Konterr Brilliant and touching

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

wes-connors Some literary masterpieces are successfully adapted to the movie screen, and some are not. Strangely, Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden", which seems so naturally suited for cinematic magic, falls into the latter category.This one introduces "Mary Lennox" as an attractive adult woman, who recalls her life in Misselthwaite Manor, following the death of her parents. There, young Gennie James (as Mary) meets her young friends, Barret Oliver (as Dickon) and Jadrien Steele (as Colin). There are a couple of instances where the three young stars prove themselves capable: for example, the scene with Mr. Oliver examining brown twigs upon entering the garden, and the first scene played between Ms. James and Mr. Steele. Otherwise, the young performers are uneven and/or under-rehearsed. The adult performances are serviceable, at least; Michael Hordern (as Ben Weatherstaff) seems truest.The setting is lovely. The ending, in which we are led to believe one of the novel's characters practically commits suicide (pay attention, he "knows") by marching off to war, should be in the "hall of fame" of wretched bastardizations. The other two children are handled only slightly less perversely. Beware.** The Secret Garden (11/30/87) Alan Grint ~ Gennie James, Barret Oliver, Jadrien Steele, Michael Hordern

AngelGirl91602 This only score this high with me because the little girl is cute. My biggest problem is that in this version Mary cries all the time. Starting with when they throw her doll to the fire because of germs. Anyone similar with the story know that a big part of the Mary character is that she is a strange and unresponsive little girl and doesn't cry at all. At least not until the very end if at all. As an avid reader and fan of the story I find this most troubling. There have been many good versions of this movie made.If you want a great version try the 1993 one. It's my personal favorite out of the many I have seen. My only problem with the 1993 version is the change in how Mary's parents passed away, but as they are such a small part of the story it is not too serious of an infraction in my opinion.

sweetasme3 I have enjoyed watching this movie. Gennie James was great in this movie. She had a lot of courage and spunk. I love the quotes. "May i have a little bit of earth ..to make a garden.....I love gardens........and when Colin gave her a locket.......I will treasure it always! I recommend children to watch this movie. The world needs more movies like this for children to watch instead of violence and sexual content. This movie is very exciting to watch!!!! Colin Firth was wonderful in this movie. I love his English accent.He is also a excellent actor. I wish the very best in the future. I hope to see more movies like this one.

Nancy1428 Many may disagree with me, but this is a wonderful movie. The young actors playing Colin, Mary and Dickon are likable and convincing. The scenery is beautiful; one can tell most of this movie was shot outside and not on a sound stage. This particular interpretation is haunting; and initially it is dreary. Mary is a sad little girl at the beginning of the movie (obviously, since she lost both of her parents and is transported from sunny India to dreary Northern England). The outside scenes of Mistlethwaite Manor (possibly even the inside, I don't remember) were filmed at an old mansion that was reputedly haunted. Pastoral scenes of real gardens and forests permeate most of this film, and it is really a visual delight. Haunting classical music (mostly played on solo piano) binds the aesthetic aspects of this film together. I agree with this interpretation because there is so much sadness in this story; Mary lost both of her parents, Colin's mother died, his father is depressed. Most people are familiar with the plot, so I won't give it here; but the ending may not please literary purists. Mary, as an adult comes back to Mistlethwait Manor to visit the garden. She is a medic in the war (I believe World War I). She runs into the old gardener (his name escapes me at the moment). They talk about Dickon, who died in the war in a forest and how he would have wanted it that way. Colin appears, (who was also a soldier), who is on leave because he was shot in the leg. We learn at this point that he and Mary kept in touch by writing letters. Colin proposes to Mary, she says yes; and the final scene is the three of them walking into the garden. I personally like this ending, because although it isn't what the author intended, it satisfies questions about the fate of these beloved characters.