A LITTLE PRINCESS
A film review by Jeffrey Graebner
Copyright 1995 Jeffrey Graebner
Towards the end of A LITTLE PRINCESS, there is a scene where the young heroine awakes to find that something purely magical has occurred. The night before, she and her friend had been using their imagination to escape from the sad realism of their world. In the morning, they discover that what they had imagined had become reality. Magic is the *only* explanation that the film offers for this event. The scene works completely because, by this point, the movie has completely convinced the audience that magic is truly possible as long as you believe in it hard enough.
This is the second film adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's novel "Sara Crewe", which was previously filmed in 1939 with Shirley Temple (in a film that was also entitled A LITTLE PRINCESS). Screenwriters Richard LaGravenese and Elizabeth Chandler along with director Alfonso Cuaron have created an absolute gem of a movie, by far the best of 1995 to date.
Fantasy is frequently an important part of the movies, but this is a special film that is *about* fantasy and the power of the human imagination. The story is centered around young Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews), the daughter of a British Army captain. After her mother's death, her father has raised her on his own in India. When the father has to go off to fight in World War I, Sara is sent to a New York boarding school run by the cruel and strict Miss Minchin (Eleanor Bron).
Even in the oppressive environment of the boarding school, Sara maintains an unswerving belief in the power of imagination and the existence of magic. Through her undying spirit, she is able to bring new life to everyone around her with the exception Miss Minchin. This is largely accomplished through Sara's telling of elaborate, fantastic stories about life in India. Cuaron beautifully intercuts this storytelling with colorful fantasy sequences that visually bring the stories to life. These fantasy sequences really work because they actually seem like they are being shown from the point-of-view of Sara's own imagination.
Bron plays Miss Minchin as a menacing and controlling villain, but she isn't purely evil. It seems clear that Miss Minchin feels *threatened* by Sara's complete acceptance of magic and fantasy. Miss Minchin is so completely steeped in the "real" world that she is not only unwilling, but also *unable* to recognize the power of the imagination. In one key scene, Sara directly confronts Miss Minchin with her belief that it is the right of all girls to be princesses. After this scene, it was a bit startling to realize that the look on Miss Minchin's face is *regret* that she is unable to see the world the same way.
As Sara, Liesel Matthews gives a very natural, convincing performance. She truly has the *look* of a "little princess." Some of this comes from her natural appearance, but even more it comes from the way that she carries herself and by her facial expressions. She appears to be wise, but not in a precocious way. At all times, she seems like a *real* child, but one that truly understands the wonder of childhood.
Initially, the early scenes between Sara and her father (Liam Cunningham) may seem a little overly sappy. Their relationship is so loving and good that it stretches believability a little bit. After a while, though, I found that I understood the reasons that the relationship was portrayed in this manner. This relationship *needed* to seem ideal in order for some of the later events of the film to have their proper impact.
Sometimes the right music score can greatly enhance even the finest films. Patrick Doyle has provided some absolutely amazing music for this one. Ever since he burst onto the scene with his powerful score to Kenneth Branagh's HENRY V, Doyle has been one of the most exciting working film composers. This score is probably his best effort to date. He has provided a magical, almost operatic score that mixes soaring orchestral music with some terrific vocal and choral pieces.
After a tragedy occurs towards the middle of the film, Sara begins to lose her spirit. That spirit is rekindled in a powerful and magical sequence where she awakes in the night and discovers that it has started to snow. We are able to literally *feel* her faith in magic returning as she dances in the snow. The scene simply would not have worked without the accompaniment Doyle's hauntingly beautiful song "Kindle My Heart." In the liner notes for the soundtrack CD, Cuaron explains that the scene was literally designed *around* that song. What an incredible testament to the power of Doyle's music.
So much of the impact of A LITTLE PRINCESS is purely emotional that it is a somewhat difficult film to review. It is tough to precisely put my finger on exactly *why* this film works so well. In the end, I always come back to my total acceptance of that one magical scene that I referenced at the beginning of this review. For me, the best movies are the ones that tell a story so convincingly that I am willing to completely accept anything that happens, no matter how unlikely. That is exactly what happened here.
I actually saw the film a few weeks ago, but did not feel ready to write my review before this. It has surprised me a bit how much I have found myself thinking about the film. Even at this late date, I feel that it is important for me to make an attempt to capture some of my feelings about the film in writing.
I also feel that this review is a worthwhile effort because the movie really *needs* all of the support it can get. Unfortunately, Warner Bros has chosen to dump the film with little support. Here in Columbus, Ohio they released the film with virtually no advertising and without even holding advance screenings for local reviewers. The critic for the largest local newspaper didn't manage to get his rave review for the film published until 4 days after the movie opened (and after its opening weekend had passed). At this time, the film has already virtually disappeared from theaters. I urge anyone reading this *not* to let this wonderful movie get away. I also want to emphasize that this is not just a movie for small children. It is a movie for *anyone* that appreciates good stories and magical filmmaking. -- Jeffrey P. Graebner Columbus, Ohio
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