There's a little patch of our backyard between the house and the fence
that has always seemed separate from the rest of the yard, and for years
we talked about turning it into a "secret garden". On Saturday we took
that possibility one step further when we bought a pair of trellises and
some flowers to crawl up them. It will make a nice entrance if we can
get some things to grow back there. Interestingly, when we were at my
uncle's house on Monday, he happened to pull out The Secret Garden
and suggested we watch it after dinner. This was the very film that had
inspired the idea in the first place back when we saw it years ago. Of
course, our little bit of Earth is much smaller, much less mysterious
and unlikely to attract lambs, ducks and ferrets, but it's a start...
The Secret Garden
is a classic work of literature by Frances Hodgson Burnett about a
dour, neglected, rich girl who comes to live in her uncle's estate after
her parents' deaths. The 1993 version that we watched the other day is
not the first adaptation of this book; several others have been made,
including a made-for-television version that I recall seeing many years
ago but don't remember very well except for the fact that when it ended,
the children had grown up. This version, directed by Agnieszka Holland,
includes no such glimpse of the future, leaving us to imagine what
happens to the three children who help bring the titular garden back to
life.
The film begins in India, where Mary Lennox (Kate
Maberly) is used to being treated like royalty, though her parents
ignore her. When they die in an earthquake, she goes off to a dreary
castle in England owned by her uncle, Lord Craven (John Lynch), who
spends most of the film away on business, partly to escape the memories
of his deceased wife, the twin sister of Mary's mother. Mary is quite
the sourpuss in the beginning, snapping at everyone who comes near, but
thanks to some encouragement from the sunny young servant Martha (Laura
Crossley), she begins to explore the grounds, where she finds
friendship, first with a robin and then with Martha's brother Dickon
(Andrew Knott), and stumbles upon a hidden door that opens into her
aunt's beloved garden.
Soon she and Dickon are spending every
day in the garden, clearing away ten years' worth of dead leaves and
brush and watching blossoms spring up all around them. Mary is no longer
nearly so contrary, though she still butts heads with Mrs. Medlock
(Maggie Smith), the severe head housekeeper, especially after Mary
discovers that she has a cousin, Colin (Heydon Prowse), who's been kept
shut up in his room all his life. Though he and the staff are convinced
he could drop dead at any moment, Mary isn't so sure, and she gradually
coaxes Colin outside, where he too is transformed by the joy of nature
and friendship.
The cinematography is beautiful, especially
when we linger on the secret garden, which is teeming with life. There
are several time-elapsed sequences in which we see various flowers
blossom and trees change color. The effect is impressive, and though
Lord Craven tells Mary he ought to send her away because there is
nothing here for a child, this strikes me as an amazing place to spend
one's tender years.
Maberly brings Mary to life very well, initially making her as obnoxious as Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
but slowly softening until she is both joyful and considerate. Colin
follows a similar path, and Prowse, who never appeared in another film,
is quite effective as the pampered, overly sheltered cousin Mary never
knew she had, and his reaction to his first taste of the outside world
is affecting. Knott's Dickon stands in contrast to both of them,
slightly older and vigorous from a life spent outdoors. There's a moment
toward the end of the film that suggests a future rivalry between the
boys for Mary's affections; Mary is closer to both boys than they are to
each other, but generally the three of them get along fine. Crossley's
cheerful portrayal of Martha offsets Mary's initial crossness. Though I
think of her as being several years older than Dickon, Crossley and
Prowse are the same age.
Of the adults, we don't see much of
Lord Craven, but Lynch puts in a melancholy performance that is more
haunting than intimidating. Walter Sparrow has a brief role as Ben
Weatherstaff, a faithful groundskeeper who eventually befriends the
children. But probably my favorite performance is Smith's, in an
antagonistically authoritarian role reminiscent of her Mother Superior
in Sister Act. While Mrs. Medlock's treatment of Mary is
sometimes vindictive, she truly does care for Colin and is concerned for
his well-being, fearing Mary is getting him too riled up and
endangering his health. She's an easy character to loathe, but Smith
puts just the right touch of humanity into this strict woman to make her
sympathetic.
I can't compare this to other versions of
Burnett's classic tale, but it succeeds so beautifully as a moving
family film that I'd be surprised to learn that another adaptation
managed the task more effectively. The Secret Garden is a movie that should not be kept a secret.
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