A Little Princess

A Little Princess is a truly rare bird—a film made for children that will also captivate grown-ups

Minor spoilers

Frances Hodgson Burnett is probably best known today for her children's stories. The author of The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy first wrote the story "Sara Crewe" in 1888 and later transformed it into a stage production titled The Little Princess. Since that time it has been a perennial favorite, spawning four previous films (including a silent film, a Russian production and the well-known vehicle for child star Shirley Temple), a made-for-TV movie, even a Japanese anime series. There seems to be something universally appealing about this tale of a bright, imaginative, wealthy little girl suddenly thrust into poverty and drudgery, who nonetheless manages to survive with her pluck and imagination intact.

This incarnation of the story, sensitively told by Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón, makes quite a few deviations from the source—the era has been changed to World War I, Sara is sent to a girls' seminary in New York instead of London, etc.—but it remains faithful to the spirit of the original tale. And Sara's story has never been more beautiful on film. Whether set in the lush jungles and ruined temples of India, the clean-lined romance of a transatlantic liner, or the icy sharpness of a New York winter, every scene in this film is saturated with a different light and color, creating a well-defined sense of place. Cuarón has added some fantastic touches that give the story some real depth—throughout the movie, Sara spins a tale from the Ramayana which almost perfectly mirrors events in her life (it's no mistake that Liam Cunningham, the actor who plays Sara's father, is also the blue-skinned Prince Rama in these sequences).

The soundtrack, too, was carefully crafted by Patrick Doyle (Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing) to invoke a specific time and place, featuring ragas and other India-inspired music, children's choirs, stately waltzes, ragtime duets, and other incidental music that is lovely and appropriate without drawing undue attention to itself.

It would be difficult to imagine a better cast. Liesel Matthews, in her film debut, gives an intelligent and believable performance as Sara. Liam Cunningham is a warm, very loving Captain Crewe. Eleanor Bron, although she often plays to the cheap seats, manages to create a Miss Minchin who is thoroughly villainous, yet also deserving of pity. I hope to see more of the talent of Vanessa Lee Chester, who plays Sara's friend and confidante Becky, in future. There are a few missteps here and there (Sara, who is supposed to speak French like a native, had a horrible accent), but these are relatively minor concerns.

So many "children's movies" are cheaply and poorly made, with annoying characters and music (Pokémon, parents?). It's rare indeed to see a movie created primarily for children with such a good story and superlative production values that adults will also appreciate it. A Little Princess sparks the imagination and should be part of every family's video library—it's part of ours, and we don't yet have children.

All material displayed on this website is © 2001-2009 by S. B. Houghton, writing under the alias "The Pirate King." All rights reserved.
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