| The Secret Garden | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Agnieszka Holland |
| Produced by | Fred Fuchs Tom Luddy Fred Roos |
| Screenplay by | Caroline Thompson |
| Based on | The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett |
| Starring | Kate Maberly Heydon Prowse Andrew Knott Maggie Smith John Lynch |
| Music by | Zbigniew Preisner |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins Jerzy Zielinski |
| Editing by | Isabelle Lorente |
| Studio | American Zoetrope |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Family Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | 13 August 1993 (US) 20 January 1994 (UK) |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $31,181,347 |
The Secret Garden is a 1993 British drama film based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Agnieszka Holland.
Contents |
Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly) is the neglected, mean-spirited only child of a wealthy United Kingdom couple living in India around the turn of the 20th century. Her mother and father never wanted her, and only care for themselves. One night during one of their frequent parties, an earthquake occurs and both of Mary’s parents are killed in the destruction.
Six months after the incident, Mary is sent by ship to Liverpool, England, where she is picked up by Mrs. Medlock (Maggie Smith), the strict housekeeper of Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire, England. Mrs. Medlock explains to Mary that her aunt died before she was born. Mary did not know this because her parents spent no time with her. She doesn't know how to look after herself, as her needs were always met by her ayah back in India; nor has she learned to cry. Upon her arrival at the Manor, she hears someone crying from a distant room, but all of the servants tell her differently. On her first night at the manor, she discovers a secret door in her room that leads her to the abandoned rooms of the manor (one being the room of her late aunt, who is also her mother's twin sister). Mary later meets Martha Sowerby (Laura Crossley), the manor's cheerful, youngest servant, and quickly befriends Mary. Martha tells Mary that her Uncle Lord Archibald Craven (John Lynch), would like to see her sometime, although Mrs. Medlock denies this fact too. Lord Craven frequently travels away from home because his wife died during the birth of his son, Colin Craven, as is unable to overcome his loss; it is thought to be a curse that is laid upon Lord Craven.
The next day when Mary is out in the fresh air and the local gardens, she discovers another hidden garden behind some overgrown ivy. One of the gardeners, Ben Weatherstaff (Walter Sparrow), tells her that there is no entrance because after the master’s wife died, Lord Craven gave orders to shut it off to everybody. Mary, driven to find out more about the garden, remembers a key she found in her late aunt’s bedroom, and discovers it fits the lock to the hidden door. One night after dreaming about her mother for the first time since coming to England, she hears the crying from the distant room she heard before. Determined to find out where the crying is coming from, she discovers the room that belongs to her sickly cousin, Colin Craven (Heydon Prowse), who is the master of the house during Lord Craven's absence. Colin, who has lived in bed, is unable to walk and has a morbid obsession with death, believing he will become a hunchback like his father.
Colin and Mary get to know each other very well. His windows are boarded up because of his belief that the light and "spores" outside can harm him. When Mary decides to pull them down with the help of Martha’s brother, Dickon Sowerby (Andrew Knott) (whom she met earlier when she discovered the door to the secret garden), Colin falls out of his wheelchair onto the floor, launching a terrible tantrum. It is revealed that Medlock keeps Colin concealed from Mary as she is convinced Mary is capable of killing Colin if she goes anywhere near him. Soon, Mary persuades Colin that the fresh air is safe, and she and Dickon take him outside in his wheelchair to see the secret garden that they have been trying to restore. Mary and Dickon ultimately teach Colin to stand up and walk, but they decide that Lord Craven should be the first to see Colin walking, so they conceal the secret from Medlock and the others.
After Medlock states that Colin is gravely ill, she forces Mary and Colin to be separated, locking Mary in her bedroom. Mary however escapes from her room through the second door behind a tapestry. Then she takes Colin and Dickon to the garden to perform magic at night, barefoot. The magic causes Lord Craven to have a dream about his late wife in the secret garden with Colin. Alarmed and terrified, he rushes back to Misselthwaite Manor to find him. Lord Craven goes into the secret garden to find Colin walking quite well now. With Mary (certain that no one wants her anymore) running away, Lord Craven persuades her that she is truly a wanted person. Soon, Mary has learned to cry for the first time, and Lord Craven has regained his sense of humour and laughter. Upon their return to the Manor, Medlock and the other servants are amazed to see Colin walking back independently with Mary and Lord Craven.
The film ends with Dickon riding over the Yorkshire countryside on his horse, as the world zooms out around him. Mary speaks of her uncle's learning to laugh, and her learning to cry .. and that the whole world is a garden.
Yorkshire's imposing Allerton Castle stood in for most of the exterior shots of Misselthwaite Manor, and some of the interior was also used. Fountains Hall was also used for part of the Manor's exterior.
Holland was already internationally famous as a director before the making of the film; in making this film she continued to work outside of Poland.[2]
The film features the end credits song "Winter Light" performed by Linda Ronstadt, which is based on two themes from the score by Zbigniew Preisner. However, the song is not featured in the film's original soundtrack, but in Ronstadt's eponymous album Winter Light.[3] Opera star Sarah Brightman and the youngest member of Celtic Woman, Chloë Agnew covered this song for their albums; Brightman's Classics and Agnew's Walking In The Air.
The soundtrack, released by Varèse Sarabande, contains the original score.[4]
Since its 1993 release, the film has garnered exceptionally positive reviews and currently garners a 94% "fresh" approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website, based on 17 reviews.[5]
According to Box Office Mojo, the film has a domestic gross of $31,181,347.[6]
Award wins
Award nominations
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