(this blog was begun on the night of August 23, 2019)
Tonight I watched "The Secret Garden" (1949), starring Margaret O'Brien, Herbert Marshall and Dean Stockwell. As often happens, I saw a few minutes of it on TCM here at Pearl's, and it looked intriguing so I sought it out in the library database. Surprisingly, they didn't have it. Usually the Libe has everything. They did have another version, produced by the BBC in the 80s or 90s (can't remember which), but I wanted the original so I just bought it on Amazon. It turned out to be an excellent purchase.
Two words : "Wow" and "sigh"......
"The Secret Garden" was, as you may know, originally a book published in 1911 by an author named Frances Hodgson Burnett. Interesting to me is the number of prominent female authors and poets in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It seems to me that one of the first and strongest steps towards the recognition of womens' equality was via the written word. Of course, it was ridiculous that women had to fight for equality in the first place (and they are still fighting), but I have noticed that in the early era of movies there were many female screenwriters, and many scripts based on books written by women. It was as if they were saying, "well, we'll get our voices heard this way", i.e through authorship.
The works of Bronte sisters became very popular, and we reviewed Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" a couple of nights ago. There was also Jane Austen, who came to prominence nearly a century earlier. I am far from a literary historian, in fact I only know what my limited exposure to certain movies tells me, but it seems to me that women, as authors, may have explored in greater depth the inner emotional lives of their characters, which may have been what made their works so popular at a time when the examination of emotion was not something that was contemplated in day to day life, especially in Stiff Upper Lip England.
Thinking back, I had probably heard of "The Secret Garden" during elementary school, though whether as a book or movie I can't recall. It's a phrase that, as a title, would stick with you, so I know I've been aware of it for a long time. But it's not the kind of book a boy would generally seek out. It's a story for all children - and adults too - but because the lead character is a twelve year old girl, that is the audience who I would imagine are most familiar with the story : adolescent girls, and most likely girls who lived during the time the book was first popular, over one hundred years ago. But the story has survived to this day, and like "Jane Eyre", many versions have been filmed over the years. It is a story with great staying power. All you have to do is watch the 1949 release to see why.
I am only going to give you the very basics, because I want you to see this movie for yourself.
Margaret O'Brien is "Mary Lennox" a young girl orphaned in India during a cholera epidemic. Her parents were wealthy Colonialists. She is used to privilege, being surrounded by finery and having servants to do her bidding . Now that her parents have died, she is sent back to England to live with her Uncle in his forbidding mansion, which is once again reminiscent of the houses in "Jane Eyre", "Rebecca" and "Wuthering Heights". It's a Mansion On The Moors, with fog rolling in and screams coming from secret rooms. But there the similarities to the other films end. Like "Jane Eyre", this is a story in which children take center stage, but unlike Charlotte Bronte's tale, this is less a story of children's struggle against the adult world than their belief that they can overcome it through their own uncorrupted power, manifested by a belief in the goodness of the world itself. The power of a childlike awareness of magic, if you will.
Mary is told by the mansion's caretaker, a mean older woman, that she is to stay in her own appointed area of the house. She must never explore it's other rooms. But of course she ignores this order because she hears loud screaming coming through the hallways.
In the course of her investigation she discovers a young boy in a hidden room. He is about her age, twelve, and he is bedridden. He is also her Uncle's son, which makes them cousins. He cannot walk, and wears braces on his legs. His incessant screaming is his way of getting attention. He calls it what it is, "throwing a tantrum", and it turns out that, despite being an obvious candidate for sympathy, he is quite a brat. He manipulates all the servants through his tantrums, which he throws at whim.
Only Margaret O'Brien sees through his act, and she calls him on it. The boy is played by Dean Stockwell, in one of the most amazing child performances you will ever see.
There is a third child, another boy who lives down the road. His name is Dickon (played by Brian Roper). He comes from a simple farm family and has a way with animals. Margaret O'Brien has heard rumor of a garden on her Uncle's property that is hidden away. It has been locked up for many years and she wants to find it and get inside, so she enlists Dickon to help.
When they find it, a whole new world will open up for the three children - including Dean Stockwell - and it will be their secret, not to be divulged to the adults, especially O'Brien's Uncle.
That is all I will reveal.
I was blown away by this movie. It is pure magic in the same way as "The Wizard Of Oz", though very different in content.
Also, it is what I call a "perfect movie" in purely cinematic terms, in that each scene leads right into the next, the pacing is even and nothing extra is added to divert from the story. The script and direction are both first rate, and the scenes between the children are as well acted as any by adult actors even in the heaviest drama.
In short, when the movie was over I thought : "This is gonna be one of my favorite movies of all time".
If you are still in touch with your Inner Child, it might become one of your favorites, too.
One thing is for sure : I have quite simply never seen a movie that is better than "The Secret Garden".
It is as good as a film can be, and it gets my highest possible recommendation.
No amount of Thumbs will suffice, but put 'em up anyway,
And bring a box of Kleenex, just in case. :) ///////
That's all for now. Today is Pearl's 95th birthday. I am gonna go get her some Chinese food for dinner, and we will have a little celebration. See you back here tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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