Secret Garden, The (DVD)

Agnieszka Holland’s 1993 adaptation stands as the authoritative version of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel. Where other adaptations soften the material’s darker elements, Holland embraces foreboding, decay, and emotional repression as essential themes rather than obstacles to family-friendly viewing. Kate Maberly’s debut performance anchors the film. She captures Mary’s coldness and emotional shutdown without losing the character’s fundamental humanity—a difficult balance for any actor, remarkable for a child. Heydon Prowse matches her as the imperious, damaged Colin, while Andrew Knott brings grounded warmth to Dickon without descending into rustic caricature. Maggie Smith provides the adult gravity the story requires. Holland’s direction trusts the source material’s intelligence. The garden functions as genuine metaphor—decay and rebirth visualized through overgrown roses and returning vitality rather than explained through dialogue. The cinematography captures Yorkshire’s bleakness and beauty equally, while the production design contrasts the manor’s oppressive interiors with the garden’s emerging life. What distinguishes this from typical children’s fare is its refusal to simplify emotional complexity. Characters remain difficult even as they heal, transformation occurs gradually rather than through sudden revelation, and the film acknowledges genuine grief and trauma. Caroline Thompson’s screenplay maintains this sophistication while remaining accessible. Three decades later, the film has aged remarkably well. The performances hold up, the thematic depth remains intact, and the atmospheric richness continues to distinguish it from lesser adaptations. The seminal version of this story, unlikely to be surpassed.

Although not completely true to the original published work, this is a delightful and compelling story about the power of nature, common sense and positive thinking in overcoming both emotional and physical limitations. Young Mary, the protagonist in the story,is being raised in India by two self-absorbed parents who show no interest in Mary or love for her. She is essentially raised by the hired help until one day, both parents die in what appears to be a major earthquake (Mary is spared by hiding under a bed). Now an orphan, she is sent to England to live with her Uncle in his large country mansion. She is required to stay within her own bedroom alone, but has an irrepressible curiosity and begins exploring the house and hears what sounds like a child crying, though all the servants deny hearing it too. One day, she discovers a dormant garden behind a locked gate assisted by a friendly robin and also the brother of one of the servant girls. She and he become friends and she begins tending the garden, weeding and planting flowers, finding delight in the natural beauty of this secret place. She also discovers that the source of the crying is her cousin who is also an orphan whose beloved mother died when he was an infant. However, he is bedbound and very sickly. In temperament, he is almost as incorrigible as she is, spoiled by all the attention of servants tending to him, while seeing little of his bereaved father. Mary begins to see that he needs encouragement, company and the fresh air of the garden. He becomes stronger and happier in Mary's company and his grieving father is shocked and delighted on returning from a trip to see his son's miraculous healing at the hands of Mary's determined spirited mindset. It's a charming story about the resilience of childhood, innocent belief and the power of an outsider to shift the dynamics and heal a shattered family.

One of the best movies of all time. Not scary, not sad. Not violent, not preachy. No flying monkies or scary witches. Dumbo's monther does not get put in cage. Bambi's mother does not die. There are no growling, menacing wolves/dogs, coyotes. There are no loud noises, ghosts, bullies, or children victimized by mean siblings/cousins/parents etc. No threatening, no bad words, No in your face talk, no put-downs. This is an enjoyable, funny, and uplifting movie. It is a family movie without being dorky! You can't help but be entranced by the plot, which centers on 10 year old boy & girl cousins in England in the 1800s, meeting for the first time, both of whom have had little in the way of parental contact. The girl is snobbish and aloof from having grown up lonely and cared for by servants in India and the boy is self-pitying and inactive, convinced that his poor health spells his doom. Self absorption abounds...until they unexpectedly discover each other's existence. Will these two strong willed children become friends? Will they join forces and discover a secret garden? Why is it secret? Kids are the stars of the film, and whenever you have adults out of the way and kids in charge, children love the movie! There's a bit of magic that children accept and love and even some adults want to believe in. This film teaches the power of persistence and belief in yourself, and the power of having a friend.

The Secret Garden is my all time favorite film of its genre. It's a family film, but it is not just for kids. The story is simple enough for children to understand, yet complex enough to keep adults interested. One of the aspects of the film I like best is the cinematography. It is visually striking, and the direction was excellent. I can't say enough about the emotions evoked by the visual excellence of this film. The acting was superior, especially Kate Maberly's portrayal of Mary Lennox. But all the actors did a superb job. They were very believable. The sound track is also superior. The haunting melody of "Winter Light" graced many of the outdoor scenes. Sung by Linda Ronstadt as the closing theme, it remains one of my favorite musical compositions. The interplay of the background music with the film's stunning visual beauty makes this movie a true work of art. When the movie first came out in theaters, I took my 8-year-old daughter to see it. She liked it fine, but I fell in love with it and have been in love with the film ever since. I'm a man in my late 40s and I'm not ashamed in the least to admit that I simply adore this enchanting family film. From its intriguing beginning to its highly emotional end, the film is perfect. Enough said.

Such a cute movie. I read the book in school in the 90's and watched the movie over and over as a kid. It was always one of my favorites. There are many versions of the story, and I have seen several, but this is the best one. It's a classic

Decent quality for dvd however both sides are standard format (4:3 ratio) even tho it claims one side is widescreen. Meaning that you’re not seeing the full film they edited the picture to fit an old television so there wouldn’t be black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. Now with 16:9 aspect ratio tvs you will see black bars on the left and right side of the screen.

This film is a beautiful, wondrous adaptation of the immensely popular 1911 serial novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It’s worth reading a biography of this author to better appreciate the story she wrote. The film takes a few liberties with details here and there, irritating a few of the reviewers, but it generally keeps to the central plot and theme. The overwhelming response to this film was positive from the beginning, and since it centers around young people, it is only natural that most reviewers believe the young actors who played in it were exceptional. Moreover, these young actors were strongly supported by adult actors of renowned talent. Good acting does not come without fine direction, and add rich cinematography, a somewhat creepy old house in Yorkshire, and some dark, cloudy days, and you arrive at “the Secret Garden” indeed. This film catapulted a young Kate Maberly into the spotlight, and we are so glad it did. We see that Kate clearly has an acting style, even at this young age. Often reserved and understated, she is never one to overact in a scene. It’s a highly realistic style that works extremely well in “the Secret Garden” and has worked again and again for Kate in many other films ever since. Among other things, it's what keeps this film from turning sickeningly sweet. I don’t think there has ever been another actor who could have played the role of Mary Lennox quite so well. This role belongs to Kate.

Perfect condition. 1 of my all time favorite movies even my two sons loved it!

ストーリー内容はもちろん映像、キャストも素晴らしいが音楽がこの作品を支えている重要な要素。 昔の印象では映像の美しさが際立っていたが今回は音楽の良さにも再認識。 久しぶりに見て感動した。

Maggie Smith is just excellent in this movie. The garden scenes are beautiful.

子どもが小さい時に一緒にテレビで見ました。主人公の子どもたちと近い年頃だったのでスーッと作品に入り込めて、親子して感動したのが昨日のようです。 お手頃の価格で購入できて良かったです。ついでの時に一緒みた、大人になった子どもに送ろうと思います。

私の好きなものが詰まった映画です(*'∇｀*) メアリーやコリンが秘密の花園を通して知らなかったことを知ったりディコンと3人で楽しく遊んでたりするのを見るのがとても楽しいです！

Yes this movie varies from the original novel. I bought it for viewing at our book club meeting the month we read the original novel. And yes, the things that varied (the mother being twins, the lack of a disease massacre and instead either an earthquake or an invasion (they're not quite clear on that)) were very different. But the feelings of the story were still present. The three children were excellent in their roles, and Maggie Smith was wonderful. I will definitely be re-watching this film time and time again in the future. It's fantastic.