Dixie Egerickx outshines her adult co-stars in this pleasant adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel.
Marc Munden’s The Secret Garden, an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel of the same name, is beautiful to look at. But while the film will charm your senses it won’t necessarily captivate your soul.
One evening during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947-48, a young girl narrates a tale to her doll in the bedroom of her family’s grand residence. A commotion can suddenly be heard beyond the door; the girl is afraid but continues her tale. Mary Lennox (Dixie Egerickx) awakes the next morning, abandoned in a pillaged home, left to fend for herself.
Later discovered by the authorities, malnourished and in a state of neglect, orphaned Mary is sent to England to live with her widowed uncle, Archibald Craven (Colin Firth). Accustomed to a particular lifestyle that has left Mary spoilt and cosseted, she is not used to her movements being restricted and regimented when she arrives at Misselthwaite Manor. She soon breaks the rules, unearthing Craven’s buried secrets in the process.
Visually, this film is a delight, particularly the flashbacks to Mary’s life in colonial India which exude a dreamlike quality. Warm, sun-kissed colours fill the screen during these sequences and juxtapose Misselthwaite’s coldness. Visual effects provide a seamless transition between past and present, as well as lending themselves to the film’s note of childlike wonderment and imagination. Dario Marianelli’s score perfectly accents this enchantment; the soft sound of bells lingers.
These flashbacks are also tinged with sadness, as we’re shown Mary repeatedly being ignored by her withdrawn mother. Unlike in the novel, where Mary’s parents are wholly neglectful and taken by cholera, Munden’s film implies that while Mary’s father was somewhat present, her mother’s distant disposition was in fact due to the on-set of depression following the loss of her sister, Craven’s late wife. The Secret Garden deals frequently with loss and depression, and it’s refreshing to see a family film concern itself with mental health.
Another high point is Egerickx’s superb portrayal of Lennox, the film’s insolent protagonist. Egerickx is a little awkward at first, but she quickly proves herself as one to watch. The subtlety with which she allows emotion to develop as it crosses her face is exceptional. She is by far the most engaging character. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rest of the cast, who appear visibly inhibited by the script.
Published 19 Oct 2020
A welcome adaptation of a classic novel.
Beautiful to look at, and Dixie Egerickx gives an outstanding performance.
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