The Secret Garden (1993 film)
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| The Secret Garden | |
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| Directed by | Agnieszka Holland David Brown (1st Ass't) |
| Produced by | Francis Ford Coppola (Exec. Prod.) |
| Written by | Frances Hodgson Burnett (book) Caroline Thompson (screenplay) |
| Starring | Kate Maberly Heydon Prowse Andrew Knott Maggie Smith |
| Music by | Zbigniew Preisner |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins & Jerzy Zielinski |
| Editing by | Isabelle Lorente |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | August 13, 1993 |
| Running time | 102 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Secret Garden is a 1993 American Zoetrope film adaptation of the book of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Three British children, then-unknown actors, played the key roles of Mary Lennox, Colin Craven and Dickon.
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[edit] Primary cast:
- Kate Maberly : Mary Lennox
- Heydon Prowse : Colin Craven
- Andrew Knott : Dickon
- Maggie Smith : Mrs. Medlock
- Laura Crossley : Martha
- John Lynch : Lord Craven
- Irène Jacob : Mary's Mother/Aunt
- Walter Sparrow : Ben Weatherstaff
- Frank Baker : Government official
- Colin Bruce : Maj. Lennox
[edit] Awards
Award wins:
Award nominations:
[edit] Plot
The Secret Garden is adapted from the 1909 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The recently-orphaned Mary Lennox travels from her home in India to her uncle Archibald Craven's hundred-room house, Misselthwaite Manor, in Yorkshire, England. Mary, materially spoiled but emotionally neglected by her late parents, is rather unpleasant and unhappy in her new surroundings. Martha, a Yorkshire girl working as a maid, and her brother Dickon, a boy who can talk to animals, befriend and help her to heal and grow. She discovers her deceased aunt's secret garden, which has been locked for ten years and enlists Dickon to help her bring it to life.
Hidden away in the gloomy house is Mary's cousin Colin, who has been treated all his life like a fragile, sickly invalid. This exaggeration has augmented what smaller problems he did have, turning him into a demanding, short-tempered, helpless boy. Mary, defying the orders of Mrs Medlock (who runs Misselthwaite), discovers Colin and is taken aback by his disposition, but reaches out to him anyway. Soon Colin, Mary, and Dickon all spend their time in the secret garden. Colin learns to walk and gets quite well, which his father Archibald discovers upon his return to Misselthwaite.
[edit] Film vs. book
A number of minor changes were made in adapting the story for the screen, though the major plot points and character qualities remain, resulting in a considerably faithful retelling. Following is a list of some of the differences:
- In the book, Mary's parents die of cholera epidemic; in the film, an earthquake and the resulting mayhem (a charging elephant and a fire at a large party) lead to their deaths.
- In the book, Mary is blonde, plain and sallow; in the film, she is a brunette and appears to be considerably healthier.
- In the book, Archibald Craven's wife is Mary's father's sister. In the movie, his wife was twin sister to Mary's mother.
- In the book, Mary discovers the key to the locked garden rather by accident after a robin digs it up. In the movie, she finds it in her aunt's room and initially doesn't know what it is for.
- In the book, Mary finds the door to the garden when the wind blows back the ivy covering it. In the movie, a friendly little robin shows her the way at her request.
- The Mrs. Medlock of the film is a much more stern character than her counterpart in the book.
- In the book, Martha and Dickon's mother, Susan Sowerby, writes Archibald requesting that he go home to the children. In the movie, the children work "magic," Craven dreams of his wife, who tells him she is in the Garden with Colin.
- A romantic attraction between Mary and Dickon is hinted at in the film, but is not evident in the book.
Heydon Prowse
Heydon Prowse was the only one of the actors in the film that did not go on to do anything after The Secret Garden. It had been rumoured however that he wanted to become a teacher in England. Heydon was born 1981 in England and won the role of Colin Craven when his school was selected for people to try out for the role. He had been in small roles in his school and proved to be the best of them all. It is currently unknown what exactly Heydon does or where he lives since he has not had any contact with movies in the past thirteen years.
[edit] External links
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