What’s behind the mysterious locked gate of The Secret Garden? Monsters? Fairies? Dinosaurs? An inter-dimensional vortex? The answer is, as readers of the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett will be well aware, a secret garden; we’re not doing any of the high concept kid-friendly stuff that followed, but stories back in 1911 weren’t overburdened with cross-generational appeal and pop-culture name-drops.
By 2020, Harry Potter producer David Heyman fancied a slice of the mundane action, and brought his own, faithful version to the screen with a name cast including Colin First and Julie Walters. But it’s the kids who shine, with Dixie Egerickx as little orphan Mary Lennox, who in this multi-cultural version loses her parents in India and is shipped back to Blighty. Her uncle, Lord Craven (Firth) warns her not to rock the boat as she investigates his estate, soon discovering a secret garden which becomes a hang-out zone for the Lord’s disabled son Colin (Edan Hayhurst). Another friend, hunter Dickon (Amir Wilson) adds diversity, but Lord Craven doesn’t approve of the direction things are going and accidentally burns the house down on purpose.
Although the scale is small and the stakes are minimal, this version of The Secret Garden has plenty to offer visually, with Lol Crawley (Vox Lux) creating expansive vistas that emphasise how small the kids are in comparison. Jack Thorne, who wrote the Harry Potter stage-play, shifts the narrative only to include a number of diversity sops, but the Victorian core of the novel survives.
A quaint enterprise, perhaps, and likely to bore those in search of more modern, kid-friendly thrills and spills; The Secrets Garden’s biggest audience may well be readers of the original book, keen to see how it matches expectations. And in that area, it may well be successful; it’s an old-school entertainment, the kind of thing serious-minded parents foist on rebellious, uncouth children.
For the record (in regards to the previous comments by others), I am part of the Intergalactic Federation of Fun Stompers. So stop having fun or we’ll arrest you and throw you all into the pit with the Moon People. Then we’ll have some fun!
My first reaction upon your review was a sold Yes! even with all the “diversity” upgrades. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen an earlier version (that and the Little Princess were staples at school). I semi-recently re-read the book and absolutely loved it. So if this ever comes to Prime for free, I’ll watch it 😀
What kind of namby pamby school did you go to, little princess?
A private school. Movies were not highly thought of 😉
So are you done posho type person, with a monocle and tweeds? Do you play on the pianola before tiffin?
I don’t know about posho, but a bowtie definitely fits into the image. A harpsichord is my instrument of choice if a cheap recorder isn’t handy. You’d be surprised at how many people don’t carry an emergency recorder for those musical catastrophes.
So, a Little Lord Fauntleroy type, eh?
A mustachioed and appropriately armed Little Lord Fauntleroy 😉
There’s no point in me crafting insults since your description of yourself leaves little room for improvement.
Why do you think I do it? I know that not being able to insult me absolutely wrecks your day….
Looks like the 1993 version with Maggie Smith is the one to go for?
Think that one had Colin Firth as well? This one isn’t bad at all, but I’m not sure how this story can be updated cinematically, but leaving the period setting intact…
It didn’t have Colin Firth but was directed by Agnieszka Holland and Irène Jacob played the girl’s mother. Music by Zbigniew Preisner and cinematography by Roger Deakins. Looks a class act. I haven’t seen it but I would watch it.
That’s the one, have a VHS of it somewhere, but these credits suggest a class act and worth a look…
Never read the original unless The Hardy Boys investigated The Secret of the Secret Garden. I might have gone if it had been a quiet week at the cinema but it seemed to be forever trailered without showing up. For that matter, I always thought Walt Disney invented Winnie the Pooh for that formed no part of our childhood library r either
Think I was more of a Hardy Boys fan too. Never the right age for talking bears. Quite a revelation that what’s in The Secret Garden is just a Secret Garden. I thought it would be like Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree with some kind of Narnia world, but it was just flowers and trees. Number one film in the Uk last week (on streaming and DVD).
Alex de Gaul is doing Icky today and you are doing Wholesome. I like this one best. Yep.
Is the correct answer….
I know, a nice change eh?
He didn’t get that film from his local bibliotheca! Mucky pup!
Well he’s French you know, what do you expect?
Would be wrong to tar an entire nation with the same brush…Alex should be pitied, not jailed…
No-one said anything about jailing him. And I don’t think it’s very wrong to say the French have always been more risque than us Brits.
Maybe in your next of the woods…very bohemian up here!
Not very family friendly from Alex…
He likes to dip his toes into these avant guard type of movies now and then, there’s a few on his blog. I suppose it’s a relief after the scary Leprechauns and Critters.
I still think we should contact social services, if this is what he’s coming out with in public…
What’s this with the scornful Scot advocating cancel culture? Did you ever stop to think that Cafe Flesh actually is a more wholesome offering than The Secret Garden? It has people dressed up like giant mice! That’s almost Disney.
Don’t besmirch the secret garden with your French perversions, I’m calling the cops!
There are people in the Icky Art film dressed as giant mice? I suppose they lick cheese snacks off each other’s bellies or somesuch. Are there giant cats to chase them?
I wouldn’t delve too deeply into this utter filth that Alex is peddling….no good will come of this!
It’s OK, Alex has explained, it’s art, so everything is fine.
That’s what he told when I brought this to the attentions of the Royal Canadian Mounted.
Oh they won’t mind, I think they are used to being mounted.
There’s no answer to that.
So provincial . . .
So oh la la!
Bien sûr!
I think we should call social services…
Thought they’d all been axed in the austerity fiasco.
We’ll need one to prise Alex off his computer…
I don’t think anyone dresses up like a cat. Though one guy is a giant pencil.
I think we’ll have to leave Eddie to watch whatever they’re showing at the kirk’s movie night.
Well, it won’t involve guys dressing up as giant pencils, or wearing baby’s bonnets on their heads. Good clean fun in my secret garden…
Giant pencil sounds outre, well each to his own I guess.
Hard to know what it happening in Alex’s noggin…giant pencil cases, tiny sharpeners…
At least I wear pants while I’m online. I mean, you’re not even trying with that bathrobe.
You have no idea what I’m trying with this bathrobe…
Is it art?
It might be seen as art, I mean, Last Tango in Paris was art, right?
I’m afraid it’s the Scottish school of the New Vulgarism. I just hope he keeps it tied up.
It’s me that’s ‘wholesome’ according to fraggle. You, well, You’re some way beyond conventional norms now…doesn’t matter which school you went to, tell it to the Mounties when they come to bust you and your stash…
He did say he was bohemian up there.
You’d better believe it. So have you read The Secret Garden or not?
Nope.
Sigh
In fairness I have read a LOT of books!
Nothing dripping like that can be wholesome. You need to get someone to check that out.
Having a ‘stach is a very Mountie thing. It comes with the red coats and the horses.
There’s nothng dripping here, mate. All in good working order. Which is more than the library said about the Land Before Time boxed set you returned, took them ages to make that usable.
I’d have thought you’d be familiar with the Royal Canadian Mounted.
I do that to the boxed sets so they have to include them in the annual Friends of the Public Library book sale.
You know these comments may be considered to be a signed confession of guilt?
I dispose of the evidence. Just like you get rid of the bodies. Though I’d be worried about someone finding the heads.
Can I remind you that it is not me that is on trial here, Monsieur Alex.
Only for hypothetical, indeed imaginary crimes. Whereas you, Monsieur Dix, are wanted by Interpol. You don’t think they’re watching, but they’ve been on you for a while.
When you say Interpol, do you mean Cap’n Booky?
Isn’t Cap’n Booky coast guard? Though I don’t doubt Dix is into some smuggling. Strikes me as a real Sawney Bean type.
Sawney Bean?? The guy who played Sharpe and later Ned Stark?
Dix. Un, deux, trois, quatre . . .
Pardon mon francais!
Quoi?
Sawney Bean!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney_Bean
You’re thinking of Mr. Bean. Dix only looks like Mr. Bean. He behaves like Sawney Bean.
Who is Dix? Dixie Nourmous from the Austin Powers films?
Replied above. The commenting on this site is a bit, how do you say in Scotland? Shite?
I don’t think my comments are shite. Can’t vouch for anyone else’s.
I’m assuming Alex is alluding to the accurate placement of the comments in the form of a conversation. Your comments are valued, noted and passed on to the authorities where appropriate.
The comment placement is completely all to cock.
I think you might be over estimating him.
See???
Yes, in case anyone is still reading this far down the page, it’s the random comment placement that is SHITE.
Thanks, glad we could clear this up.