Better Late Then Never

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Just a comment to Michael Zubiria : The movie isn't depicting Mary as possibly infected with cholera in the beginning scene. It is depicting her as drunk. Mary gets up, her maid is dead, and she goes to the table to eat leftovers from the party, where she drinks from a glass of wine. Then she says she feels sick and lies down. She's drunk. This was probably incorporated into the plot line to explain why even though she was in the same house, Mary doesn't know her parents are dead.Just wanted to clear that up.I love this movie. I first saw it at age 11. This is infinitely better than the 1993 version which was sappy. The actors who portrayed Mary and Colin in the 1993 version seriously suck when compared to the actors who portrayed these characters in this version. My biggest beef with the 1993 version is the earthquake scene. When I first saw that, I was like WTF! Why did they kill her folks off through an earthquake instead of cholera? Her parents' deaths set the stage for the whole movie. They shouldn't have messed with that. Also the 'magical connotation' in the 1993 version is beyond tacky.This -the 1987 version is the best movie adaptation of this story so far.

Many may disagree with me, but this is a wonderful movie. The young actors playing Colin, Mary and Dickon are likable and convincing. The scenery is beautiful; one can tell most of this movie was shot outside and not on a sound stage. This particular interpretation is haunting; and initially it is dreary. Mary is a sad little girl at the beginning of the movie (obviously, since she lost both of her parents and is transported from sunny India to dreary Northern England). The outside scenes of Mistlethwaite Manor (possibly even the inside, I don't remember) were filmed at an old mansion that was reputedly haunted. Pastoral scenes of real gardens and forests permeate most of this film, and it is really a visual delight. Haunting classical music (mostly played on solo piano) binds the aesthetic aspects of this film together. I agree with this interpretation because there is so much sadness in this story; Mary lost both of her parents, Colin's mother died, his father is depressed. Most people are familiar with the plot, so I won't give it here; but the ending may not please literary purists. Mary, as an adult comes back to Mistlethwait Manor to visit the garden. She is a medic in the war (I believe World War I). She runs into the old gardener (his name escapes me at the moment). They talk about Dickon, who died in the war in a forest and how he would have wanted it that way. Colin appears, (who was also a soldier), who is on leave because he was shot in the leg. We learn at this point that he and Mary kept in touch by writing letters. Colin proposes to Mary, she says yes; and the final scene is the three of them walking into the garden. I personally like this ending, because although it isn't what the author intended, it satisfies questions about the fate of these beloved characters.

Out of all the different versions of the Secret Garden films, I would have to say this is my favorite.I feel that they brought the essence of the book to life in this film. Not only was the music enchanting, but the cast was well suited.It was if they stepped right out of the novel and came to life. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Frances Hodgson Burnett's the Secret Garden.It stays true to the book no matter what the critics say.

This has got to be one of the worst book-to-movie adaptations that I have ever seen. The acting by the children was stiff and obviously acting, making it very difficult for me to get into the story. Derek Jacobi was out of place in this film and this is not one of his best roles. Too many of the scenes are so melodramatic that they detract from the story. The only thing I can say about the movie is that it does not stray too far from the book. But look elsewhere for a reasonable movie version. The 1993 version directed by Agnieszka Holland, although it does have its own faults, is much better than this one.