The Secret Garden (1993)

3/4

Starring: Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott, Maggie Smith, Laura Crossley, John Lynch, Irene Jacob

Rated G

"The Secret Garden" is a magical story of healing.  Healing of the mind, the body and the soul.  That message is conveyed with sensitivity and genuine emotional power by both its young cast, director Agnieszka Holland, and in particular, cinematographer Roger Deakins.  The film may suffer from some pacing issues and a poorly implemented sense of magical realism, but all things considered, this is a great movie.

Mary Lennox (Maberly) is a sad little English girl living in India.  She is ignored by her parents; her father is off on war duties and her mother is too busy with parties to acknowledge her presence.  But then they die and she is sent to live with her uncle, Lord Craven (Lynch).  She finds herself equally miserable as there is a tremendous amount of pain in the house.  But for Mary, being left to her own devices gives her an opportunity to explore, and she meets a number of new friends, including Dickon (Knott) the stable boy and Colin (Prowse), Lord Craven's sickly child.  She also discovers that there is a secret garden on the grounds, and it's a place where anything is possible.

This story is seen through Mary's eyes, and that's the film's biggest accomplishment.  Mary is a strong-willed girl, not yet spoiled by the bad habits of maturity and British decorum.  To her, what you see is what you get.  Everyone believes that Colin is deathly ill, but she doesn't see a sick little boy.  Just a spoiled one.  And she does what is, in her eyes, the only logical next step: prove to everyone that Colin isn't sick.  Through her actions, she and Colin find the love that they have been searching for their entire lives.

The film is ably supported by a solid cast.  Leading the way is Kate Maberly, who shows no fear or artifice in the tricky role of Mary.  She's strong and prickly, but lonely and unloved.  The young actress doesn't strike a wrong note.  Hayden Prowse, a non-professional actor, manages to be both sympathetic and bratty.  We want him to succeed, even when he demands to be pampered and have his way.  Andrew Knott is also very good as the warm-hearted stableboy.  Maggie Smith is her usual reliable self as the brittle Mrs. Medlock.  Special mention has to go to Laura Crossly, who is a delight as the chatty servant Martha.

The simplest explanation for the film's flaws is that it moves too fast.  A movie like this has to effectively present its complex themes, but rather than setting the stage it feels like they're done with cinematic shorthand.  For instance, the film never got me to believe that anyone would buy that Colin is so sickly.  And while the film has a definite sense of whimsy, the magical realism aspect of the film isn't handled well.  I understood it but didn't feel it.

Yet the story is one that is hard to completely mess up, and the film doesn't.  Part of the reason is that the film looks and sounds incredible.  This represents some of Roger Deakins best work (the scenes in the garden are awe-inspiring, and there are some gorgeous landscapes).  Pairing that with the score by Zbigniew Presiner, and you have a truly magical movie for the senses.  They pick up the slack with the storytelling stumbles.

This is definitely worth checking out, even if you don't have kids.

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