(2013-05-22 20:57:19)

Enchanting tale

When an earthquake in India leaves her an orphan, Mary Lennox is sent to live at her uncle's remote estate in England. The spoiled, bratty Mary is quite miserable with no one to talk to or play with and a stern housekeeper (Maggie Smith) hovering over her. When Mary begins exploring the manor, she discovers not only a secret garden but also a secret cousin!This is a beautifully-filmed children's story about the power of friendship and overcoming adversity. I wasn't familiar with the 1911 book (although I want to read it now), so I expected something awful to happen to the garden or the children, but only good things happen, so it's ideal for kids of all ages. The Yorkshire location is lovely and the acting is uniformly wonderful. The joys of bringing an old garden to life and befriending a shut-in child are the simple, yet profound pleasures of this story. Highly recommended for those who like sweet, sentimental stories.

cousteau

(2013-05-22 16:02:03)

stunning

A stunning visual delight with three adorable kids, an even moreadorable teenage maid, and a "magical" garden. Now, this is a warning toeveryone who hasn't seen this flick: ** YOU WILL HAVE THE OVERWHELMING URGETO CREATE YOUR OWN GARDEN AFTER SEEING THIS MOVIE.**** With all great movies, there are a few copycats(I won't mention anynames...."Little Princess"!); but this movie is very original in its ownright. The acting is superb (by everyone, but especially the boy who playsColin; Mary[Kate Maberly] should also not be overlooked.) The change ofseasons and the whole feeling "dried-up flowers swimming in the porcelainsink with twin ivory elephants on an oak dresser" gives you is quiteindescribable. This is for sure a great kid's movie, but the profoundness of its sheerelegance and eerie beauty can only be truly appreciated by older viewers.(When I say older, I mean from 13 and up!) If you've ever seen the movie Legend, the floral/background scenescreate the same "look" as Secret Garden. SPOILER WARNING ---------SPOILER WARNING ------------One note: the magic scene (to me) seemed eerie, but not necessarily out ofcontext. This was their world, a world that had no boundaries. They werechildren and knew they could create whatever colors they wanted whereverthey wanted, with beautiful flowers. So the fact that Mary was from exoticIndia, and that Colin has never seen his dad and was desperate, the magicscene was a welcomed idea for them...an honest attempt in the story to delveinto "what would kids do?" scenarios.... What I find interesting about this brief but engaging "magic" insert:(1)It is a metaphor for international respect. Throughout the whole movie,Mary is trying to urge Colin to be open-minded, but he thinks all her Indiastories are stupid. The fact that Colin was the one chanting in the end (andthat the magic actually worked) shows a change of heart in him for foreignthings; and (2) The fact that this garden was so beautiful it hardly looked real wasaccented by this magic scene. The garden WAS real, but perhaps there wassome magic involved to make it so enchanting. It just helps you think inmore supernatural terms(to make it more engaging) than just a 19th centurystory in England about a girl who can plant seeds in a garden. ------------END SPOILER--------------Watch this movie and create a "garden" of you own !-Sep

Kristine

(2013-05-22 14:08:39)

An amazingly touching film

Ah, the many memories I have with The Secret Garden, I have to admitit, when I was a kid, I had this group of girlfriends and we alwaysthought it would be so cool if we discovered a garden just like thechildren in this movie did. As silly as that sounds, the movie reallygot our imaginations going. Of course you grow up and you forget alittle bit about the movies that you used to watch as a kid. But I waslooking at the five dollar bin at Wal Mart and found The Secret Garden,I figured since I hadn't seen it in a while that I could check it outonce again and still I think I have a special love for this magicalstory about bringing life back into a dead world.The recently-orphaned Mary Lennox travels from her home in India to heruncle Archibald Craven's hundred-room house, Misselthwaite Manor. Mary,materially spoiled but emotionally neglected by her late parents, israther unpleasant and unhappy in her new surroundings. Martha, aYorkshire girl working as a maid, and her brother Dicken, a boy who cantalk to animals, befriend and help her to heal and grow. She discoversher deceased aunt's secret garden, which has been locked for ten yearsand enlists Dickon to help her bring it to life. Hidden away in thegloomy house is Mary's cousin Colin, who has been treated all his lifelike a fragile, sickly invalid. This exaggeration has augmented whatsmaller problems he did have, turning him into a demanding,short-tempered, helpless boy. Mary, defying the orders of Mrs Medlock,discovers Colin and is taken aback by his disposition, but reaches outto him anyway. Soon Colin, Mary, and Dickon all spend their time in thesecret garden. They perform magic, and make the garden live again.The Secret Garden is always going to hold a special place in my heart,I absolutely adore this film and it brings back so many wonderfulmemories from my childhood. The children that they found to play Mary,Dicken and Colin were absolutely perfect and were great actorsactually, I'm surprised they didn't move onto bigger things in theircareers, but they had great chemistry and really brought the movie tolife. The settings are gorgeous, the garden that the children createdwas so lovely and reminds me about all the wonderful things that springbrings, life. If you haven't seen The Secret Garden, I highly recommendthat you do, it's a very special film that I'm sure you'll fall in lovewith as well.8/10

Grace Zeh

(2013-05-21 20:11:10)

Good movie based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's first-rate bestseller for all ages that will warm your heart and make you smile

THE SECRET GARDEN, in my opinion, is a good movie based on FrancesHodgson Burnett's first-rate bestseller for all ages that will warmyour heart and make you smile. I really loved the things that Jess(Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie (Kate Maberly) had in the magical garden.Also, the only other person I couldn't stand at times was Colin. You'llsee out why once you've read the book and seen the movie. The music wasgood, everyone was cast perfectly, and the direction was flawless. Inconclusion, I highly recommend this very touching movie based onFrances Hodgson Burnett's first-rate bestseller for all ages to anyonewho hasn't seen it. You're in for a real treat and a good time, so goto the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with someone close toyou, and watch it. I guarantee you you'll thoroughly enjoy it.

(2013-05-20 19:17:37)

A movie every little girl should have.

This review is from: A Little Princess / The Secret Garden (DVD) I watched these movies when I was a little girl and loved them.My daughter is slowly coming out of watching cartoons and cartoon movies all the time and wanted something else, this was perfect.It also ties in with that whole princess concept but with real people.It's a hit in our home.

Mickey Knox

(2013-05-20 08:10:57)

beautiful and touching

This movie is the proof that cinematography isn't dead, and it still is theseventh art. A really touching story about a young girl, who loses both herparents in an earthquake and has to return to his rich uncle, in England.Here she finds an almost dead house, that she manages to bring to life withher personality.It is a great story about magic, miracles, love. As it's said at the end,the message is obvious: "The whole world is a secret garden".Vote: 8.5 out of 10.

(2013-05-19 10:20:37)

A Childhood Fantasy

This review is from: The Secret Garden (DVD) We all have that fantasy world when we are children of a getaway place only children know about. The Secret Garden represents that place where kids can be kids and remember loved ones who had passed as well. This was a very nice movie. I got teary-eyed watching it. I found this movie totally by accident. I was looking up movies that may be similar to Anne Of Green Gables. If you enjoy movies of that type I believe you will really enjoy this movie.

(2013-05-19 03:49:16)

A great family movie

I enjoyed this movie; it's been many years since i read the book it is based on, but I didn't feel lost at all while watching it.An orphaned girl is moved from India, to the forbidding English manor her uncle lives in. She is made to entertain herself and stumbles on a hidden garden and a crippled cousin.This movie is totally safe to watch with young children.My one complaint is that the development of the characters happens so quickly in the movie.

(2013-05-16 21:14:00)

The Secret Garden (Up Lifting!!)

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

(2013-05-16 04:41:50)

A lesson of love and will!

"All men can do anything, if they will" seems to be the final statement of this captivating picture, carefully directed by Agnieszka Holland, one of the major female directors in the world.This absorbing drama turns around the lives and times of three children who will meet each one another and exchange livings and fortunate encounters. On one hand, our little girl will know the world is not turning around her; and her initial solitude will be rewarded when she found out a hiddden that will make her dreams come true, and finally she will the one in order to impluse and bring back her cousin to the life.A triumph of the cinema and definitively one of my top twenty best films of the Nineties.

(2013-05-16 10:20:16)

A Childhood Favorite

This review is from: The Secret Garden (Keepcase) (DVD) I hadn't seen this movie in years, and then I finally watched it again a couple of weeks ago. I loved it just as much as I did when I was growing up. It really is a very well-done movie, beautifully crafted, with superb acting and a great soundtrack. Even if the story was slightly changed in some spots from the original book, it was, in my mind, properly faithful to Burnett's masterpiece as I could wish it to be.

Magee038

(2013-05-16 02:02:00)

Lovely

It's the only word i can use to describe this movie. Although I have seenthis movie hundreds of times, I can not get past Andrew Knott'sperformance.I must admit being young the first time i saw the movie i had a hugecrushon Dicken! I was just WAITING for him and mary to fall in love! I amalwaysdisappointed at the end! Anyways, I just think that Andrew Knott'sperformance was outstanding, he did a great job in Black Beauty as wellandI am surprised that he has not been extremely successful. I have it a10!

(2013-05-15 05:01:14)

Visually stunning, excellent ac; but not a 5 for Christians.

This review is from: The Secret Garden (DVD) A simply marvelous, visually stunning and heart warming and charming story; complete with excellent music scores. The young Kate Maberly shows an enormous amount of depth in her leading role as Mary Lennox. Andrew Knott was very good in his supporting role as Dickon.All other actors were very good and believable. That being said it is a very dangerous film for a Christian, as it needlessly subtedly plants New Age philosophy which honors the creation (nature) and makes no mention of the Creator. What I am referring to is the scene of the children dancing around the fire in the garden and calling out to some unknown pagan god, and the movies' overall theme of a magical garden - due entirely to nature. I'd give it five stars except for these important misleading characteristics.

pikespeak

(2013-05-14 12:41:23)

Wonderful Film!

When I saw the film in 1993, I was like, "Wow! What a wonderfulfilm!"The film itself is somewhat boring at spots, but all in all thefilmseliminates that through a good story and good acting.Kate Maberly who starred as, "Mary" in the film is absolutelymagnificent.I am wondering why I don't see her in many other films.Maggie Smith who was also in the film, of course brings adramaticperformance. I wasn't expecting anything less from her.I really enjoyed the film and everyone should at least see itonce.I don't know how they did it, but the film has alot of drama,however,it doesn't get too mushy. Not at all!Get something to eat, and sit back and enjoy this cinematicmasterpiece.

(2013-05-14 05:01:19)

False advertising

This review is from: A Little Princess / The Secret Garden (DVD) We received the "double feature" DVD and when we sat down to watch Secret Garden it was nowhere to be found on the disc! The only movie on this double feature was Little Princess. Very disappointed!

(2013-05-13 13:02:24)

Shipped quickly

This review is from: The Secret Garden (DVD) Great movie, however i did not realize it was the new version. My daughters grew up watching "The Secret Garden' with their Nana when they were young. Now young adults they cherish the movie as part of the memories of their nana who recently past away. This movie was well done except for the magic part kind of creepy for youngsters. I will have to find the old version again.

(2013-05-09 11:02:49)

Where are the widescreen versions???

So I went to set up the TV with this movie for my mom and sisters' girl night only to find the widescreen version, which is clearly marked on the box, is missing. It is a double sided dvd, one side for each movie, but neither contain widescreen. My dvd player is set to display 16x9 (trust me, I just recently discovered that when I couldn't figure out why my PS3 displayed widescreen films properly but our dvd players displayed them in 4:3 ratio.) so I know that's not the issue. Nowhere in the menu, or at the start of the movie as in some cases, is there a widescreen option. The movie was shot in 1.85:1 (source IMDb) so it is indeed widescreen but they just seem to have forgotten it in this little collection. Bottom line: You will have black bars on the left and right of your screen (pillarboxing) if you are watching this on an HDTV. It's only fullscreen.As for the content, I don't personally care for the Secret Garden but The Little Princess was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Highly recommend!!

fanhybrid

(2013-05-09 01:43:02)

Wonderful

I have heard of The Secret Garden, it is based on a book and there havebeen many adaptations of it, but this is probably the greatest, it is atale about a girl from India who comes to stay at her uncle's mansionand discovers a secret garden and meets a sick child.The acting is quite superb I think that they are all English actors andMaggie Smith is excellent as ever, but the real star is the little girlas she is very good, and the ending is the best I have ever seen, areally happy ending.I am more into my comedy and action films but this is a real feel goodfilm for all the family I gave it 10 out of 10.

(2013-05-08 18:00:24)

Daughter and Goddaughter Love this one

This review is from: The Secret Garden (1993) [HD] (Amazon Instant Video) Daughter and Goddaughter Love this one. One of the best versions of this movie. They also recommend "A Little Princess" (the latest version, I think it's 1993).

(2013-05-08 04:42:45)

Secret Garden

This review is from: The Secret Garden (1993) (Amazon Instant Video) This movie is a classic. I have loved it for years. My daughter has it , and I just recently bought her The Return To Secret Garden, also I bought her both the books. Great Movie.Also buying it from Amazon was great. I could not buy it from DVD Empire because it was no longer in stock.