Fans of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “The Secret Garden” may have noticed some dramatic changes at the end of the 1911 novel in Marc Munden’s new adaptation. The film, now out on premium video on demand, imported the story’s conclusion to better fit its themes and give its protagonist Mary (Dixie Egerickx) a chance to have more agency.
Jack Thorne, who wrote the script for the film, which was introduced in 1947 instead of the early 20th century, wanted to find a way to free the characters from Misselthwaite Manor, the gloomy house that has been around since the end of the war is in decline. The solution was to literally burn down the stately home, allowing Mary to run inside and save her uncle Archibald Craven (Colin Firth) from the flames – something that does not happen in the novel, which ends in a much more uneventful way with Archibald just discovers Mary and his son Colin are playing in the secret garden.
“We’ve been through a number of different iterations and a number of different ways of telling it,” Thorne explains. ‘It was actually the hardest part. And I think in editing it was also the hardest. What we decided was we needed in a way that spoke to the end to this huge ruin we had created to tell our version of ‘The Secret Garden’.
‘This felt like a way to keep A) very, very central in the narrative and B) detach from that spectacle [of the house] so the secret garden is the place where they start all over again. I think this movie is all about repeating history, and that Mary plays out her story, and maybe they all got stronger in the end by giving up Misselthwaite’s history as well. ‘
Munden adds, “It’s about cleaning the place. It’s about Mary being able to save Mr. Craven in a very real way. It also helps the spirits of the sisters – Mary’s mother and her sister – Mary. It unites all sorts of dramatic elements, which are an essential part of the story. “
To film the sequel, production designer Grant Montgomery built a massive entrance hall and staircase in a sound station near Pinewood, outside London. The curved staircase evokes the Gothic settings of “Jane Eyre” and “Rebecca,” two other stories about mysterious inns with tortured men who end up in the fire.
“We knew we had to design and build the house because we were going to burn it down,” says Montgomery, who used an existing house in Yorkshire as exterior. ‘We really could not go to one of these existing stately homes and say,’ Can we put a fire in this house? ‘They would just say a flat no. But that could have given us an idea of what Misselthwaite would look like and that was exciting. ”
Colin Firth in “The Secret Garden.”
(STXfilms / StudioCanal)
While some of the fire was added with CGI, most of the flames were real, with the filmmakers creating a controlled fire at Pinewood. It was Egerickx’s favorite movie scene because of the intensity. The actress feels that adding something with a spectacle at the end will better suit younger viewers, who these days expect some drama from their movies and TV shows.
“It can capture the young audience better,” Egerickx says. ‘And also I find it important to remember that this film is just one film. You still have the 1990 version of the movie. You still have the old versions. It does not replace them. If you do not like the ending, then that’s all right, you can check out the others. “
For Firth and Julie Walters, who is the hard housekeeper of Mrs. Medlock plays from Misselthwaite, helping the endpoint to remind viewers of what these characters have been and where they could potentially go now. After the fire, they return to the garden, where there is a sense of hope for the future.
“It provides a dramatic ending,” Firth notes. ‘But there is also the feeling that the bitterness and self-absorbed misery of the boss of the house has led to the unforgettable destruction …. The story begins to root in misery. But Mary discovers a sense of adventure, and the children bring healing through their own efforts to all concerned people. The garden is not only an obvious metaphor, but also has its own part to play. Especially in this adaptation, where nature works as a character in the story. ”
“It’s about rebuilding,” Walters adds. ‘They’ll come out of here. I like it because you get the feeling that it is a very positive growth. From destruction and destruction comes this beautiful light and growth and life. ”
