Which is better, Secret Garden or A Little Princess? - The Secret Garden (1993) Discussion

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] little-miss-chocolate 20 years ago

With the films, I think that 'The Secret Garden' is better.
If you are trying to see which film stuck to the book better, they're about equal.
With the books, I think that 'A Little Princess' is better.

Therapy is expensive, but bubblewrap is free!

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[–] f-main 19 years ago

I agree with you. The "little princess" film was quite appauling, even though it looked very pretty and had lovely music, it was so unfaithful to the book and had poor acting and pacing to it, they changed the story for no conceivable reason. I prefer the book of the Little Princess to the Secret Garden, but the Secret Garden film is beautifully done, although it doesn't follow the book exactly it adapts it so well that the *feel* is the same, which I think is very admirable.

Either way, the film and book of The Secret Garden are my favourite children's film and novel of all time so far.

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[–] TheLittleSongbird 16 years ago

BETHANY COX
"Music comes from within, from your heart and from your soul."

I loved them both, but I loved Secret Garden better.

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[–] inlovewithJC 15 years ago

I like them both a lot, but I think I prefer A little Princess.

You give me joy that's unspeakable, Jesus I am so in love with You

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[–] cosmic_quest 20 years ago

Definitely, films like 'The Secret Garden' and 'A Little Princess' are masterpieces because they are capable of depicting a decent, involving plot without resorting to stupid special-effects or dumbing down of scripts. Too many children's films these days patronise kids whereas this is something that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults.

'She never stated that the stags in the books are male deers.' ~ Gracie11, IMDb troll

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[–] suneebunee 20 years ago

I LOVED "A LITTLE PRINCESS"

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[–] little-miss-chocolate 20 years ago

Could people please specify whether they are talking about teh books or the films. I'm getting confused . Thank you .

Therapy is expensive, but bubblewrap is free!

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[–] ElphabaTheWickedWitch 20 years ago

Okay, when I started this post, I was referring to the films, as I've only read The Secret Garden, so it wouldn't be fair to judge the books. So if people could continue talking about the films, not the books, that'd be really helpful. Thanks!

I agree about the comments earlier that these films don't have to use special effects to make them good. They just take simple concepts and make them into magical films that capture your attention and your imagination. I love them.

"Your childhood's over the moment you know you're gonna die."--The Crow.

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[–] audrey17 15 years ago

i loved the book and the film of a little princess

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[–] dreamersmad 20 years ago

i agree. i love both movies but "the secret garden" has always been my fav. of the two.

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[–] arieldakota 20 years ago

I perfer the Secret Garden, but I love the ending to A Little Princess much better. The Secret Garden Ending wasn't my faveorite ending.

"All girls are princesses no matter how pretty,or old. Didn't your dad ever tell you that?!"

A.C.

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[–] ElphabaTheWickedWitch 20 years ago

I agree. In The Secret Garden, when Mary is seen walking away from the garden, it really annoyed me that you never got to see her face. I don't know why, it just did. But A Little Princess' ending makes me cry every time.

"Your childhood's over the moment you know you're gonna die."--The Crow.

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[–] 20 years ago

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[–] 20 years ago

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[–] xxjerseyloverbabexx 20 years ago

Both of the movies made me cry, So idk which one I'll pick but I guess I'll go with A Little Princess if I had to choose.

Pretty People Have Problems Too

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[–] Beletje 20 years ago

Both movies are such masterpieces. But I'd have to say... "A Little Princess"'s ending was better and it left me crying harder than with the other movie "The Secret Garden" so my choice is the former.

Best two children's movies EVER. (And maybe including "The Neverending Story" and "Joan of Arc".)

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[–] weak_vs_fire 20 years ago

Interesting to see i'm not the only one
that compared those two movies
I loved both of them
to me it's a tie

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[–] 20 years ago

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[–] Beletje 20 years ago

I believe KillMeSomebody is the one who lacks in knowing what is a "real work of art". Sure "A Little Princess" was not directed by Agnieszka Holland, however that does not mean it is not a serious movie. I find it with more soul, with better actors and the better story overall.

That's just my opinion. I love both movies/stories still... "A Little Princess" is my favorite.

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[–] coven_36 20 years ago

I agree, it's not fair to compare them, but only because they're so diferent from each other.

Secret Garden (at least the movie) has a more "England" feel to it. Like everything is cold and blue, but there is some life behind all that, just like the gardens, they're gray and lifeless, but there is something beautiful underneath.

On the other side, Little Princess is the opposite. There's an "India" fell all over the place. Everything we see is magic and mystic, there's love and happiness all around us, but behind all that smoke there's a very sad girl and she's so lonely that she needs to create all that to protect herself.

They can't be compared, it would be silly to do so because in the end they're two diferent girls in England who lost their parents and now are trying to deal with it in the only way they can; one of them has become bitter, the other lost contact with reality altogether and just did what her ayah used to (in a way trying to reconnect with her former home)and created a magic world, Mary didn't had to, she found a real one: her garden.

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[–] Kesker 20 years ago

I love both of the films, but when it comes to the books I like The Secret Garden better. The film version of A Little Princess has, IMO, a much happier ending then the book and the book seemed to drag a little for me.

I will always cherish both stories, but The Secret Garden edges out in front and gave me my love of Robins.

THE MATRIX HAS YOU....No really, it does

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[–] 20 years ago

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[–] OliverGbyrne-1 20 years ago

I prefer the Secret garden because I love Agnieska Holland the director,I have seen all of her films,this one is her best and "Olivier,Olivier"is a close second.
Little Princess did not stick to the book!!!!people that say it did obviously havnt read it carefully,I did many time for my major in College and beleive me a lot of important things are missing from the book,so for that reason the secret garden is my favorite plus I allso beleive that Secret garden was made with much more love and passion and it never feel cheesy and overacted,some scene in Little princess were just silly because it was so overdone like that scene at the end were Sarah is saved and is reunited with her father , they hug and then the maid girl comes and he hugs her too!!!!???at that point he dosnt even know who she his....and then he kisses the maid girl!!!??? that was never in the book and allso Sarah is FAR too pretty loking even when she's becoming slave to the school she looks like a kid model,in the book she's described as tiered looking and pale but in the movie she's beautifull all the way trough which I did not find convincing.
Secret Garden is beatifull and profound-little Princess is just cute and entertaining.

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[–] hideyoo 19 years ago

Personally, both movies made me cry. I have both of the books and movies, and have read and seen them. I liked The Secret Garden a lot when my mom read it to me when I was really small. I was 3 when The Secret Garden came out, but I know I saw it first. I really loved it. But A Little Princess, I cried so hard in the movie so many times, my mom still talks about having to calm me down so I wouldn't desturb everyone else in the theater. I became obsessed with A Little Princess and read the book, and was sorely dissapointed. The movie was much better. So, I would have to say I liked The Secret Garden book better, but A Little Princess wins for the movies by a long shot. And yes, I watched A Secret Garden last night and still cried at the end, but I watch A Little Princess and simply bawl when the dad cries "SARA!" every time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] crchadwick 19 years ago

I prefer "The Secret Garden", both the book and the film.

"A Little Princess" is a beautiful book with some extremely powerful moments, but overall I think I find The Secret Garden just that much more powerful and beautiful. Also, I can't help but warm to grumpy Mary more than I do to the incessantly nice Sara Crewe. Maybe that makes me a bit strange, I don't know. The setting of TSG is more fascinating and beautiful, and the story is more magical... the idea of a sickly cousin hidden away in a lonely manor, an abandoned garden hidden behind an overgrown creeper... And the way that Mary slowly brings the garden to life and in doing so brings herself to life is so powerful. It's a book steeped in magic... not fairy-tale magic, more like human magic.

I prefer the film of "A Secret Garden", partly because I prefer its story and partly because the film of "A Little Princess" is so Americanised. I know that Frances Hodgson Burnett spent most of her life in America, but I was under the impression that "A Little Princess" was originally set in London, not New York. Also, the story was changed a lot, which I didn't like. In the book, Sara's father does actually die, which I think works better. Also, at the end of the film of "A Little Princess", it's revealed that Miss Minchin is now working as a chimney-sweep or a servant of some sort of servant. In the book, this doesn't happen, and again I thought the events of the book worked better.
In general, I just found the movie of "A Little Princess" too sickly and Disney-like, whereas the characters in "The Secret Garden" seemed more real, more likeable.

Of course they've brought forth juniper berries, they're juniper bushes!

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] crchadwick 19 years ago

I said that A Little Princess is Americanised, not The Secret Garden. I agree that The Secret Garden is not Americanised.

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] Its5by5 19 years ago

as a movie I prefer secret garden but A little princess is my alltime favorite book.
I just bought both movies on dvd (I have them on vhs and have watched both probably over a hundred times) of the net and I can't wait to get them.
Of to watch Secret Garden now

"What's so great about the truth? Try lying for a change, it's the currency of the world."

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[–] 19 years ago

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[–] ladyIndie 19 years ago

I watched the movies and i think that The Secret Garden is the best b/c as a kid you dream about finding a place like that.(atleast i did)

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[–] allthatjazz97 19 years ago

I absolutly love both of them!!!!! i love the secret garden becasue i love the garden and i really adore or the lil dresses mary gets to wear! if i was to choose a time to go back in and ex[erience what it would be like to live in those times i would choose that time and that place cos its something that would come out of a childs imagination and it rwally captured my imagination when i was little and saw it for the first time. A little princess is too a favoourite of mine cos i love Sarah's courage thoroughout the whole time and never gives up and has a kind heat i also love the song from the movie kindle your heart lol and they both have india in them and its looks glorious!!!!

Like Fire HELLFIRE.. this fire in my skin this burning desire is turning me to sin.. Frollo

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[–] Ruby_Stixx 19 years ago

These movies are so much alike! I like them both, I can't decide :)

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[–] nicholamcdougall 19 years ago

I agree, they are both Magical Classics that even Time won't Erase.

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[–] 19 years ago

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