The Secret Garden

Peter McGinn

I had the opportunity to watch this new production of the classic Frances Hodgson Burnett novel shortly after viewing the 1975 seven part series based on the same book. I thought it would be interesting to compare the two versions. On the plus side for this movie version, the quality of the production is much higher, with stunning colors and lovely scenes and vistas. It is also very imaginative. In fact, there is a strong element of fantasy throughout, showing both scenes from the past and images in the present time of people who are dead as if they were still alive. Of course, it being a movie instead of a seven part series means that there is less time to develop the plot, so some is left out. And perhaps for the modern audience, there is a dramatic plot device used to hasten the ending that I suspect was not in the book at all. Now I feel like a I should re-read the book after decades since my first reading, just to compare these adaptations to the source material. Not that I would automatically decide the one closest to the story is the better one, but just out of curiosity. I think both versions have reason to like them: this new version for the camera work and imaginative scenes, and the old series for the patient plot and simple,charm.