The Secret Garden

Agnieszka Holland (1993)

97min

U Certificate

Review

Our Score

by David Parkinson

Originally filmed in 1949, Frances Hodgson Burnett's enchanting children's classic is given a new lease of life in this imaginative adaptation by Polish film-maker Agnieszka Holland, making her English-language debut. Always a skilled director of children, she draws a spirited performance out of Kate Maberly as the orphan who sweeps away the cobwebs from Misselthwaite Manor. Scripted by Caroline Thompson - who wrote Edward Scissorhands and directed the 1994 version of Black Beauty - the film retains the gothic atmosphere of the book and looks amazing, thanks to Roger Deakins's scintillating photography. Stealing the show is Maggie Smith as beastly housekeeper Mrs Medlock.

Summary

An orphan is sent to live with her uncle in his forbidding Yorkshire mansion, where she meets her bedridden cousin - a boy she knew nothing about. She also stumbles across a marvellous but neglected garden, and sets about nursing them both back to health, with the help of a lad from a nearby village. Children's drama, based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's book, with Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott, Maggie Smith and John Lynch.

Cast & Crew

Mary Lennox Kate Maberly

Colin Craven Heydon Prowse

Dickon Andrew Knott

Mrs Medlock Maggie Smith

Martha Laura Crossley

Lord Craven John Lynch

Ben Weatherstaff Walter Sparrow

Mary's mother / Lilas Craven Irène Jacob

Government official Frank Baker (4)

Cook Valerie Hill

Betty Butterworth Andrea Pickering

Will Peter Moreton

John Arthur Spreckley

Major Lennox Colin Bruce

Ayah Parsan Singh

Grandmother at dock Eileen Page

Grandfather at dock David Stoll

Girl at dock Tabatha Allen

Director Agnieszka Holland

Other Information

Language: EnglishColourAvailable on: video and DVD

Children's Drama

Full Episode Guide

How to watch The Secret Garden - will it be showing in cinemas?

Everything you need to know about the upcoming film adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved children's book.