The Secret Garden

There have been several noteworthy film adaptations of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's novel The Secret Garden, but this 1975 BBC production can rightly claim to be the most faithful to the original story. Comprised of seven 30-minute episodes, it's just long enough to encompass all of the novel's richness of character and setting, yet still short enough to hold the attention of younger viewers. The production values are very modest--shot on video (resulting in a slightly washed-out color palette), with a few flubbed lines and technical glitches in lighting and camera moves, so the overall look is that of a filmed play, not a full-fledged film like the lavishly beautiful 1993 movie version; even so, this 30-year-old classic would most likely appeal to Burnett herself in terms of accuracy. The story is set at Misselthwaite Manor in the Yorkshire moors of England, and the location, accents, and costumes are painstakingly accurate to the story's late 19th-century setting. Sarah Hollis Andrews plays young Mary Lennox, who arrives at Misselthwaite from India, where her parents died during an outbreak of cholera. Her uncle, Archibald Craven, is often away on travels, struggling to forget the death of his wife, and this leaves Mary free to roam the vast manor, where she eventually befriends Dickon, the smart and likable brother of a housemaid, and her seemingly sickly cousin Colin, a bedridden brat until Mary brings him out of his selfish seclusion. The three children discover a neglected garden on the grounds and for them it becomes a magical place with restorative powers, with a beneficial effect on everyone at Misselthwaite. As dramatized by Dorothea Brooking, this appealing production is technically clumsy, but compensates with abundant charm and a leisurely, Dickensian pace that will be appreciated by literary purists. It's family entertainment with class and wonderment, befitting Burnett's timeless tale of friendship and belief in the healing power of nature. Recommended. (J. Shannon)