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The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful movie for children and adults
Review: I've watched this movie dozens of times since I was a child. I love it. I understand that it doesn't follow the book exactly, but they were making a movie, not filming a book. The actor who played Mary was wonderful. The character of Colin annoyed me somewhat, but I don't have to love every character in a story to adore it. I love the romance of the ending, but I was very sad that Dickon died. The soundtrack is incredible; I read another review where the reader said she found herself humming the soundtrack even though she hasn't seen the movie in quite some time. You're not the only one! It is haunting to say the least.

The only discrepancy I found in the movie is this: If the movie is a flashback for Mary, then how could she have remembered certain scenes, such as Archibald Craven dreaming of his wife when he was on the Alps, and the conversation between Mrs. Medlock and Dickon's mother? That never made sense to me, even as a child. I explain to myself that she was simply remembering the time period and the movie simply was including all parts of the story. And the last thing that scared the bee-jeebies out of me as a child was the scene in the beginning when the cat jumps at Mary.

All in all, I love this movie and will watch it dozens of more times.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the secret garden (Full secren)
Review: boujours j'aimerais savoir si le dvd que je vous ai noter es que on peux le mettre en français.et es que c'est la première version de se film.
merci beaucoup
à bientot
N.Meier

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent, but not for everyone
Review: I loved the book The Secret Garden as a kid, and I watched this movie countless times. I still enjoy it. While the filming is not as good as some of the other versions (it was made for TV), it is my favorite. There are some changes to the movie that differ from the book, but I thought the changes were innovative and drew more upon the actual story than do other versions I have seen. The movie has a very magical, Victorian romantic feel to it. It has an artistic beauty to it that endures more than some of the flashier, brighter big screen versions. That being said, it does move slowly, and probably takes itself too seriously, which adds to it for me, but will be a turn off for others. If you enjoyed the Anne of Green Gables movies, you will find the beauty in this film as well.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: why?
Review: Okay I remember seeing this movie when I was a little kid and because I had not read the original story I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. However after reading the book and seeing the movie again I realized how bad it was. First of all the movie itself is boring, but don't expect much since this was a made for TV movie. The real problem for me, and based on some of the review, many others is the fact they changed the relationship between Colin and Mary. If you've read the books you know that they were cousins, however in the movie they changed that fact so that they could add an extra seen, in which Mary and Colin were engaged. They also killed Dickon,who was a major character in the book, at the end of movie. If they wanted to have Mary become engaged they should have had her become engaged to Dickon, which based on their chemistry in the book would have made more since and would have been expected. If you want a good version on this story I suggest the 1940's version with Dean Stockwell, who later acted in the show "Quantum Leap" or the 1993, which even though had minor change, was a good adaptation

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best version out there!!
Review: I have seen all of the movies based on the Frances Hadgson Burnett novel and this one is by far the best and most accurate available.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Le Jardin Secret / The Secret Garden
Review: J'aimerais bien me procurer le film en vidéo , Hallmark Hall of Fame, Le Jardin Secret version française, qui a été fait en 1987 . Merci de votre collaboration.
Louise Lepitre

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Disappointing Turn/Otherwise Good Production
Review: Although Hallmark makes outstanding movies, and I know this movie won an award, I cannot embrace this version because of the liberties the producers took with the storyline. One of the most integral parts of the story, the fact that Colin & Mary are cousins, was changed so that they could have Colin propose to Mary at the end of the movie. I also didn't like what they did with the Dickon character in this "future" scene. I think most of us always imagined that Dickon & Mary would get together eventually based on the words that Burnett wrote. Dickon & Mary were kindred spirits, but Colin & Mary were like siblings in the real story. I gave this movie away at a yard sale because I was so unhappy with the way the story was handled.

The Secret Garden has always been one of my favourite stories and I have an extensive collection of movie presentations. My two favourite ones are the classic MGM version with Margaret O'Brien & Dean Stockwell, and the 1984 BBC production (the most true to the novel) with Sarah Hollis Andrews & David Patterson. The 1993 Warner Brothers production also takes liberties, but is preferable to this Hallmark version in my opinion. It's too bad the producers did decide to change this detail in the Hallmark version, making the purists like myself unhappy, because otherwise they did a good job of it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Wonderful Childhood Memory
Review: This movie (granted, not on dvd) was not only the first Secret Garden movie I ever saw, but my first exposure to The Secret Garden, period. It wasn't until later that I read the book.

I don't know how fairly I can review this, because just thinking about I find myself thinking about a million other parts of my childhood. This movie was so important to me that it means childhood, and it takes a good movie to do that.

I love the cast. The actress who plays Mary is a bit stiff, but it fits well with her character. Derek Jacobi is wonderful, tragic, and when necessary, frightening as Archibald. The soundtrack is haunting, and I occasionally find myself humming it, even though I haven't seen the movie in at least a year and a half.

The movie follows the tone of the book, even with the occasional added scene. I don't know what devotees of the book would think of the frame with Mary as an adult, but since I knew the movie long before I ever read the book I love it. It doesn't take away from what the book has, and I think it contributes something to it. Plus it has Colin Firth in it, and who can argue with that?


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