The Secret Garden |
Sent to live with her uncle, a young orphan discovers a magical garden of wonder in 1947 England.
THE SECRET GARDEN tells the story of Mary Lennox (Dixie Egerickx - Genius, The Little Stranger), a prickly and unloved 10-year-old girl, born in India to wealthy British parents.
When they die suddenly, she is sent back to England to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven (Academy Award and BAFTA-winner Colin Firth - A Single Man, The King's Speech, Bridget Jones's Baby) at Misselthwaite Manor, a remote country estate deep in the Yorkshire moors, under the watchful eye of Mrs. Medlock (BAFTA-winner Julie Walters - Mary Poppins Returns, Harry Potter, Mamma Mia) and with only the household maid, Martha (Isis Davis - Guilt, Electric Dreams) for company.
Mary begins to uncover many family secrets, particularly after chancing upon her sickly cousin Colin (Edan Hayhurst - Genius, There She Goes), who has been shut away in a wing of the house, and through her discovery of a wondrous garden, locked away and lost within the grounds of Misselthwaite.
While searching for Hector, a stray dog that led Mary to the garden walls, she befriends local boy Dickon (Amir Wilson - His Dark Materials, The Kid Who Would Be King) who, through the garden's restorative powers, helps her to fix Hector's injured leg.
Once brought together, these three slightly misfit children heal each other as they delve deeper into the mysteries of the garden - a magical place of adventure that will change their lives forever.
The Secret Garden | Official Trailer
REVIEW: The Secret Garden
When The Secret Garden first reached the page as a serialised story in 1910, author Frances Hodgson Burnett couldn't have known how relevant her tale would feel 110 years later.
Obviously she'll never know, as she passed away in 1924 - but if there was ever a time for a new big-screen version of this beloved children's favourite about escaping life's woes by banding together, making the most of things and enjoying the pockets of nature at hand, it's 2020. Indeed, while this new cinematic iteration was actually due to hit screens earlier this year, which means that it was made pre-pandemic, it firmly strikes a chord in these strange times. Whether you loved the book when you were much smaller, you can barely remember it, or you're more familiar with the narrative from the 1993 movie, a lavishly shot fantasy about a unhappy girl plagued by tragedy yet finding solace in the titular space couldn't be more fitting right now.
The narrative, for those who need a refresher, focuses on the pre-teen Mary (Dixie Egerickx, The Little Stranger) - who swiftly segues from from living in India under British rule to being sent to the Yorkshire moors to stay with her reclusive uncle (Colin Firth) when her parents are killed. She's bratty, spoiled and far from content about the new arrangement, but wandering the estate's sizeable grounds soon brings her to a hidden patch of greenery. Under the direction of TV veteran Marc Munden (Black Sails, National Treasure), this version of the tale takes place after the Second World War, but that's not the only change. It relays the same overall details, but it also leans into the darkness and gothic drama of the material in a firm and noticeable way. Perhaps that's another reason why it also feels apt for viewers young and young-at-heart - because overcoming loss, misery and struggle always comes with a sense of weight and, amidst its expected leafy sights and general childhood wonder, this take on The Secret Garden never forgets that.
By Sarah Ward - concreteplayground.com
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