The Secret Garden (1993)

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Movie
German title The secret garden
Original title The Secret Garden
Country of production USA , UK
original language English
Publishing year 1993
length 98 minutes
Age rating FSK 0
Rod
Director Agnieszka Holland
script Caroline Thompson
production Fred Fuchs ,
Tom Luddy ,
Fred Roos
music Zbigniew Preisner
camera Roger Deakins
cut Isabelle Lorente
occupation

The Secret Garden (Original Title: The Secret Garden ) is an American-British drama from 1993 by director Agnieszka Holland . The plot is based on the novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett from 1911, which was filmed several times; among others as The Secret Garden (1949) .

action

Mary grew up in India . Her parents never really had time for her, and so her grief when she dies is limited. When she is sent to her strange uncle - the only living relative - in England, she is a proud and spoiled little girl.

The uncle lives in a large, very lonely castle, but is also out and about a lot in the world. He doesn't want to see Mary at first. So she wanders around alone, exploring the house and the surrounding area. The only contact with other people is the strict housekeeper and the fun-loving maid Martha and later her brother Dickon. Sometimes Mary hears a strange voice, she hears someone calling or crying. But nobody wants to have heard anything or you can find flimsy excuses for her. At some point, Mary follows the voice and meets her cousin Colin. He lies in a darkened room and is convinced that he is suffering from some illness and that he will soon die.

Little by little, Mary learns from Colin, Martha and Dickon that Colin's mother, who was her own mother's twin sister, fell off a swing in the garden , had a premature birth and died right after Colin's birth. Colin's father doesn't want to see the boy for fear of taking him too deeply in his heart. He doesn't want to endure another loss. So Colin has to eke out an existence that is determined by dubious real, talked-about or imagined diseases . In truth, all he is missing is some light, fresh air, exercise, friends - and his father's love.

During her forays into the area, Mary also discovered a locked, secret garden . It's beautiful, just extremely neglected. It's the garden where Colin's mother died. Colin's father had it locked and ordered that it should never be opened again. But Mary has already found the key to the garden during one of her forays through the property. So, with Dickon's help, she begins to look after the garden in secret. They pull weeds , clean the paths, cut trees and bushes, and plant new flowers. The garden will soon shine in its old splendor.

After a tough fight, Mary managed to get Colin to open not only the windows but also herself to life. The housekeeper does not like to see this development. It prevents any contact between the children. However, they find a way to continue to meet secretly in the secret garden, because Colin - without anyone knowing - learned to walk with Mary's help. Colin longs to be the first to show his new skills to his father. Therefore, the children perform a magical ritual in the secret garden to call him back home. When Colin's father returns from a trip unannounced, he wants to see Colin and Mary - but the children are not in their rooms. He looks for and finds her in the secret garden. This shines in spring shine. Colin stands in the midst of all its splendor and laughs. After 10 years in gloomy and cold surroundings, they walk back to the house laughing, jumping and happy across a green meadow.

Reviews

James Berardinelli praised the representations and the "hypnotizing" camera work on ReelViews .

The lexicon of international films judged: “A description of human self-loss and self-discovery, characterized by a dense atmosphere and precise psychology. The addition of sentimentality and an abundance of fairytale traits, symbolism and metaphors is softened above all by the excellent childlike representation. "

Awards

Maggie Smith was nominated for the BAFTA Award in 1994. Andrew Knott, Heydon Prowse, Kate Maberly and the film for Best Drama were nominated for the Young Artist Award in 1994. Kate Maberly won the London Critics Circle Film Award in 1994 .

Zbigniew Preisner won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award in 1993 for film music . Stuart Craig won the Evening Standard British Film Award in 1994 . The film was nominated for the Political Film Society Award for Democracy in 1994.

background

The film was shot in England . It grossed approximately $ 31.2 million in US cinemas and approximately £ 2.6 million in UK cinemas .

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Review by James Berardinelli
  2. ↑ The secret garden. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ↑ Filming locations for The Secret Garden
  4. ^ Business Data for The Secret Garden