The Secret Garden (1993)

Mistress Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With cockle-shells, and silver bells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

I used to read alot of stories about little girls whose parents went to India or they themselves lived in India. It was a few years later I realized that I was reading alot of English writers from long ago.
Through these writings I believed that all British children were prissy with a connection to India somehow. Hell I think even Pippy Longstocking had a connection.Except she wasn't prissy. Just awesome.

I'm pretty sure I read the "The Secret Garden" but it's been a loooooong time. The movie does a great job of telling the whole story so it's good enough!

It begins in India with the beginning of Mary. Mary is a spoiled and quiet girl of a young aristocratic couple. An earthquake kills her parents along with other parents resulting in a whole lot of orphans. Mary is then sent to to live with her uncle in England. She never gets to see her uncle who is still in mourning for his wife, the twin of Marys mother.

Mary is left to explore the grounds. She finds a garden locked until she finds the key to open it. The garden is untamed and dormant until with the help of friends she is able to make it blossom again.

During Marys secret tending of the garden, she encounters her cousin, Colin. Colin is believed to be an invalid. Through Mary's stubborn streak, she convinces Colin to grow stronger and walk again.

Colin's "treatments" are so horrendous to watch. I remember not being fazed by it when I was younger. Now I see it and I'm horrified at the backward reasoning of it all. What the hell was dunking the boy in ICE COLD bath going to do to a supposed invalid? The electric shocks I can understand but the ice? Were you going to freeze the sickness out of him?

There is the tying backstory of Colin's father constantly running away from the manor. He refuses to relinguish the ghost of his wife and has left everything else in neglect. Through a bizarre and disturbing voo doo ceremony, he is lef back to witness the miracle of his son's health. I hate this part of the movie. What the hell! The father was a dick to ignore his son and then comes back to enjoy the fruits of his son's labor? What if the father came back a few months beforehand? When his son was struggling to take stronger steps? I bet he would have strapped Colin back to the bed instead of encouraging him. Ugh! The father disgusts me and I'm glad we barely see him except for the voo doo summoning.

It's a touching movie that doesn't resort to sappy tear jerking dramatic moments. It's endearing. I watched it when I younger and I completely related to Mary's loneliness and need to keep the garden a secret. I remember when keeping a secret was the most powerful thing you could do. To let someone in on that secret was not only a test of trust but also a very special personal invitation to your private world.

I hated gardening ( and I still do. I kill cacti ...how black of a thumb do I have???) but I loved that damn garden.It was wild and beautiful. I still love that garden after watching it. I still want to sit on that swing and look at the all the flowers around me. I bet I would get bored after a few minutes and chase a squirrel but that garden was still awesome.

I do remember having a crush on the boy who spoke to animals, Dickon. I thought he was so cute. He came off as sweet, kind, and strong. Not a bad character to crush on.

That is pretty much the whole story. There is no villain other than inner issues. There's alot of metaphores of growth and rejuvenation, blah, blah, blah. I enjoy it because it's a beautiful and endearing movie to watch. It's nice to have something pretty and substantial to watch now and then.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!