SummaryA young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to England after living in India all her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings -- and its secrets.
Directed By:Agnieszka Holland
Written By:Frances Hodgson Burnett, Caroline Thompson
The Secret Garden
Metascore
Generally Favorable
74
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
74
69% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
31% Mixed
8 Reviews
8 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
The Secret Garden unfolds like a richly illustrated storybook. It's an enchanting film, full of visual surprises and a story so simple and wise that it makes most ''children's'' entertainment seem gaudy and facile and overly explicit. [13 Aug 1993, p.C1]
88
Simple in outline, liberating and exquisite, The Secret Garden is loaded with meaning. [13 Aug 1993, p.43]
User score
Generally Favorable
7.6
82% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
12% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
6% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Mar 13, 2022
10
Some people complained the makers changed the message of the book. They didn't, or I don't think so anyway. If that was the case, that was the only thing they changed. The script is focused and the direction masterful. The book in my opinion is one of the most enchanting children's books ever written. The film is equally enchanting, and the director manages to spoof a spirited performance from the lovely Kate Maberly. Haydn Prowse was great as Colin, and John Lynch is suitably melancholy as the uncle. Stealing the show, however, was Maggie Smith as Mrs Medlock, the truly beastly housekeeper. The film itself looks beautiful thanks to the stunning cinematography, and I loved the Gothic darkness tone retained from the book. Another mention is the haunting and poignant music score, that makes me cry. What does work best of all is its simplicity though. I thoroughly recommend this and Little Princess, 10/10 Bethany Cox
Mar 19, 2024
9
This movie came out when I was a little girl and I've loved it ever since. I think that Kate Maberly's role as Mary is one of the best and even though the book is a great source for the tale - the remakes of the movie haven't come close to the greatness that this movie did. I think the cast probably helped facilitate that with legends such as Maggie Smith to lend their talents and bring characters like Mrs. Matlock to life. The lush scenery of the garden and when spring hits in particular are refreshingly beautiful scenes and it makes the entire movie a heartwarming and beautiful experience that I feel is a sort of sunshine effect and I love to revisit it often, but particularly when Spring descends or Easter is near.A lovely family film that has been a favorite for over 25 years now, I feel the story, the scenes and the acting are superb and it's a cult classic now for that reason.
80
Frances Hodgson Burnett's much-loved children's novel could all too easily come across on screen as the last word in period fustian, but the unforced approach of Holland and scriptwriter Caroline Thompson pierces to the emotional core of a still potent tale.
75
Holland, working with a largely English cast, brings a different - European, perhaps - sensibility to the film, and I think it works. [13 Aug 1993, p.3F]
63
The garden, an Edenic metaphor that gives the story its fertile power, should be as much of a living character as Maggie Smith's wonderfully brusque housekeeper - but isn't. As a result, everything that follows feels anti-climatic. Even if the plot plods a bit, there are pleasures to be plucked, especially in the performances of the children. [13 Aug 1993, p.4D]
58
The movie is earnest, heartfelt, and, for all its lavishness, rather plodding.
50
Rather than a fresh breeze, it's the stale air of gilded calculation, the uncomfortable feeling that things are excessively just so, that overhangs much that is genuinely appealing about this film.
Dec 22, 2019
8
Based on Frances Hodgson Burnett book, this is good example about still is possible adapt classics opus that appreciate kids and grownups. It is faithfully to original and the whole cast makes it work as well.
Production Company:
- Warner Bros.
- American Zoetrope
Release Date:Aug 13, 1993
Duration:1 h 41 m
Rating:G
Tagline:The timeless tale of a special place where magic, hope, and love grow.
Awards
Young Artist Awards
• 4 Nominations
London Critics Circle Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
