Cheap Secret Garden (Video) (Agnieszka Holland) Price

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Customer Reviews of Secret Garden

Compare the BBC version to the 1993 movie version
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>The 1993 movie version of The Secret Garden captures the magic of this inspiring story for both children and adults, while the BBC television version does not. It's plodding style, avalanche of dialogue, and low production standards let the inherent magic escape. No matter how hard they try, repeating the word "magic" over and over again does not make the TV show magical. <
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>Some portions of the TV dialogue are lost in thick Yorkshire accents and unintelligible dialect, interesting only to language scholars. At the other extreme are too many wordy explanations of what we clearly saw happen and plainly heard spoken. Just because a television script corresponds closely to a beloved book does not necessarily mean that it makes good television, or that it captures the spirit of the book. <
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>Children are capable of understanding that something special or wonderful is happening simply by watching the event take place. The 1993 movie knows this and wisely lets a picture speak a thousand words. <
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>The movie version communicates a vibrant love of life. You get to know the unique, even eccentric, characters as though they were real people struggling with hardships and fears. You are drawn into the depths and heights of their emotions through the use of stunning visuals, dramatic portrayals, pithy dialogue, moments of quiet contemplation, and a serene musical soundtrack that is worth owning on its own merits. <
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>In the TV episodes, on the other hand, a lot of effort is expended but no real drama is achieved. For example, during what could be quiet, thoughtful moments of solitude, the mood is often spoiled with a voice-over or with the use of grainy film for outdoor scenes - a distracting contrast to the clear videotape used in indoor sets. I've never been made so aware of production methods and camera work. I'd rather just sit back and enjoy. <
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>The BBC actors are good and appear capable of much better performances, but the director was content with their shallow characterizations and a few instances of mumbling, garbling, and stumbling over their lines. At several points I expected to hear the director yell, "Cut. Try it again." Unfortunately, it's not up to normally high BBC standards. <
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>It's nice to have a better choice.

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A Secret Treasure!
While most children probably would not care, the directing and the cameraworks are superior in the film (as it is always the case with Agniezska Holland's movies). Casting is superb as all characters act at their best. You will love the soundtrack for this movie written by Zbigniew Preisner. <
>There is nothing comic in this movie as it usually is in children's films. <
>This definitely is a great film to watch both for children and film afficionados.

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the power of promotion
It is a shame that so many people have been misled into buying this movie with claims that it is the best movie version of the book (although it may have been when this movie came out). Now, however, the best movie version of the book is in fact the BBC version, which has just been released on DVD. It is three and a half hours long and dramatizes the whole book. The scenery is authentic, the accents are authentic, the characters and dialogue are literally taken from the book. More important, it is a moving, touching version that will inspire you and your children. It is a treasure. <
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>The present version is promoted mainly with claims that the filmmaker is a great filmmaker. Have you seen any of those "great" films, like Europa, Europa or Olivier Olivier? They are typical of European films, depressed and depressing with neurotic characters, etc. The filmmaker has approached The Secret Garden by throwing out all the characters from the book and replacing them with her own brand of neurotic characters. See it if this is what you like, but don't call it great, just say, "I like this kind of thing." But beware of letting your children see it, unless you want to turn them into neurotic (or at least "problem") children. (See the review further down where a mother describes the effects of this movie on her little girl.) <
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>Botton line: Don't be misled into buying this movie; and if you've already bought it, buy the BBC version anyway. You'll never watch this version again. <
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