Retelling the Tale of 'The Secret Garden'
Many people may not know the story, The Secret Garden tells a tale about an orphaned girl going to live with her uncle. The book that the titular story is based off was released in 1911. What would then follow were two films, one, a silent film, was released in 1919 and the other was released in 1949. The book would then go on to become a classic of English children’s literature which would be so popular that soon there will be a total of 4 films adapted from the books.
As stated, there was a more recent film, the third one that was made from the book, that was released in 1993. The film is a fantasy drama showing how difficult adjusting to a new life can be and that you have to make the best of any situation put before you. The main character of the novel is a young girl who discovers a magical garden on her uncle’s estate. She then uses that garden in order to help her family heal itself while trying to find a home for herself.
The newest iteration of ‘The Secret Garden’ is set later into the 20th century in 1947 as opposed to being set near the beginning of the century. The film follows a young orphan girl who, after being sent to live with her uncle, discovers a magical garden on the grounds of his estate. If the story is anything like the original the girl, Mary Lennox, must find her bearings after moving in with her uncle, Archibald Craven. Craven distances himself from the home, so she explores and finds a magic garden that helps her cope with her new surroundings. The garden also helps her extended family finally heal after losing a loved one.
Stars for the newest take on the classic tale include Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Dixie Egerickx. Marc Munden is directing the film, which was adapted for the screen by Jack Thorne based off the original story by Frances Hodgson Burnett. David Heyman (Harry Potter franchise, Pattington 1,2) and Rosie Alison (Paddington 1 ,2) are producing the movie and Jane Robertson (The Danish Girl, Bridget Jones’s Baby) is co-producing the film. As of now, and hopefully this doesn’t change, the film releases theatrically on August 14th after being delayed by Covid-19.