| Overall Grade: |
B |
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| Story: |
C- |
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| Acting: |
B+ |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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Cute but pales in comparison to the book
by Cubsfan (movies profile)
Sep 13, 2007
2
of
2 people found this review helpful
I think this is a wholesome, wonderful movie for kids and parents alike. But, if you are a fan of Burnett's books you will be sadly disappointed. They changed the crux of the novel, and the whole point of the novel was that a child could overcome the deepest grief of having lost a parent--ie, the ultimate loss. A pivotal character in the book, the Indian who changes her life around, is completely marginalized in order to bring her supposedly dead father miraculously back into her life.
As a child, I read and re-read A Little Princess, always feeling that it was something I could return to, because it was one of those truly special novels. The film captures some of the magic but the story is quite truncated. There was no need to change it-the original book was a masterpiece. Where they did stay true to the book, it was breathtaking, like the scene where Becky and Sara awaken in the room and find it totally redone and filled with comforts/food.
I got a completely "American Girl" vibe watching this very charming, beautifully shot period film. Costumes and sets are gorgeous. You get a sense of the gritty Victorian outside world as it contrasts with the interior of the boarding school, clean to the point of sterility, and poshly decorated in the girls' rooms.
Bottom line: enjoy the film for what it is (Hallmark genre) but don't expect what you read as a child because that's not what you'll get. |
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