The Secret Garden (1993)

Mary Lenox is the spoiled, neglected child of a wealthy English couple living in India during the early 20th century. Her mother and father never wanted her, and only care about themselves. One night during one of their frequent parties, an earthquake occurs and both of Mary’s parents are killed in the destruction.

 

Six months after the incident, Mary is sent by ship to Liverpool, England, where she is picked up by Mrs. Medlock, the strict housekeeper of Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire. Mrs. Medlock explains to Mary that her aunt died before she was born. Mary did not know this because her parents spent no time with her. She doesn't know how to look after herself, as her needs were always met by her ayah back in India; nor has she learned to cry. Upon her arrival at the Manor, she hears someone crying from a distant room, but all of the servants tell her differently. On her first night at the manor, she discovers a secret door in her room that leads her to the abandoned rooms of the manor (one being the room of her late aunt, who is also her mother's twin sister). Mary later meets Martha Sowerby, the manor's cheerful, youngest servant, and quickly befriends Mary.   Martha tells Mary that her uncle, Lord Archibald Craven, would like to see her sometime, although Mrs. Medlock denies this fact too. Lord Craven frequently travels away from home because his wife died during the birth of his son, Colin Craven, as he is unable to overcome his loss; it is thought to be a curse that is laid upon Lord Craven.

The next day, when Mary is out in the fresh air and the local gardens, she discovers another hidden garden behind some overgrown ivy. One of the gardeners, Ben Weatherstaff, tells her that there is no entrance because it was meant to be shut it off by Lord Craven after the death of his wife. Mary, driven to find out more about the garden, remembers a key she found in her late aunt’s bedroom, and discovers it fits the lock to the hidden door. One night after dreaming about her mother for the first time since coming to England, she hears the crying from the distant room she heard before. Determined to find out where the crying is coming from, she discovers the room that belongs to her sickly cousin, Colin Craven, who is the master of the house during Lord Craven's absence. Colin, who has lived in bed, is unable to walk and has a morbid obsession with death, believing he will become a hunchback like his father.

Colin and Mary get to know each other very well. His windows are boarded up because of his belief that the light and "spores" outside can harm him. When Mary decides to pull them down with the help of Martha’s brother, Dickon Sowerby (whom she met earlier when she discovered the door to the secret garden), Colin falls out of his wheelchair onto the floor, launching a terrible tantrum. It is revealed that Medlock keeps Colin concealed from Mary as she is convinced Mary is capable of killing Colin if she goes anywhere near him. Soon, Mary persuades Colin that the fresh air is safe, and she and Dickon take him outside in his wheelchair to see the secret garden that they have been trying to restore. Mary and Dickon ultimately teach Colin to stand up and walk, but they decide that Lord Craven should be the first to see Colin walking, so they conceal the secret from Medlock and the others.

After Medlock states that Colin is gravely ill, she forces Mary and Colin to be separated, locking Mary in her bedroom. Mary however escapes from her room through the second door behind a tapestry. Then she takes Colin and Dickon to the garden to perform magic at night, barefoot. The magic causes Lord Craven to have a dream about his late wife in the secret garden with Colin. Alarmed and terrified, he rushes back to Misselthwaite Manor to find him. Lord Craven goes into the secret garden to find Colin walking quite well now. With Mary (certain that no one wants her anymore) running away, Lord Craven persuades her that she is truly a wanted person. Soon, Mary has learned to cry for the first time, and Lord Craven has regained his sense of humour and laughter. Upon their return to the Manor, Medlock and the other servants are amazed to see Colin walking back independently with Mary and Lord Craven.

The film ends with Dickon riding over the Yorkshire countryside on his horse, as the world zooms out around him. Mary speaks of her uncle's learning to laugh, and her learning to cry... and that the whole world is a garden.

This is a lovely film to watch any time during the year, but most especially during winter with a duvet and a nice warm drink. :) xx

Haddon Hall Bakewell, Derbyshire (2010)

Haddon Hall is an English country house on the River Wye at Bakewell, Derbyshire, one of the seats of the Duke of Rutland, occupied by Lord Edward Manners and his family. In form a medieval manor house, it has been described as "the most complete and most interesting house of its period."

Franco Zeffirelli chose Haddon Hall as the location for his 1996 film of Jane Eyre. Since then, it has appeared on television in 2006 as Thornfield Hall in Diederick Santer's 2006 BBC version of Jane Eyre and in Cary Fukunaga's 2011 film of Jane Eyre.

On Friday 27th August 2010, my parents took me to Haddon Hall which is a beautiful place! As I am disabled and in a wheelchair I thought I would not get to see very much of the inside of the Hall but Liz, one of the women who works there asked me which Jane Eyre version was my favourite and I told her it was the 2006 one and that I was a massive fan of Jane Eyre.  She said 'The 2006 version is my favourite too.' She then introduced me to her boss who was there when the 2006 Jane Eyre was being filmed so she told me some wonderful Jane Eyre facts! They also showed me the kitchens, Rochester's study, where Jane plays the piano, the staircase where Jane walks down in her wedding dress, the doorway where Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester kiss in the rain, the chapel and Bertha's tower. Polly, the lady who was Liz's boss told me all about how the fire was filmed and how it took the crew two hours to get the owl to fly past the hall! She showed us a big picture of the fire scene.  I saw Jane's bedroom window too and Polly told me that I had entered the way where Edward Rochester rides off followed by Pilot, his dog.  I loved every minute of it, my Mum did too and my Dad took lots of photos.  Mum and I got very excited!

I had a lovely day and got to see more than I thought I would thanks to the kindness and generosity of the staff at Haddon Hall.  My Mum walked through the Long Gallery (which unfortunately I was unable to see) and took a photo of it for me, she saw the stairs where Edward Rochester walks down after Jane after the money scene. I also went outside and saw the path where Jane Eyre looks around Thornfield and walks down the steps opposite Bertha's Tower. I asked Polly where the library was and she told me it was upstairs.

The only thing that was missing was Toby Stephens striding out of the Hall towards me to hug and kiss me! Oh well... I can dream can't I?!   Whenever I watch Jane Eyre 2006 in the future I will remember this wonderful day which has added to the magic of Jane Eyre 2006 and I love Jane Eyre even more!  I highly recommend everyone visiting this wonderful place!
:) xx

Little Dorrit (2008)

The series tells the story of Amy Dorrit, who spends her days earning money for the family and looking after her proud father, who is a long term inmate of Marshalsea debtors' prison in London. Amy and her family's world is transformed when her boss's son, Arthur Clennam, returns from overseas to solve his family's mysterious legacy and discovers that their lives are interlinked.

 

 

 

 

I love Matthew Macfadyen and Claire Foy. :) xx



Bleak House (2005)

A seemingly interminable lawsuit has mid-19th-century English high society all a-twitter, and its labyrinthine complications envelop a good many people. Among them is a brittle beauty, Lady Dedlock, who guards a dark secret that makes her vulnerable to Tulkinghorn, an unscrupulous, scheming lawyer. Others with interest in the case are the wards in the case Richard Carstone and Ada Clare, along with Ada's companion sweet Esther Summerson who go to live with the kind Mr. John Jaryndyce at Bleak House. As Tilkinghorn and Esther rejected admirer Mr. Guppy try to unravel the mystery surrounding the court case lives will be ruined or made better by the discoveries they make...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lovely period drama! :) xx