Nature’s Magic
The Secret Garden Review
The Secret Garden starring Kate Maberly and Maggie Smith has been one of my favorite films since childhood. When it came out in 1993, I was too young to articulate why it meant so much to me, but I am able to do so now. The Secret Garden is a story about growth, healing, and new beginnings. It offers hope for people who have experienced loss and hardship in their lives.
For those of you unfamiliar with the film, I’ll include a brief synopsis…
A young orphan named Mary Lennox is sent to her Uncle’s Yorkshire Estate, where she learns about a walled garden that has been locked for ten years. After finding her way inside, she confides in a local boy named Dickon, who helps her plant new seeds for spring. Mary also discovers that she has a shut-in cousin named Colin. He can’t walk, and his doctors have convinced him that he’ll die young. But everything changes when he learns about his mother’s garden. With good old-fashioned fresh air, exercise, and nutritious food, Colin regains his health.
At its root, The Secret Garden is a psychological character study of three wounded individuals. Colin and Mary were abandoned by their parents; they had no idea what it was like to be loved or valued. Ten-year-old children should be full of optimism and joy, but Colin and Mary behaved like bad-tempered, imperious adults most of the time. They didn’t know how to play or have fun because they never had any friends. But through Martha and Dickon Sowerby’s influence, they became the free-spirited children they were always meant to be.
Rounding out the fragile trio is Colin’s estranged father, Lord Archibald Craven, who sank into a deep depression after the tragic death of his wife. Colin was born premature, and the doctors in Edwardian England did not expect him to survive. Afraid of loving and losing again, Lord Craven fled Misselthwaite Manor and avoided his son for ten years. When he finally returned home, his icy demeanor thawed at the sight of a healthy Colin playing inside the garden. As moving as their reunion was, the real tearjerker moment occurred between Mary and her uncle. It was the first time she allowed herself to cry over her own sad experiences. Mary had felt like an unwanted child her entire life until her uncle told her otherwise.
The garden is a physical place, but it’s also a symbolic representation of Archibald Craven’s heart. He shut the door, locked it, and threw away the key – leaving Colin to languish inside like a flower being choked by weeds. Mary rescued a garden, and in the process, she brought the Craven’s (and herself) back to life. This film taught me that plants and people are remarkably similar: both of us require sunlight, water, and nutrients to survive. But if we truly want to flourish and bloom, we also need the care of a loved one to help us on our way.
Coming up next week: A peek inside my Secret Garden book collection!
I loved the film and the book was a favourite growing up. I really enjoyed your analysis of the relationships.
I absolutely love this movie. All the actors are superb, and the way the garden is filmed is magical. I've actually never read the book, though, and should add it to my list. A splendid recap/review! Thanks!