Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

ctyankee1 The story begins with young Mary losing her mother and father suddenly in India. I don't know what they died from but they were rich and Mary is their only child and gets sent to live with another rich man in England. Mary is spoiled, bossy and wants her way all the time. In half of the movie she says things that make you dislike her. She does not like people and no one likes her.As the movie goes on she explains she does not like herself because she believed her mother only like pretty things and she was not pretty Mary is about 10-12 years old and very curious. The house she is moved to is like a castle. The man that owns it has a lump on his back and trouble walking. The man also has a son Colin about 14 who is like an invalid. He thinks he has a lump on his back and won't talk with anyone except the house help. His father does not visit him either.In the movie the important characters are Mary, Dickon and Colin. Dickon a boy about 14 is from a big family who work and go to church. Dickon provides Mary with friendship and courage she never knew. They find the secret garden and the story behind why it was closed by the owner.This movie is touching. It brings out the different weaknesses people have and believe they will never overcome. It brings friends to trust each other. It brings out lies about themselves that they believed for years which kept them from being humanly happy. Now with the help of Dickon who has insight and is very kind they grow as a group and bring love to people who have not experienced it like themselves and unite the father and his son Colin in a wonderful beautiful ending.The scenery is beautiful the birds in the trees and the animals that communicate with Dickon is so nice and the music in the course of the movie is loving.See the movie if you can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=870KgkHdJLEIt is on Youtube and you can also download it if Firefox is your browser you can get addons to download.

Sail_a_man Whilst I have to agree with many of the criticisms of other reviewers I did find this movie quite enjoyable. But why on earth did they use American kids to play Mary, Dickon and Colin, Gennie James was one of my favourite child actresses of the eighties but she couldn't hide her American accent, and as for Barret Oliver, he had the weirdest accent I have ever heard, I will however give 6 out of 10 for a brave attempt by Jadrien Stelle. The accent problem was not confined to the American cast members, Martha is supposed to be a local Yorkshire girl but spoke with a Cockney accent. I also think the start and end sequences were totally unnecessary, also making Colin and Mary unrelated quite spoilt things. My vote for the best version would have be for the 1975 BBC adaptation although this may not have been seen in the USA.Another reviewer asks how Colin joined the army when he needed to use a walking stick, he obviously missed the point that Colin had been injured in the war and had just left hospital

wes-connors Some literary masterpieces are successfully adapted to the movie screen, and some are not. Strangely, Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Secret Garden", which seems so naturally suited for cinematic magic, falls into the latter category.This one introduces "Mary Lennox" as an attractive adult woman, who recalls her life in Misselthwaite Manor, following the death of her parents. There, young Gennie James (as Mary) meets her young friends, Barret Oliver (as Dickon) and Jadrien Steele (as Colin). There are a couple of instances where the three young stars prove themselves capable: for example, the scene with Mr. Oliver examining brown twigs upon entering the garden, and the first scene played between Ms. James and Mr. Steele. Otherwise, the young performers are uneven and/or under-rehearsed. The adult performances are serviceable, at least; Michael Hordern (as Ben Weatherstaff) seems truest.The setting is lovely. The ending, in which we are led to believe one of the novel's characters practically commits suicide (pay attention, he "knows") by marching off to war, should be in the "hall of fame" of wretched bastardizations. The other two children are handled only slightly less perversely. Beware.** The Secret Garden (11/30/87) Alan Grint ~ Gennie James, Barret Oliver, Jadrien Steele, Michael Hordern

serenitysedai I disagree with the other review of this movie. It is not the best book-to-movie adaption but it's a cute movie. I watched it all the time as a kid and thought this version was much better than the newer one. The acting is pretty good, I think the kids understood their parts, and played up the brattiness I always loved/hated about them. Also, seeing Colin Firth at the end as a grown up Colin Craven doesn't hurt it any. While the plot deviates somewhat from the book I think it kept the spirit of the story well enough. The musical score was also fantastic and leant a lot to atmosphere of the story. If you love this book and haven't seen this version, I highly recommend checking it out, especially if you have children.