The Secret Garden (1987) vs The Secret Garden (1993)

Content warning: spoilers, mention of fictional abuse

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s story of how a privileged, tantrum-throwing, racist 10 year old unlearns her bullshit with the help of nature and kindness and whatever has been adapted dozens of times in to any number of formats. Millennials are most familiar with two film adaptations made 6 years apart in the late 80s and early 90s, and most fans of one or both have a favorite. I do not claim to be objective in this analysis, I only bring with me the knowledge of reading this book and watching these films maybe more than someone probably should since the age of 6.

THE STORIES:

The 1987 version throws out the book’s canon that Mary and Colin are first cousins due Mary’s father (now deceased) and Colin’s mother (also now deceased) being siblings, and instead explains Mary’s adoption by Archibald Craven out of duty to the son of his dad’s friend. They could have made Archie friends with Captain Lennox or made his wife friends with Mary’s wife and gotten away with their weird storytelling (we’re about to get to that) but for some reason they went the complicated route.

The 1993 version leans in the opposite direction, making Mary’s mother and Colin’s mother twin sisters. I assume this was to make Archie’s reaction to her even more dramatic? I’m not sure. It seemed an over-correction and had no real impact on the story.

THE STORYTELLING DEVICES:

The reason the 1987 version warped the origins of the Lennox and Craven families was so the entire film could be book-ended with a flash-forward of Mary coming back to Misselthwaite a dozen or so years after her time there (there’s a portrait of an older Queen Victoria in the Lennox’s dining room in the beginning of the story, but who knows if we can use that to set the exact date), in the first spring after World War I. It starts with her wandering to the garden door and sitting down, and then a black cat jumps out of nowhere and starts the main story. And then afterward we’re told that Dickon died in the war, and then Colin (played by Colin Firth) shows up and proposes marriage. They kiss and walk through the garden with Ben Weatherstaff as the unnamed black cat looks on. It’s pointless, but almost charming. Almost.

1993 opted for a good ol’ fashioned voice over by Mary, which now that I’ve typed it I probably wouldn’t use “good” to describe it. It’s pointless. And boring. And makes no sense.

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THE DISASTERS:

Cholera (1987) vs Earthquake (1993).

True to the book, the 1987 version opens with Mary unemotional after finding her “ayah” dead and witnessing her parents sweating in sickness from Cholera before wandering through the scene of an abandoned dinner party from the previous night, scrounging for food and drink, making herself sick and falling unconscious on the floor. The next morning she’s found and told her parents are dead, which she reacts to with silent confusion. They then take her doll from her and throw it in a bonfire, which elicits actual grief and Mary starts crying and screaming as she’s taken away (by Julian Glover who is for some reason in one scene of this movie). You get to know who Mary is right away.

The 1993 version wanted something flashier, making Mary’s parents and household die in a violent earthquake. According to the wikipedia page, this version is set in 1911. I can find no earthquakes occurring in 1911, though there was an earthquake in India in 1905 that could be what they were referencing. I can think of no reason why you would need to add an earthquake to the story in the first place, though. They then show scenes of Mary stealing shit and hiding it under her bed while also sleeping under there, which I guess was their attempt at showing PTSD-like symptoms from her being saved from the earthquake because she was taking shit from her mom and hiding under their bed when it hit. But why? The PTSD is never addressed. It has nothing to do with her other spoiled assholishness that is “cured” by the garden. She was already traumatized, neglected, and brought up as a spoiled white kid in colonial India. There was plenty to deal with before you added “earthquake”.

THE MANORS:

Misselthwaite Manor is played by Allerton Castle in 1993, which is actually located in the book’s setting of Yorkshire (northern England) as opposed to 1987’s location of Highclere Castle in Hampshire (south England). But if you wanted to argue authenticity, the original inspiration for the book was a house in Kent (also south England). I do not want to argue authenticity.

Instead I will mention instead that while Allerton had some beautiful scenery, it was made to look (or is?) much more unkempt and un-lived-in than Highclere. 1993 had a darker tone than 1987, so it makes sense. I think I may just be partial to Highclere due to repeated exposure as a film and TV set.

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THE MEDLOCKS:

The darker tone of the 1993 film manifests in Mrs. Medlock becoming a much harsher version of her book version, going so far as to physically assault multiple children in the film. In contrast, 1987 Mrs. Medlock is stern but not abusive. They are both given the motivation of genuinely caring about Colin’s health, but book Mrs. Medlock wasn’t nearly as hateful towards Mary as she is in the 1993 version.

But Maggie Smith is our Mrs. Medlock in the 1993 version, and that counts for a lot. I don’t think I like her Mrs. Medlock as much as the 1987 version, but I can fault absolutely no one for preferring Maggie.

THE DICKONS:

1987’s Dickon is played by a teen Bastion from Neverending Story, and looked to be on his way to the cover of a teen magazine. He’s also psychic. Colin becomes jealous of Dickon at one point over the time he and Mary spend together, but there’s no romance angle played between Mary and Dickon. Which is good, because he is much older than her. He also tends to struggle with the Yorkshire accent, being from Los Angeles.

1993’s Dickon is very close to the book’s description, and thus they are closer in age. But this Dickon’s first introduction is him sneaking up on/spying Mary and then he runs away from her giving no explaination, riding away on a white horse. It’s really weird. And then there’s a super creepy scene where Mary and Dickon are sat on Lilias Craven’s death swing and stare longingly into each other’s eyes while Colin looks on, screaming at them in protest. I don’t need to watch 10-12 year olds have weird and/or incestuous love triangles.

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THE MARYS, QUITE CONTRARY:

The award for best fringe goes to 1987’s Mary, while the award for proper English accent goes to 1993’s English actress.

Also, in the end when Colin and his father are reunited, 1993’s Mary has to throw one final temper tantrum because the situation isn’t about her. It’s weird and kind of negates her entire story of becoming less selfish.

Though to be fair, both versions of Mary and Colin need heavy doses of therapy.

THE ACTUALLY SECRET SECRET GARDEN:

The 1987 version wins hands down in this category. Mary finds the key buried where Mr. Craven laid it to rest after locking up the garden for the final time due to her searching with the help of the red-breasted robin. And finding the key leads to looking for the door. “If there’s a key, there must be a door”.

In the 1993 version, she finds the key in a drawer. Why? I do not know. The magic of the scene finding the key is that she can attribute finding it to the “magic” of the robin and her becoming closer with nature is switched over to the robin showing her the door instead. There is a chapter in the book named “THE KEY OF THE GARDEN”, and I don’t know why they needed to change this. Archie being so sick with grief he buries the key so no one can ever find it seems more compelling than just sticking it in a drawer on his wife’s desk or whatever.

Also, the garden in the 1993 version is HUGE, like, there’s no way you are not seeing where that garden is from the outside.

THE DREAMS:

The 1987 version is again loyal to the book, with Susan Sowerby writing a letter to Mr. Craven asking him home after witnessing the children in the garden and Mr. Craven waking from a dream of Lilias.

Why, in the 1993 version, the children sneak out of the house at night with the help of Ben Weatherstaff to create a huge bonfire in the garden and do some sort of strange ritual involving shouting at the fire and throwing stuff into it after failing at writing to Archie themselves, I can only speculate. We’re supposed to believe that this summoning ritual creates the dream in Mr. Craven’s mind that sends him running home to his son. There is no letter. There is no Susan Sowerby. There’s just magic.

But wait, didn’t they just go out of their way to make the key seem less magic? Also what the heck is this ritual??? It’s so weird.

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THE VERDICT:

The 1987 version is what I consider to be the better adaptation, even with the tacked-on love story, terrible accents, and TV movie editing. It feels more in the spirit of the book and about how Mary changes and how those around her change because of it. Mary isn’t the hero of the story, and the adults are not the villains.

Also there is a cat in the 1987 version, even if it serves absolutely no purpose. Cats always score points.

Also it was the version I grew up with, not so much the 1993 version.

Also my mom liked the 1987 version better.

So I’m a bit biased.

I’m sure you can guess that I am not looking forward to the new film coming out next year. The adults are full-on villains? CG magical gardens like some Bridge to Terabithia shit? Mary doesn’t have bangs (fringe)? No thank you. Even the novelty of Colin Firth returning to the story as Archibald doesn’t tempt me. It’s a no thank you from me.