Customer Reviews

Secret Garden

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I got to see about three and a bit of the seven episodes when this series aired on ABC (our national TV and radio broadcaster in Australia) back in 1980 when I was 10 years old. Just from these bits I saw, I always wanted to see the episodes and bits I missed back then. I always felt this was the finest bit of children's TV programming I've ever seen on TV. Nothing since has ever come close to this. I't s a pity now children don't see things like this now. They now get dumb downed stuff that comes from multi-national corporations which is linked to junk food ads and constant merchandising.

I am so glad that the BBC decided to offer all seven episodes put back to back of this series after all these years. It was long overdue!

I am so glad to see this DVD finally released in the U.S. We watched this version of The Secret Garden in England in 1975 when it was produced for the BBC. We arranged our calendar around the excellent and accurate productions of the timeless children's classic books. BBC productions are known for their accurate portrayal of the author's intent. The Secret Garden did not disappoint. Each character was so carefully cast that we felt we were inside the book. Sarah Hollis Andrews IS Mary Lennox--in looks as well as demeanor. And Martha and Dickon and all the other characters are so perfectly cast. No detail is overlooked. The script is true to the book and the detail in the settings, the authentic accents in the speech, all are so perfect. I am always put off by movies that distort stories in order to add dramatic flair and romance, thinking the book wasn't strong enough in its own right. If you want to watch the Hallmark production or any of the others, do so, but see this one FIRST. You will be transported right into the pages of the book and you will live with the characters as they grow. The emotion you will feel will far surpass anything that can be wrought by the Hallmark version. This is a wonderful family film. If you have not read the book, I recommend that, also, unabridged, of course.

Seeing this released gives me hope that more of the BBC classics might come to DVD in the U.S. I am still waiting for their version of Carrie's War, A Little Princess, Heidi, all of which we saw come alive in the 1975 BBC television series.

The abbreviated VHS version of this BBC rendition of The Secret Garden was one of my favorite films as a child, so it was with some trepidation that I ordered this lengthier DVD. I didn't know whether the additional scenes would add to the story, or detract from it. After watching one half-hour episode a night for a week, I can say that I was quite impressed by how faithfully the full length rendition stuck to the original story. No other adaptation that I've encountered, (and I've encountered many of them, including an audio drama and a musical stage play,) was content to stick to Francis Hodgson Burnett's simple childhood tale. In this case, however, there were only a few deviations, the most notable being the presence of John, the footman, who plays a brief, nameless role in the book, but is a fairly important supporting character in this version. This, like the other fairly small alterations, is mainly an exposition device, and takes the place of narration.
There are places where this film shows its budgetary constraints. The titles aren't as clean as they could be, and whenever the robin appears it is obviously via stock footage. The garden, which is clearly on a sound stage, does not appear to contain any trees large enough to sit in, let alone fall out of. But all of these things are minor quibbles, and there's a lot to make up for them. The costuming and the Yorkshire accents are spot on, and all of the characters look exactly the way that they are described in the book, down to the smallest detail. I would recommend this classic to anyone who enjoyed the original story, and doesn't feel the need to see it 'enhanced' with dramatic subplots.

If you're looking for a big-budget, super-dramatic movie adaption of The Secret Garden, then I recommend the 1993 version. But if you're looking for a true-to-the-book movie adaption, buy this. I love the book The Secret Garden, and although the 1993 version is an okay-ish movie, it's not at all like the books. This one was amazingly true to the book, which I think is worth at least four stars. Mary was cast well, I can't say the same for Dickon and Collin. I think that they were cast better in the 1993 version. But that's just me. I got this movie for my 10th birthday, and I'm pretty picky on movie adaptions on books. But this is as good as it gets! I really reccomend it to anyone who liked the book!

I recently watched an abridged version of this movie and plan to purchase the full version as I want to know what sections are missing and because I love the way the British depict a story. What was shown in the l00 plus minutes to me was lovely to say the least! I would not say that this film was cheaply made at all, in fact I was impressed with the decors of the rooms, the dress of the characters and the look of the large home from outside and the countryside. Yes, there is slight grainy filming only when the characters go outside, but it is not really that bad and when they enter the garden it looks normal like the inside of the house. To me this did not take away from the film. I also enjoyed the accents of the characters and the interaction between characters. I did not find it hard at all to understand their speech and I felt that the characters had great concern and emotion for one another. I was surprised that Colin's father actually appeared normal and rather nice because I had watched two other versions of this movie and felt the 1993 version though beautiful to watch was not so realistic nor did I feel the characters were as loving towards one another especially the head maid and Colin's father toward Colin or Mary. The father was extremely unrealistic and foreboding in that version. I watched the 1949 version and the acting was somewhat overdone and the movie was dark overall. I felt in this BBC version that all the characters started out somewhat disliking one another but all came around and even Colin's father and the head maid showed care and concern for Mary and I was happy that it was a very happy story. I also liked the character development and much interaction between the maids and the children without hatred shown and the sets were just right and not fake at all. The garden was just that...a garden a realistic garden. I can't wait to see the longer version because the pace of the BBC movies is nice and slow giving time to developing the characters!! If you like realism and getting to know the characters without a lot of overplay and hype this is the version for you!!

This is the only good film adaptation of Francis Hodgson Burnett's book available, and it's not perfect. It has glaring continuity and filmography flaws, but if you are a fan of the book, you won't care.

The photography is absolutely gorgeous almost throughout the film. The locations are breathtaking. The costuming is brilliant, and very authentic. The acting is outstanding. The writing could be improved upon, but it is absolutely faithful to the original story.

The photography, costuming and casting are so good that many scenes look like Tasha Tudor illustrations come to life. The little actors that portray Mary and Collin exactly fit their literary descriptions. Ben Weatherstaff, Mrs. Medlock and Dickon look and speak exactly as they should. Their thick Yorkshire accents may put some viewers off, but many others will enjoy these lilting voices.

The producers needed more money. They did an incredibly good job with what they had; the production values are very high, yet the film looks low budget, especially to American eyes. Don't expect this to look like a Disney movie. That said, you won't find a better adaptation. Other versions concentrate on the fairy tale aspect of the story and thereby lose the gritty authenticity of it's actual setting, and, regretably, of the Yorkshire characters that are so important to the original story.

This 1975 BBC adaptation is the best and most loyal adaptation of the children's classic "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett. At approximately 210 minutes, this adaptation is the only one that does the novel justice.

I have also viewed two other adaptations of "The Secret Garden." Neither adaptation does the novel justice. Yet, in my opinion the 1987 adaptation by Hallmark is better than the 1993 Warner adaptation. Both the Hallmark and Warner adaptation are about 100 minutes.

Below I compare and contrast the three color adaptations.


1. The 1975 adaptation BBC

This adaptation is very low budgeted, and it shows in the picture quality, which is painful even if you are used to BBC 4.3 aspect ratio films. This said, the film is QUITE GOOD in every other way if loyalty in plot is important to you. For example, Mr. Archibald Craven, Ben W., Martha, Martha's mother, etc. are given larger roles in this adaptation than in the 1987 and 1993 adaptations. Furthermore, a considerably amount of the dialogue is taken directly from the novel. Therefore, this adaptation is much less 'sound bites' and allows for the development of Mary, Dickon, and Collin's characters.

The acting is also considerably better than the 1987 adaptation and better than the 1993 adaptation. [Unfortunately, with child actors of probably 10 or 11 years of age who have memorize a large amount of script, errors will be evident.]

Yet, the 1975 adaptation is the best adaptation in my opinion. It is neither too mystical (1993) nor too gothic (1987). I just is the story of a family and a garden that brings them together.

I rated this adaptation five starts because of the script and acting - NOT BECAUSE OF THE PICTURE QUALITY, which would have to be rated 1 star or two at most.


2. The 1987 adaptation Hallmark

Although I know many individuals despise this adaptation, I enjoyed it for a change. Yes, the acting is not perfect and the accents are horrible. Yes, the ending is pathetic and quite changed from the novel. Yes, the mystical Dickon (as an adult) dies in World War I. Yet, when one considers what the film was trying to achieve (i.e. change the theme from a children's story to a social critique of problems in society), it does an effective job. The film is a little too gothic (in the Victorian literature definition -i.e. 'ghosts' and long, dark corridors), yet I did not think the gothic harmed the story but rather created a sense of anticipation.

Again, if you want a loyal adaptation, I would urge the the 1975 adaptation. However, if you are tired of watching the 1975 adaptation and want to see a change, this 1987 adaptation is a better choice than the 1993 adaptation.


3. The 1993 adaptation Time Warner

I disliked this adaptation. My first problem was that Mary's parents were killed in an earthquake rather than a plague. (I am not certain what this proved?). Secondly, the mystical music was annoying as were the inappropriate accents - although of the two, I could tolerate the poor accents much more than the poor music.

Additionally, other scenes were also altered. For example, Mary finds the key to the garden in her deceased aunt's bedroom in the shut up wing of the Manor. In the 1975 adaptation (and I think the 1987 adaptation also), Mary finds the key buried with some help from a robin. However, the robin does show Mary where the door to the garden is located.

Unfortunately, the other problem I have with this film is that it is centered almost exclusively on Mary's character. Where the 1975 adaptation provides other characters (ex: Martha, Dr. Craven, Sir Archibald Craven, and Martha's mother have with numerous scenes in which Mary does not appear.) In the Warner adaptation, Mary is the focus of nearly every scene.

Also, Collin's character was considerably altered into less dictatorial that in the novel the other film adaptations. In fact, at times, Collin appears very childish and timid - terrified of dying and of Mrs. Medlock (rather than bossing Mrs. Medlock, his nurse, and everyone else around). Why Mrs. Medlock and the whole staff of of the Manor had to wear masks when around Collin, I have not a clue? (I forget if everyone wearing a mask was in the novel or not, but it makes no sense in this film adaptation.)

However, the film does have some positives. The Manor house is considerably larger than in the 1975 adaptation and larger than the 1987 adaptation, and therefore, it becomes more believable that Mary could have mistaken Collin's crying for the wind, rather than know outrightly that it was someone crying.