The Secret garden [DVD]

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s timeless tale “The Secret garden” has been stunningly recreated for the screen by the famed director of “Europa Europa”, Agnieszka Holland. Mary is a spoilt brat sent to England after her parents die in India. Her uncle’s house is forbidding and silent, and the housekeeper (Maggie Smith) is grim. Mary, unaccustomed to doing things for herself, is placed in the care of Martha the maid, who introduces Mary to her brother Dickon, a boy who can charm wild animals. Together, they discover a secret walled garden and a special friendship. The house also hides another secret and Mary discovers her crippled cousin Colin; an over-indulged, selfish child with an iron will equal her own. Mary, Dickon and Colin nurse not only the garden but the inmates of the house back to health. This film has excellent performances from the youthful cast of Kate Maberly, Heydon Prowse and Andrew Knott and is beautifully shot and costumed.