might be needed for a 5 or even 8 year old, so assisted viewing is recommended. It isn't by any means just a kids' film though, I am sure many adults, especially with a taste for gentler offerings, will like it. If you find 'lambs and robins and roses' kind of sentimentality that perhaps overcomes the movie in its later sequences unacceptably cloying, then the quality of the photography and the music might just not be enough to make it worth watching. The purists insisting on faithful adaptations would probably like it less, for it omitted a lot of material from the original novel. I didn't mind, though.

4 stars, because of the lambs and foxes frolicking together which was almost a little bit too much for me. Alternatively, you can assume one star is taken off because of the omissions in relation to the novel.

--- Boring Bits ---

Picture quality was acceptable, if not brilliant on the 17'' computer monitor I watched it on.

And, joy of joys for this reviewer, there was no extras. None at all, except for the subtitles! I have to explain, I don't like DVD extras. I feel compelled to use/try them just because they are there, and they are usually boring, annoying or both. Away with extras. Movie is a movie is a movie.

I have watched mine rented as a part of free trial with Qflicks, the DVD is available on amazon for 7.99 GBP. Considering the lack of DVD extras, some people might be tempted to get the VHS tape, but as the photography is very important here, I would still recommend the DVD or cinema for picture quality.

This review is dedicated to Kukana - I wonder if she has seen the film yet? 

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