The Secret Garden
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.95 You Save: $10.03 (77%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Secret Garden
Movie Review: Inferior to BBC version
Summary: 2 Stars
This version of The Secret Garden should be titled "Ms. Burnett goes to Hollywood". It's overwrought and clich?d. If one has been raised on a steady diet of Saturday morning cartoons, this film will appeal. Otherwise, get the BBC version. While it was obviously made with a much lower budget, the BBC version is FAR more faithful to the original story, the actors have the correct regional accents, and it captures the magic much better. Movie Review: The Secret Garden (Up Lifting!!)
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a 40 myear old mother. My daughter was 3 years old first time watching. She is now 12 years old. As we watched The Secret Garden recently, tears of joy came to me at the thought of one day she will be watching with her children. This movie is a classic in our household. Truely a wonderful bonding movie for parents with their children. Thank You Amazon for bringing it to my door.
Mrs. Safar
Movie Review: no title
Summary: 4 Stars
Just as good as the one I had remembered from childhood with Margaret O'Brien, in black and white. Which I had adored and built all sorts of magical stories around. This is a great one for children, and the color version only adds to that magic. Holland is also the director of "Europa, Europa", another great film, but for adults. Movie Review: Compare the BBC version to the 1993 movie version
Summary: 5 Stars
The 1993 movie version of The Secret Garden captures the magic of this inspiring story for both children and adults, while the BBC television version does not. It's plodding style, avalanche of dialogue, and low production standards let the inherent magic escape. No matter how hard they try, repeating the word "magic" over and over again does not make the TV show magical.
Some portions of the TV dialogue are lost in thick Yorkshire accents and unintelligible dialect, interesting only to language scholars. At the other extreme are too many wordy explanations of what we clearly saw happen and plainly heard spoken. Just because a television script corresponds closely to a beloved book does not necessarily mean that it makes good television, or that it captures the spirit of the book.
Children are capable of understanding that something special or wonderful is happening simply by watching the event take place. The 1993 movie knows this and wisely lets a picture speak a thousand words.
The movie version communicates a vibrant love of life. You get to know the unique, even eccentric, characters as though they were real people struggling with hardships and fears. You are drawn into the depths and heights of their emotions through the use of stunning visuals, dramatic portrayals, pithy dialogue, moments of quiet contemplation, and a serene musical soundtrack that is worth owning on its own merits.
In the TV episodes, on the other hand, a lot of effort is expended but no real drama is achieved. For example, during what could be quiet, thoughtful moments of solitude, the mood is often spoiled with a voice-over or with the use of grainy film for outdoor scenes - a distracting contrast to the clear videotape used in indoor sets. I've never been made so aware of production methods and camera work. I'd rather just sit back and enjoy.
The BBC actors are good and appear capable of much better performances, but the director was content with their shallow characterizations and a few instances of mumbling, garbling, and stumbling over their lines. At several points I expected to hear the director yell, "Cut. Try it again." Unfortunately, it's not up to normally high BBC standards.
It's nice to have a better choice.
Movie Review: A Secret Treasure!
Summary: 5 Stars
While most children probably would not care, the directing and the cameraworks are superior in the film (as it is always the case with Agniezska Holland's movies). Casting is superb as all characters act at their best. You will love the soundtrack for this movie written by Zbigniew Preisner.
There is nothing comic in this movie as it usually is in children's films.
This definitely is a great film to watch both for children and film afficionados.