The Secret Garden

    The Secret Garden
    1993

    Synopsis

    A young British girl born and reared in India loses her neglectful parents in an earthquake. She is returned to England to live at her uncle's castle. Her uncle is very distant due to the loss of his wife ten years before. Neglected once again, she begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and neglected. Aided by one of the servants' boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor.

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    Cast

    • Kate MaberlyMary Lennox
    • Heydon ProwseColin Craven
    • Andrew KnottDickon
    • Maggie SmithMrs. Medlock
    • Irène JacobMary's Mother / Lilias Craven
    • Laura CrossleyMartha
    • John LynchLord Archibald Craven
    • Walter SparrowBen Weatherstaff
    • Valerie HillCook
    • Andrea PickeringBetty Butterworth

    Recommendations

    • 100

      Chicago Sun-Times

      Like all great stories for children, The Secret Garden contains powerful truths just beneath the surface. There is always a level at which the story is telling children about more than just events; it is telling them about the nature of life.
    • 90

      Newsweek

      It is, first and foremost, a visual delight, a Victorian picture book come to life, from its brief prologue in India through its darkly enchanted recreation of Misselthwaite Manor on the Yorkshire moors.
    • 90

      Variety

      Executed to near perfection in all artistic departments, this superior adaptation of the perennial favorite novel will find its core public among girls , but should prove satisfying enough to a range of audiences to make it a solid performer for Warner Bros.' family entertainment banner.
    • 88

      Chicago Tribune

      The Secret Garden is as much a movie for adults with keen memories of childhood as it is a children's movie.
    • 75

      Chicago Reader

      As a children's movie with a fine sense of magic (without fantasy) and a great deal of feeling (without sentimentality), this beats the usual Disney junk hands down, and adults will find it an expert piece of storytelling.
    • 75

      Washington Post

      The Secret Garden unearths a few inventions of its own, it bears its own, quiet charms.
    • 75

      ReelViews

      The Secret Garden combines drama, fantasy, and a little bit of light Gothic horror (the old house with its strange noises). The film is visually stunning, from the eerie insides of Misselthwaite Manor to the time-lapse photography of blooming flowers. Zbigniew Preisner's score adds to the atmosphere without ever becoming obvious or intrusive.
    • 60

      Orlando Sentinel

      The movie's dark themes, unhurried pace and talkiness make it something of a gamble for many children. But older children - especially those who have been asking specific questions about death - may find some nourishment in this garden.

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