The Secret Garden (1993 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Secret Garden
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Agnieszka Holland
Produced by	Fred Fuchs Tom Luddy Fred Roos
Screenplay by	Caroline Thompson
Starring	Kate Maberly Heydon Prowse Andrew Knott Maggie Smith
Music by	Zbigniew Preisner
Cinematography	Roger Deakins Jerzy Zieliński
Editing by	Isabelle Lorente
Studio	American Zoetrope
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	13 August 1993 (1993-08-13) (US) 20 January 1994 (1994-01-20) (UK)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States United Kingdom Poland
Language	English
Money made	$40 million

The Secret Garden is a 1993 fantasy drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland, executive-produced by Francis Ford Coppola and distributed by Warner Bros. under their Family Entertainment imprint. The movie stars Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse, Andrew Knott, John Lynch, and Maggie Smith, was written by Caroline Thompson and based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The novel was previously adapted into two films: a 1949 drama film and a 1919 silent film, which starred Lila Lee and Spottiswoode Aitken.

Set in Yorkshire, England, Yorkshire's Allerton Castle was used for most of the exterior shots of Misselthwaite Manor, as well as interior shots. The film was a critical and commercial success. Maggie Smith was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In 2005, the British Film Institute included it in their list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.

Plot

In 1901, recently orphaned 10-year-old Mary Lennox is sent from her home in British India to her uncle Lord Archibald Craven's mansion, Misselthwaite Manor, in Yorkshire, England. Unloved and neglected by her late parents (killed in an earthquake), she is cold, self-centered and so repressed she can't cry.

Mary is unhappy in her new surroundings. Head housekeeper, Mrs Medlock, informs her she will not be spoiled as she was in India and her uncle, who spends extended periods of time away, will likely not see her. Although ordered by Mrs Medlock not to leave her room, strange noises lead Mary to explore the mansion on her own; until she gets caught by Medlock who locks her in her room as punishment, warning her of the consequences if she does it again.

Eventually Mrs Medlock allows her to play outside to keep her from exploring the house. On the expansive grounds, Mary discovers her late aunt Lilias' walled garden, which has been locked and neglected since her accidental death 10 years prior.

Dickon Sowerby (younger brother of Martha, Mrs Medlock's cheerful housemaid who befriends Mary), an outdoors boy who can "talk" to animals, befriends Mary. Fascinated by the secret garden, Mary enlists Dickon to help her bring it back to life, gradually becoming friendlier and happier in the process. When she is finally introduced to her uncle, Mary is apprehensive, knowing he was responsible for locking up the secret garden. Fearful he will do it again, she evasively asks to plant seeds in an "unwanted" part of the manor. Lord Craven grants permission and leaves the country for an extended period. Confident that the garden will remain a secret, Mary and Dickon continue their work, growing close.

Hidden away in the gloomy mansion is Lord Craven's son and Mary's cousin, Colin Craven, who has been treated like a fragile, sickly invalid his entire life. A spoiled, demanding, short-tempered boy (similar to Mary in India), he has never left his room nor learned to walk. Mary eventually finds him, discovering that he was the source of the crying she had been hearing. Although taken aback by his difficult nature, she reaches out anyway, showing him he's not really sick, and the outside world is not as dangerous as Mrs Medlock claims. Encouraged by Mary, Colin goes outside for the first time. Mary and Dickon take him to the secret garden, and Colin begins both his physical and mental healing process.

Mary, Colin, and Dickon spend all of their time in the garden, and Colin learns to stand and walk. Anxious to show his father, they perform a magic ceremony, hoping to bring him back home. Appearing to work: Lord Craven awakens suddenly from a dream of Lilias calling him home and immediately returns. He finds the secret garden and finds Colin walking and playing, leaving him dumbfounded with joy.

Upon seeing her uncle, Mary runs off and bursts into tears for the first time in her life, certain that she's unwanted and fearing the garden will be locked up again. Lord Craven catches up and reassures her that she is now part of the family. Promising never to lock it up again, he thanks Mary for bringing his family back to life. Mary, Colin, Dickon, and Lord Craven embrace, then celebrate.

The film ends as Dickon is shown on his horse in a meadow while a voiceover of Mary reflects that "If you look the right way, the whole world is a garden."

Cast

Soundtrack

The film features the end credits song "Winter Light" performed by Linda Ronstadt, which is based on two themes from the score by Zbigniew Preisner. However, it is not featured in the film's original soundtrack, but in Ronstadt's eponymous album Winter Light. Sarah Brightman and the youngest member of Celtic Woman, Chloë Agnew, covered it for their albums; Brightman's Classics and Agnew's Walking In The Air. The soundtrack, released by Varèse Sarabande, contains the original score.

Awards and nominations

Award wins

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music – (Zbigniew Preisner)

Award nominations

• BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role - (Maggie Smith)

See also

In Spanish: El jardín secreto (película de 1993) para niños