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73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE movie version of the book, October 4, 2005
It is a pity that so many people are misled into buying the 1993 version or the Hallmark version of this book. The former is valuable as a study of wooden acting and unbelievable dialogue. The Hallmark version (as usual) just throws the book away--they can do it better. The 1949 version also "improves" on the book by turning it into a suspense-thriller in the first half and has all the characteristics of '40s movies--phony characters, phony dialogue and big stars.
This movie is for people who loved the book; and except for extremely minor flaws which most people will not notice, this movie brings the whole book to life perfectly. Nothing is left out. Sarah Hollis Andrews gives a stunning performance for one so young. None of the California accents of the Hallmark version or the East European characters of the 1993 version. This is Yorkshire and this is Francis Hodgson Burnett, not Agnieszka Holland.
There has been an abridged version on the market for years, cut to make it a full-length movie (100 minutes). This present version is twice that length. Even if you have the abridged version, buy this one and see what a difference those cuts make. The characters are even more sympathetic and more real, and there is time to deal more with all the other characters (the nurse, Dr. Craven, Mr. Craven, etc.) and more time for Mary Lennox and more interaction between Mary and Collin and Dickon.
In short, this movie is a treasure and every child above the age of 8 deserves to see this version. If you are a diehard and want to see the other versions, fine, or if you've already been suckered into buying them. But get this version. You'll never watch those other versions again. And your kids will have an experience to carry with them the rest of their lives.
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BEST VERSION OF ALL!!, July 25, 2005
The oft-filmed Frances Hodgson Burnett novel The Secret Garden was restaged for BBC television in 1975 Sarah Hollis Andrews stars as the insufferable brat who is yanked from her home in India and sent to live with her emotionless uncle. She is humbled by her equally headstrong crippled cousin, and humanized by the gardener's son, who entreats her into his special fantasy world. As Andrews is taught the values of humility and generosity by "the secret garden," she simultaneously warms her uncle's cold heart. Not quite as elaborate as the famous 1949 MGM version, nor as accomplished as the 1993 Agnezia Holland-directed remake, this 1975 Secret Garden nonetheless has a charm of its own.
This was first shown here in the USA on PBS in 1976 on the PBS series ONCE UPON A CLASSIC that was hosted by Bill Bixby. I remember watching SECRET GARDEN for the 7 weeks it was shown on this series.
Watching this on DVD brought tears to my eyes because its such a wonderful version and, it brings me back 29 years ago when I first saw this.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Watch this one!, April 3, 2006
This is the version of The Secret Garden to watch! My eight year old daughter and I recently read the book together and loved it. (It was my first reading) We anxiously looked forward to seeing a filmed version, and the first one we saw was Agnieszeka Holland's 1997 version, as that was the only one available at our local library. We were both terribly dissappointed. Holland's version takes such liberties with the story as to sacrifice the true spirit, beauty and depth of the book. Yes, it is gorgeously filmed, but the cinematography (which includes some very tacky special effects such as sped up roots growing in soil) does not compensate for the slaughter of the story and characters. The garden itself is so fantastical as to make a mockery of its significance to the story.
This version is completely truthful to the book. The story is developed carefully and thouroughly, and presented in great detail. The characters are rich and reminded both my daughter and myself of how we had imagined them to be. The English countryside is faithfully portrayed as only the English know how. It is delightful to enjoy true Yorkshire accents which are an important theme in the book, even if they are sometimes difficult to understand for american ears. The garden is gentle and real. Yes there are some minor flaws (some lines are actually flubbed in a couple of the final episodes) but they are inconsequential. If you have taken the time to read the book, then by all means take the time to see this movie. You will be glad you did.
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