The Secret Garden direction of Marc Munden ( Miranda , 2002) is not the first film that storyline adapted from the classic novel of the same title essay British author Frances Hodgson Burnett . First published in 1911, the first feature film adaptation of The Secret Garden was released in 1919 with Gustav von Seyffertitz in the directing chair and Burnett involved as one of the scriptwriters. Director Fred M. Wilcox directed the second adaptation of The Secret Garden , released in 1949, while Agnieszka Holland (and executive producer Francis Ford Coppola) directed another adaptation released in 1993. ActorsColin Firth, who played a role in this film, had previously been involved in the television film adaptation of The Secret Garden which was broadcast by the CBS television channel in 1987. A long note for the connection of a novel with the cinema screen, but whether the story of The Secret Garden is still able to attract the attention of the audience. who came from the era of the latest generation?
Set in 1947, The Secret Garden begins when a girl named Mary Lennox ( Dixie Egerickx ) whose parents recently died from cholera, now lives in the mansion of her uncle, Lord Archibald Craven (Firth). By the household assistant who manages the big house, Mrs. Medlock ( Julie Walters), Mary Lennox was repeatedly reminded not to cause trouble as Lord Archibald Craven was still grieving after his wife's death. Bored, Mary Lennox then chose to circle the yard around the house and found a garden that seemed to have not been touched or cared for by humans. In the park, Mary Lennox slowly begins to heal her grief at the loss of both her parents at once, along with her two new friends, Dickon ( Amir Wilson ) and Colin Craven ( Edan Hayhurst ), turning the pages of the past on the lives of those who have lived with them. loved him.
Admittedly, it's hard to fall in love with the telling of a story when it's never really able to determine who the story is addressed to. That, unfortunately, happened to The Secret Garden . With a storyline that begins in India – at the time of the separation of Pakistan from India – and a moment when war is still raging and taking millions of lives, The Secret Garden actually intends to explore the dark theme of grief, loss, and depression caused by the loss of a loved one from life. However, the script by Jack Thorne ( Enola Holmes, 2020) seems to be trying not to make the line of dark storytelling themes present in their entirety to color the storyline of this film. Unfortunately, the loss of color in the story actually makes The Secret Garden feel empty without a strong or clear essence of the story.
The Secret Garden itself is not a bad production. As the first feature film adaptation of the novel of the same title released in the era of modern technology, Munden makes good use of animation technology to bring to life various dreams or memories or fantasies that are in the head of the main character. The cinematography directed by Lol Crawley also provides strong support for the slick appearance given by each image in this film scene. Still, the weak story script almost made The Secret Gardenunable to shake off the boredom that arose from his storytelling. This film may intend to be a presentation aimed at young audiences by making the child characters the central character in the story. However, processing stories that are told maturely and slowly will actually make many young viewers bored. At the same time, the absence of conflict or interesting adult characters also makes The Secret Garden fail to attract the attention of adult audiences. The Secret Garden then ended tasteless for all circles.
It's a shame considering Munden managed to get a strong talent to fill his film acting department. The young actors, Egerickx, Wilson, and Hayhurst, managed to bring each character they played well. The chemistry that exists between the three also appears convincing to make the friendship storyline between the three characters they play feel strong. Unfortunately, there is no wide story space for the characters played by Firth and Walters. Lord Archibald Craven and Mrs. Medlock barely has any use in this latest The Secret Garden storyline .
