This is not a thriller, nor is it a simple adventure film, this is a healing film that allows people to experience the reconstruction and growth of the soul. As the original author Burnett said, "My child, if you take good care of the roses, there will be no thistles there," and if your inner garden becomes barren, this Secret Garden will be the key to it. @Little Red Riding Hood's Adventure
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by American writer Francis Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden was shot in 1993 by Polish director Agneska Holland, and received widespread critical attention when it was released. With the gothic atmosphere and ethereal soundtrack of the first half of the film, it's easy to mistake this for a thriller. When the reclusive Mary, the nature-loving Deacon, the depressed Colin and the self-enclosed uncle all change day by day in The Secret Garden, you'll find that it's actually a fresh and warm healing movie.
As an excellent children's film, "The Secret Garden" shines with wisdom and the beauty of human nature, it is not only a meaningful fable, but also a journey of discovery full of surprises. The plot of the film is twisty and fascinating. It tells the story of the reclusive Mary who is sent to live with her uncle Clevin after the death of her parents. Mary, Deacon and Colin break into a deserted and confined garden on a magical expedition, through which they find the key to happiness, and finally experience the story of change and rebirth with the garden.
The beauty of this film is that it tells a story that brings the garden back to life, and lets us see that several lifeless beings bloom and become glorious. Regarding its artistic characteristics and profound connotations, the Washington Post film critics once commented: "If this version of "The Secret Garden" has unearthed some new things of its own, then it embodies its own value, has great charm, and can deeply attract the audience."
This article mainly discusses the unique artistic characteristics and aesthetic connotations of the film "The Secret Garden" from four aspects: narrative mode, character shaping, symbolic metaphor and life philosophy, thus revealing the reason why the film has finally become a classic film for children who are appreciated by both elegant and popular, and suitable for all ages.
The film revolves around three protagonists with two narrative threads, the first taking place on a sunny day and the second on a rainy day. Different weather conditions and the story itself are in line with each other, and play a role in the development of the story and the psychological activities of the characters. The rich and tortuous narrative threads further reflect the film's main theme: the secret garden has magic, and Deacon is a magic person, Mary is transformed by magical personality, and Colin is reborn because of magic.
(1) The first storyline takes place on a sunny day and tells the story of Mary's discovery in the Secret Garden and her labor with Deacon, and Mary's transformation due to magic.
Because she did not get enough love from her parents, Mary was stubborn and grumpy from an early age, and she was lonely. After the death of her parents, she was sent to live on her uncle's estate. Bored, Mary wanders around the manor and stumbles upon the secret garden. Guided by the robin, she found the key buried in the ground and entered the mysterious garden, where her life changed subtly and imperceptibly.
Mary worked in the garden to pull grass, plant flowers, shovel soil and water, etc., and these gardening tasks made Mary more robust. After hard work, her meals became more fragrant, and various nutrients followed, her hair became dark and thick, and her skin became white and red. The little girl with yellow muscles and thin muscles who had just arrived at the manor had become a plump and cute little princess who was loved by everyone.
In order to make friends with the robin, Mary learned to speak softly and politely. Deacon helped her take care of the garden, so that in addition to learning about gardening, she also knew a lot of small animals, and her heart gradually became rich. Deacon's mother, Mrs. Sorby, provided them with fresh milk and bread, which made her feel cared for and loved.
Overall, the Secret Garden not only changed Mary's appearance, but also made her personality and interior change unconsciously. All this love and kindness from the outside world nourished her dry heart, so that she knew how to think about others, learned to express her own ideas, and learned to know how to interact and get along with people.
(2) The second storyline, often on rainy days, tells the story of Mary's exploration of Mr. Craven's mansion and her association with Colin, who was reborn because of magic.
Mary's cousin Colin had been lying in bed for the past decade, living in darkness. Since his mother's death, Papa Clevin has been out of the shadow of bereavement for ten years and has paid little attention to Colin. Others are even more talking about it, saying that a child without his mother's care will not grow up, saying that he will hunch over like his father in the future, saying that he will become a cripple, saying that he will not live long. He had no friends, no father's love, and every day he lay down, staring at the ceiling, living in the shadows and fears that came with those discussions.
Mary's arrival brought color to Colin's life. Mary told him the story of the secret garden, which aroused his curiosity, and Colin, who was once isolated like an island, now because of Mary and Deacon's company, can often go to the garden to breathe fresh air, play with small animals, watch robins hatch eggs, butterflies dance.
It was Mary who ignored the housekeeper's repeated restrictions and threats and found Colin in the manor who was bedridden for many years and was in extreme mental pain, which gave Colin the opportunity to feel the magical power of nature, and the inner haze was swept away. By telling Colin stories about the garden and other stories that fascinated him, Mary gradually recovered both physically and mentally. To this end, Colin also became part of the secret of the Secret Garden, and together with Mary and Deacon, he made a careful plan, began to save the Secret Garden, save himself, and eventually be reborn.
The movie "The Secret Garden" has created a series of character images, and the characters with personality not only add unique aesthetic content to the film, but also enhance its emotional appeal, thus avoiding the stereotyping and typological tendencies that are easy to appear in the character shaping of children's films, and better meet the audience's vision expectations.
First of all, Mary's journey of exploration in both the garden and the manor is a kind of transcendence of her self. In her dealings with Ben, Martha, and Colin, she gradually sees her shortcomings and learns how to get along with others through reflection. In the end, Mary and Colin became healthy and happy children under the influence of Deacon and Martha's siblings, and this character modeling is obviously in line with the audience's expectations.
Secondly, the reason why the film is not conventional is that the realization of this expected vision is rich and tortuous. Because in the first half of the film, both in appearance and personality, the protagonists Mary and Colin are not cute and well-behaved children, which seems to run counter to the audience's traditional expectations. But after a series of events, both Mary and Colin have changed a lot.
Not only is the change in the film gratifying for Mary and Colin, in addition to saving themselves, they also work together to help Colin's dad get rid of his grief and regain his courage to return to the secret garden, thus fulfilling every child's wish to have a happy family.
It can be seen that the characterization of this film is always in a process of dynamic change. Not only that, the film also conveys a very important point of view to the audience within the scope of the audience's expectations: children not only have the ability to change their own lives, but also have enough courage and insight to change adults. The film ends with a happy reunion ending, and all of this returns to the audience's traditional expectations of children's films.
The film has received a lot of attention and fascination not only because of its rich and tortuous storyline and characters with distinct personalities, but also because of the rich metaphors in it. In the film, the secret garden is a metaphor for people's inner world, and every closed and desolate heart needs to open a key to it in order to regain new vitality. Whether it was Mary's heart, Colin's heart, or Clevin's heart, it was once like a dead garden world. But in the end, they all find the key to open the Garden of the Mind, revived and rejuvenated with the revival of the Secret Garden.
(1) The key to Mary's inner world: The Deakin family and the Secret Garden
In the film, the first person to revive and rejuvenate her soul is Mary. After she came to her estate in England, her living environment changed, and her appearance, personality, and memory changed with it. Here, she met the kind and enthusiastic Martha, who accompanied her and told her many interesting things, so that her life was no longer lonely and boring. Martha's mother, Mrs. Sorby, took care of her, gave Mary gifts, and cared for Mary's upbringing. In addition, she kept secrets for her three children and brought them food, filling the gap in Mary's motherly love and making her feel loved.
Deacon is even more magical, Mary firmly believes that he is a magic person, he teaches Mary to garden, with her to take care of the garden, in the process of restoring the secret garden, Mary's heart is gradually awakening. Before coming to the manor, she had to be served by servants, and in the garden with Deacon, she had to work her own in order for the plants to thrive. Deacon accompanied her to bring the garden back to life, and also taught her how to get along with the animals, and everything in the garden was so fresh and interesting that she was in a good mood. Deacon was Like Mary's guide, teaching her to live in harmony with the world around her.
In my opinion, the Deakin family and the secret garden are the key to Mary's inner world. It was in the process of rebuilding and reviving the garden, in the process of spending time with Deacon and his family, that Mary gradually faded away from the rock-solid shell, and her heart gradually became soft and plump.
(2) The key to Colin's inner world: Mary, Deacon, and the Secret Garden
Colin's inner world was like a lifeless garden, once lifeless. The little boy who is only 10 years old, because he listens to the gossip of others, lies in bed all day, convinced that he will not live long, and that he will become hunchbacked and lame. He was afraid to go out, afraid of bacteria outside, afraid of breathing fresh air, and his personality became obedient, grumpy and irritable, and for a time the housekeeper and servant did not know what to do.
Mary's arrival shattered his fears. While she was hysterical in Colin, she examined his back and told him firmly that he would not become a hunchback. She told Colin that she would not listen to other people's opinions, and from the look in Mary's eyes, he read hope, and he began to be willing to believe what Mary said.
Deacon, whom Mary thought could do magic, went to see him with small animals such as squirrels and crows, and told him a lot of interesting things about animals, such as how otters and badgers build nests, how birds build nests, how voles burrow, and so on. When Colin questioned if he could stand up, Deacon encouraged him, "I know you have two legs like everyone else. With such encouragement, Deacon bravely stood up.
It was Mary, Deacon and the Secret Garden that together healed Colin. In the Secret Garden, Colin had a great time with Mary and Deacon. Everything in the garden shows a burst of life, which awakens the long-held vitality in Colin's body. With their encouragement and help, this boy, who was physically and mentally weak, finally stood up not only physically, but also mentally. He shouted involuntarily, "I'll be fine!" Mary, Deacon, I'll be fine! I want to live forever and ever! ”
(3) The keys to Clevin's inner world: Mary, Colin, and the Secret Garden
Cleven and the Secret Garden have a lot of hidden emotional bonds, it's the garden of the wife, where the wife used to grow roses and take care of the garden, and they spent a lot of wonderful time in the garden. Unfortunately, his wife fell to his death while swinging, and the garden has since become a hidden pain in his heart, so he locked the garden, buried the key in the ground, and locked his heart.
Clevin's inner world is like that closed garden, he doesn't know how to open his heart to people, and over time, his heart becomes barren and lifeless. He was indulging in the pain of widowhood all day long, spending most of his time wandering around, not only neglecting to take care of Colin and failing to take on the responsibilities of his father, but also lacking due care for Mary, who had just arrived at the manor. While Clevin was wandering outside, he was inspired by his wife and hurried back to the long-sealed garden. The shock in his heart was indescribable when he saw the sight of Mary reviving the deserted garden.
It seems to me that the Secret Garden symbolizes his wife in Clevin's mind, and he sees not only the garden that has come back to life, but also the reborn Colin. It was these two most precious things in his heart that came back to life that he suddenly woke up, came out of the pain of the past, and cheered up and lived well with Colin. After all, it was not only his wife's expectation, but also his son Colin's longing.
"The Secret Garden" is ostensibly a journey of exploration for the three protagonists, but in fact, the philosophy of life contained in the film is the most important. This series of life philosophies not only improves the watchability of the film, but also allows viewers to get resonance and inspiration in watching the film.
(1) Everyone has strong plasticity and development potential
As the daughter of a colonial officer, Mary was materially wealthy, but her parents did not care about her, so she rarely experienced the love of her parents, and the love of her friends was strange to her. The lack of love deeply affected her soul, she lived in an almost enclosed space, she had no intimate friends, only obedient servants, the family environment led to the lack of her personality, so she did not know how to associate and get along with others.
When Mary first arrived at the manor, she always felt superior and arrogant to the servants. In her dealings with the maid Martha, she slowly began to transform, she felt pleasure she had never felt before, and she began to look down on the servant no longer. Later, Mary labored in the garden with Martha's brother Deacon, bringing to life the once-deserted secret garden, and the process of labor allowed her to experience the joy of labor and the creation of life.
Through her association with the Deacon family, Mary's life became more fulfilling and meaningful, and Mary slowly learned to tolerate, care, care for and encourage others through her association with her cousin Colin. After feeling Mary's gentleness, kindness and encouragement, Colin gradually changes himself and eventually becomes a healthy boy.
From Mary and Colin's various changes, we can see that everyone is very malleable and constantly evolving, so we can't always look at others with old eyes. The film inspires the audience to be good at changing concepts in life, to learn to accept others, and only by looking at people with an appreciative eye can we achieve peace of mind, psychological balance and harmony with others.
(2) Self-confidence and optimism help others overcome difficulties, and firm belief will eventually create miracles.
When Mary first arrived at the manor and heard someone crying, she went to great lengths to find her crying and frightened cousin Colin, and her search for the secret garden also reflected her firm belief. Since Colin's mother died unexpectedly, his father locked the gates of the garden out of grief, and the garden was left untouched for 10 years. By chance, Mary discovered the secret garden under the guidance of the robin, and she firmly believed that the garden could be tree-lined and blossoming in her efforts.
So she asked her uncle for flowers and plant seeds, and with Deacon's help, she planted them in the garden herself. In the process of rebuilding the garden, Mary encountered many difficulties, she always found a way to solve it independently, she firmly believed that as long as she did it carefully, she would be successful, and in the process of rebuilding, Mary's willpower and endurance were well exercised. Eventually, thanks to her and Deacon's efforts, the garden finally came to life.
It is Mary's confident and optimistic personality that helps her overcome difficulties large and small in the process of rebuilding the garden, and the firm belief she has allows her to finally change the status quo of the garden, thus creating a miracle of garden rebirth.
(3) Physical and mental health stems from the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and between people
In the process of transforming nature, the heroine Mary herself unconsciously tends to perfection. The garden becomes beautiful, and Mary's mood becomes beautiful, so that labor can not only beautify the world, but also make her mood suddenly cheerful. Man also gains joy in coexistence with nature and in mutual help with others.
After finding the frail Colin, Mary forcibly opened his doors and windows, mentally persuaded Colin not to be sick, and encouraged him to stand up strongly and help him out of the room into the secret garden that had been closed for many years and was being revived. It was Mary who guided Colin to blend in with nature, and Colin's mood slowly improved, and his illness miraculously improved. In the end, both physically and mentally, he stood up strongly.
In the process of watching the movie, the audience can feel that only when a person goes out of the small personal space to embrace nature, to sincerely communicate and communicate with others, care and help each other, understand and support each other, can he truly establish a harmonious interpersonal relationship, and then become a person with physical and mental health in the true sense.
As many critics believe, "The Secret Garden" is one of the most difficult film and television works to review, because many of the characters and things in the film have the quality of the protagonist, but no matter from which angle we use as an analytical perspective, we can be sure that this film vividly shows the powerful power of the restoration of the mind to the return of humanity to the viewer. This article's discussion of narrative mode, character shaping, symbolic metaphor and life philosophy is also where the film's permanent vitality lies.
Whether it's Mary, Colin, or Clevin, the power to grow and rebuild their hearts comes from love and nature. In fact, in each of our hearts, we also have our own garden to operate like them. When you feel that your mind is blinded by complicated things, come and see this film, it will bring you a clear spring, cleanse your mind, as the end of the film says, "If it is opened in the right way, it is the whole world", and what kind of mood you use to see the world, the world will also present to you.