Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Pluskylang Great Film overall

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The Jellicle Kat Some "children's films" are only for children. Some can be watched by the whole family. Others are so good they seem hardly intended for children at all, and "The Secret Garden" falls in that category. It is a work of beauty, poetry and deep mystery, and watching it is like entering for a time into a closed world where one's destiny may be discovered.The movie's dark themes, unhurried pace and talkiness make it something of a gamble for many children. But older children -- especially those who have been asking specific questions about death -- may find some nourishment in this garden. The film retains the gothic atmosphere of the book and looks amazing, thanks to Roger Deakins's scintillating photography. Any kids' movie that aims for something richer than the Saturday-matinee escapism of smiling whales and preschool ninjas -- that actually captures some of the mystery of childhood -- ought to be embraced. whatever its peculiarities.By the end of the film I was surprised by how much I was moved; how much I had come to care about the lonely little boy, the orphaned girl, and the garden that a dead woman had prepared for them.The result is an instant classic -- rich, dense, resonant, powerful.

Jon Corelis A young child is sent from a far country to live with a relative in a gloomy old aristocratic pile. But there are dark mysteries concerning both the estate and the relative. In the course of solving them, the child brings a new understanding to both herself and her relative.From this outline of the story of The Secret Garden, it should be clear how similar it is to the better known book and film Little Lord Fauntleroy. Both are based on the immensely popular 19th century young people's books by British-American author Frances Hodgson Burnett, and both have been the subject of numerous theatrical, film, and television versions. Of the half dozen or so film/TV treatments, many feel that this 1949 version with Margaret O'Brien, Herbert Marshall, Dean Stockwell, and Elsa Lanchester is the best. The acting is very good to excellent, and the atmosphere of the old house with its ruined garden effectively conveyed. The screenplay is co-authored by Robert Ardrey, who later became well known as a popular science author for such works as African Genesis. An interesting feature of the film from a cinematic viewpoint is the sudden switch from black and white to color (as was done famously in The Wizard of Oz) to highlight the happier scenes.Though the film, like the book, is ostensibly for young people, it's one that can equally be enjoyed by adults. Of course it's sentimental, but this is the type of film where the sentimentality is the whole point: viewers who dislike sentimentality shouldn't be watching it.

Hitchcoc This is the story of a little girl who has little to be happy about. She is part of a British imperialist family in India who are killed by stampeding elephants. She is left to fend for herself until she is collected and sent to live in England. She acts out and is very unpleasant, but is tolerated. At some point she meets a young girl who sort of takes her under her wing and puts up with her tantrums. They find that there are places everywhere to explore in the big house and the grounds. They do from time to time hear some whimpering on the other side of a wall. Their investigations reveal a crippled boy who gets his only satisfaction watching others play. This sets up the rest of the film. Mary Lennox, the little girl, suddenly has some purpose in her life and that's what drives things to the conclusion. Of course, this is one of the world's greatest children's books.

socrates99 We used to attend Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival. If this film was shown there, we missed it. Clearly it should have been there. This is the most overlooked great film I've seen in a long time.I never read the original novel, and I'm sure that would make a difference, but as a newbie to this children's story I was surprised how strongly I was moved by it. There's something about an unloved child that tugs at the heart strings and the lead here, Kate Maberly, is near perfect as Mary Lennox, the child heroine who manages to bring life to a home that's been robbed of it despite having greatly suffered herself.The cast is basically three wonderful child actors and Maggie Smith and this film needed someone as strong as her to counter the children's powerful performances. This may be the best family movie (I generally dislike family movies) I've ever seen. There's no mawkish sappiness here.