The Secret Garden (1993), Agnieszka Holland’s fantasy-drama starring the late Maggie Smith, has found a new streaming home on Prime Video.
Branded an “instant classic” by the Boston Globe, the film, which was adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 children’s novel, earned Smith a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Set in the Yorkshire Moors in 1901, The Secret Garden centres on the life and times of 10-year-old orphan, Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly). Following the death of her parents, Mary, known for her fiery temper, is forced to leave British India and move to her uncle, Lord Archibald Craven’s (John Lynch) home in the English countryside. While settling into life at Misselthwaite Manor, Mary finds her life changed for the better after discovering a secret garden on the grounds.
Joining the cast, which also includes Heydon Prowse, Laura Crossley, Irène Jacob and Walter Sparrow, Smith appeared as Mrs Medlock, Lord Craven’s housekeeper at Misselthwaite Manor.
Speaking with Vulture in 2020, Kate Maberly, who made her film debut as Mary, revealed what it was like shooting The Secret Garden with Smith.
Murray Close/Am Zoetrope/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
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“With Maggie, she was so — she had such a presence,” the actor explained. “And you felt that doing a scene with her. I wanted to rise up and [meet her]. She was brilliant. She was so lovely to me. So kind. And she has a wicked sense of humour.”
“Subconsciously, I learned so much,” Maberly added. “We did a lot of her stuff at the beginning of the shoot, so I was able to — when you’re little, you’re kind of a sponge. So I watched how she worked with people, and I watched how she carried herself.”
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Following the film’s release in 1993, The Secret Garden was given a Certified Fresh score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, esteemed critic Roger Ebert declared: “It is a work of beauty, poetry and deep mystery, and watching it is like entering for a time into a closed world where one’s destiny may be discovered.”
Meanwhile, Empire Magazine remarked: “What magic there is comes from the odd, ritual behaviour of the children in a nice demonstration of the life-enhancing miracle of nature.” Likewise, the Boston Globe has been full of praise for the drama, describing it as “rich, dense, resonant, powerful”.
The Secret Garden is available to stream on Prime Video.
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Megan is a freelance news reporter for Digital Spy.