Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful story
Review: I first read this book when I was ten years old. I still remember being transported from my Boise, Idaho sunroom, circa summer vacation 1976, back to the foggy gaslit streets of Victorian London. I don't believe that I moved off that sunroom couch until I had devoured this entire book. I loved the whole idea of A Little Princess -- the beautiful clothes (watered silk and petticoats!), the food (gruel!), and Sara's suffering in the garrett. Sara's life was so different from mine. Reading this book was like travelling to a different continent.In some ways, this is a formula book for girls -- although it might be fair to say that this book invented the formula: plucky, mistreated orphan (mysteriously stripped of her fortune), who never loses hope and remains truly good transformed through a mysterious benefactor into a girl rich beyond her wildest dreams (see also: the Boxcar Children; Little Orphan Annie, etc). Sara is an extremely engaging character. She is almost too good to be true -- kind to the servants, smarter than the headmistress, and able to tell stories that ensnare her listeners. Sara's stories enable her, first to make friends, and then later, to cope with the rather significant blows that life (and the author) deal her. And, in the best of tradition of this type of story, Sara is rescued, her wealth is restored, she remains a perfectly lovely little girl, and the horrible headmistress who mistreated her gets her comeuppance. All is right with the world once again.
Rating:
Summary: Every girl dreams of being a princess!
Review: If you remember seeing Shirley Temple in the 1939 "The Little Princess," this is the same basic plot with a wonderful new twist. The story is based on the beloved classic by the same author of The Secret Garden. The movie opens with some stunningly beautiful scenes from India and all too suddenly Sara Crewe must leave with her father who is being called away for military duties. Sara has to go live in a New York boarding school. Through her experiences she learns to survive in the world and takes each day as it comes. Her vivid imagination is a pure delight and when she tells her magical stories, they are played out in a fairy tale like way onscreen. This contrasts with her real life at the school. Sara's fun-loving spirit does get her into trouble from time to time. Overall, she is just used to living with her father and being free to do mostly what she likes. In her new school she has to follow many rules. She draws strength from her father's words to help her believe in herself. He tells her that she will always be his little princess. A wonderful movie which shows that if we make the best of our circumstances, we will be blessed in the end. Five stars for storytelling magic!
Rating: 
Summary: A Little Princess
Review: I've never read the book, but I really enjoyed the movie. I've loved this movie since the first time I saw it when I was a little girl. Now that I have my own little girl, I want to show her this movie when she gets a little older. I think it's a good movie to show to your children.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice movie, too bad about the ending
Review: This was one of my favourite books when I was a little girl. The movie is well done, but I was disappointed at the "Hollywood ending" that replaced the original ending of the book; it's unnecessary and it doesn't ring true. In the book, although Sara is adopted by the wealthy man next door, who turns out to be her father's business partner and who restores her fortune, her father doesn't return. She becomes comfortable and secure again, and her efforts to be good and brave during hard times have made her a better person, but things will never be as they were before. To pretty this up with a dramatic last-minute reappearance, as was done in this film, is an injustice both to the book and to the audience; the best children's books don't avoid the question of irretrievable loss, but face it squarely and so help young readers to learn that although great losses will occur, we can survive them. Sara's father doesn't return; Beth March dies; Sykes kills Nancy; these leave us saddened but not destroyed. Too bad that this film ditched this sombre but true ending for an over-dramatised, all-but-incredible, sugar-plum ending; it's a good film, but it could have been a great one.
Rating:
Summary: "Every girl everywhere is a princess"
Review: This 1995 movie is based on the classic novel by Frances Burnett, which explores the life of a young girl in the WWI era. In the beginning of the movie, we see Sara as she lives out life in exoctic India. Then her devoted father must leave to join the war. Since her mother is no longer living, he enrols her in an expensive boarding school in New York City. As soon as she arrives one can tell she is not a match for the strict boarding school regimen. The movie continues from there, with Sara's friendlyness & kindness helping her to overcome the difficult times that lie ahead. The actress that portrays Sara, Liesel Matthews, does a remarkable job of storytelling and brings a certain 'magic' to the movie. There have actually been 3 other versions done on film, including one in 1939 starring Shirley Temple. As much as I enjoyed that one, I think this version is the best of the lot.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Beautiful Astounding
Review: Let's just say it right now: This is one of the best children's movies ever made. It didn't do well at the box office, but that has nothing to do with its quality, which is spectacular. Sara is a rich girl who lives in India with her father. Her mother was dead. As her father is called to Europe for World War One, Sara is sent to a prestigious boarding school in New York City. She quickly becomes a favorite among the students, who love her mystical tales. One person, the headmistress Miss Minchin, is not as pleased with Sara's imaginative stories. When news comes that her father died in war, Miss Minchin takes everything of Sara's and makes her a servant in the school. She befriends Becky, the other servant, and it's her imagination that keeps her going. This movie has many beautiful moments. When Sara recieves the news of her father's death, the look on her face is devestating. When she is in trouble for having the other girls in her attic room, she confronts Miss Minchin, and hits a nerve when she asks about Miss Minchin's father. After Sara is locked away, Miss Minchin wipes away a tear, and we see that her father never loved her. It's nice that a villain has more than one layer for a change. When Sara dances in the snow, I think that's one of the most beautiful moments in the movie. And finally, when her father gets his memory back and they hug in the rain. That amazing scene pretty much tells you what the movie is about. It's about imagination, love, and never stopping believing that magical things can happen. This is a movie every family should have. In a word: Perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Very good adaption
Review: "A Little Princess" is a fine film for both adults and children. It is visually stunning, for a start, and its music and lighting create many magical images. The plot hews quite closely to the classic F.H. Burnett novel, in which young Sarah Crewe is left at a New York boarding school while her father goes off to World War I. The school is run by the hard-nosed Miss Minchin (expertly played by Eleanor Bron), who, upon learning that Sarah's father is presumed dead, turns Sarah into an impoverished servant. Like most of Burnett's great stories, this one pits one optimistic, winning child against the overwhelming odds of a harsh world. Sarah's ability to bring joy to the other girls she meets builds her a powerful support network, and in the end her triumph is tremendously moving. The film is forced to rely on the acting abilities of many small girls, but they all do their best and overall are engaging. As I say, the cinematography is first rate, and, having seen this film three times, I find I am always glad to have watched it.
Rating: 
Summary: Some pleasing settings - but atrocious acting
Review: Okay, maybe it's because this was designed to be a "children's movies" and the powers that be decided acting was not a priority... I can overlook that the people in the movie are caricatures and stereotypes more than developed individuals. Okay, the main character is unbelievably good and the school master is unreasonably mean. That is to be expected. The problem for me was that every time a character opened their mouth I cringed at what came out. The plot was good, but I was amazed at how terrible the acting was. It was as if the children were asked to read their lines in the most sugary tones possible. Especially the main character. I think "children's movies" can certainly have layers to their characters and can feature actors that can actually act. Unfortunately, this is not one of those movies.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favourite movies
Review: I don't really know why, but I love this movie. I have loved it since I was in third grade. I'm not usually one to enjoy "magical" or "Hollywood-ending" movies, but this is an exception. I love Liesel Matthews as Sara - she is not too sweet, not too perky, not too anything that child actresses usually are. Perhaps the plotline of the movie isn't like the book, but that doesn't bother me. The film and the book are in different leagues. I recommend this movie.
Rating:
Summary: A Little Princess review
Review: I think that A Little Princess was a very good book because of the sequence of events that Sara Crewe has to go through.
| 
