Film of the book: ‘The Secret Garden’ (2020)

I love the 1993 film of The Secret Garden, which is based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel. I used to watch it when I was feeling unwell and, like the garden working its magic on Mary, it made me feel better.

I confess that I was therefore already biased against this new version, but I thought it would be all right because it has Colin Firth (as Lord Craven) and Julie Walters (Mrs Medlock). Sadly even they couldn’t make the film great – maybe they were trying not to outshine the child actors, who are very good. The film is beautifully shot and has an interesting way of literally presenting Mary’s imaginary world. Mary is not much like her book counterpart and is quite a modern child, but that’s to be expected.

The film does bear some resemblance to the book, but is set in 1947, the year of partition in India. Misselthwaite Manor is is in disrepair due to it being used during the Second World War. I think this was a canny move to avoid having to pay more actors to be servants! A new character, a homeless dog, is added for Mary to befriend, but it’s upsetting that the dog is mangy-looking and gets its paw caught in a trap. Why put that in? We also see injured soldiers near the beginning of the film, again not necessary in what should be a heartwarming film for children. By the time we get to the end, where apparently more drama is needed – Lord Craven sets the manor on fire and Mary goes in to rescue him – I was very disappointed with what happened to the story.

The film is not completely devoid of charm, but I can’t recommend it to anyone who loves the 90s film or even to readers who love the book. I got the DVD from a charity shop for 50p and will be passing it on for someone else to watch.

Film poster source: https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/02/the-secret-garden-gets-a-new-trailer-and-poster/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63306100