I have a copy of The Secret Garden novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett that I didn’t realize contained a secret hiding in plain sight. The pictures on it are from a film adaptation I didn’t know existed. You see, I’ve known about the 1993 adaptation of this classic book for many years. Francis Ford Coppola executive produced it, and it’s a wonderful film for anyone who wants this timeless story captured on celluloid as faithfully as possible.
But did you know that there was another adaptation of The Secret Garden made just six years earlier? In 1987, The Secret Garden was translated into a TV movie. Filmed entirely in England, it certainly doesn’t feel like it lacks anything a major Hollywood production would contain. That’s the adaptation whose pictures grace the front and back covers of my copy of the novel. I had no idea until recently!
It stars such big names as Barret Oliver (The Neverending Story), Derek Jacobi (Gladiator), and Colin Firth (Pride and Prejudice). The latter two actors appeared together again in The King’s Speech. You probably don’t know the name Billie Whitelaw, but you might know her voice. She played Mrs. Medlock in this adaptation, and a few years earlier she provided the voice of Aughra in The Dark Crystal. Continue reading →
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