Thirteen years ago, a classic film was born. The Secret Garden, for me, would remain to be one of the greatest children classics of all time. I have seen this film when I was still 10 years old and for 8 years it haunted me (because I can't seem to remember the title of it, bloody me!). Thank God, I just recently rediscovered this film, and recalled right away that this was one of the those films whom as a kid loved it, and had once sworn that I would surely include it to my all-time favorite list. I was still a kid back then, but even now, as I grew up, watching the film brings back memories and has the magical power to bring us all back into our childhood days, where innocence was indeed a weapon of the harsher truth outside our very own world that we dwell in.
From a distant point of view, it would seem like a very simple film, but it extracts it vitality from simplicity and would makes us believe that if we could only look deeper, we would realise the healing powers of friendship, hope and love. It follows an orphan Mary Lennox, the main protagonist, who was raised in India but later lost his indifferent parents from the earthquake, and was sent back to his own Uncle Craven in a manor so big you can't stroll around in just a day, or perhaps a week. She then discovers a secret garden hidden away from view, as it holds troubled memories of the past, and also his own cousin, Colin Craven, who was reportedly sick and does not have the ability to walk. As they form an unsual friendship, along with a country boy named Dickon, they delved into the mysteries of the garden, dreamed and acted to bring back life to its earth - they soon discovered a thing that they all have in common and that is awakening to life.
It is a very beautiful film, a kind that would make you cry not because of its sadness, but because its joyous perfection and its magnificent beauty. It doesn't give us epic view of life, but rather present us with a simple depiction of life and how to restore it with simple things like friendship and love of nature. Innocence was deftly portrayed, and the characters of Mary Lennox, Dickon, and Colin Craven were like reflections of our own selves when we were still young.
The most audacious sequence in the film involved Colin Craven being blindfolded, having a game with Mary and Dickon in the secret garden, and was discovered by his father, apparently walking with his own feet. This scene alone gives us a lasting impression about how important hope is and what magic does it bring. And when Mary runs away and cried "Nobody wants me!", she felt the pang about the pains of life, when at the start of the film, she ultimately confessed that there is one thing she still didn't learn in life and that is to cry. The line "You brought life to us when nobody ever did" spoken by his Uncle Craven, put things in a magical way and restored the sense of belongingness and family.
I love this film, and families around the globe should watch it too. This is one of the best family films of all time. This is a very simple film, but it has the power to change the wrong things in us.

Rating: A+