A Little Princess

United States

1995

97 Min

Color

1.85:1

English

Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
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EXEC Alan C. Blomquist, Amy Ephron

SCR Richard LaGravenese, Elizabeth Chandler

CAST Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham, Rusty Schwimmer, Arthur Malet, Vanessa Lee Chester, Errol Sitahal, Camilla Belle

Synopsis

When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara’s creativity and sense of self- worth. Sara’s belief that “every girl’s a princess” is tested to the limit, however, when word comes that her father was killed in action and his estate has been seized by the British government. —IMDb

Director

Alfonso Cuarón

Among the most successful and talked-about Mexican filmmakers of his generation, director Alfonso Cuarón has shown a remarkable versatility, able to embrace old-school Hollywood elegance as well as rough-edged and darker-themed contemporary stories. Cuarón was born in Mexico City in 1961; he went on to study both filmmaking and philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. After graduating, Cuarón began working in television in Mexico; in 1991, he landed his first big-screen directorial assignment. Sólo Con Tu Pareja was a dark comedy about a womanizing businessman who learns he’s contracted AIDS; the film was a massive hit in Mexico, and was enthusiastically received around the world.

In 1995, Cuarón released his first feature film produced in the United States, A Little Princess, a graceful and elegant adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel. Cuarón’s next feature was also a literary adaptation, a modernized version of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations starring Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Robert De Niro. Cuarón’s next project found him making a severe left turn; shot in Mexico with a Spanish-speaking cast, Y Tu Mamá También (2001) was a funny, provocative, and controversial road comedy about two sexually obsessed teenagers who take an extended road trip with an attractive woman in her thirties. The film’s open portrayal of sexuality and frequent rude humor, as well as the politically and socially relevant asides, made the film an international hit and a major success with critics.

In 2004, Cuarón inherited the reins of the successful Harry Potter series, shooting Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with a sense of atmosphere and character theretofore lacking in the Chris Columbus-helmed installments. In 2006, Cuarón release Children of Men, based on P.D. James’ near-future tale of a totalitarian Britain stricken by plague, infertility, and xenophobia, Cuarón echoed a very urgent sense of fear and dread over terrorism and the conflict in Iraq. Working once again with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, the director put lead Clive Owen through grueling long takes to achieve a “you are there” immediacy. Released in time for awards season in the U.S., Children was met with glowing reviews and promising box-office results, given its grim nature.

(From http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll)

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Danny Bailey

1Apr12

When you are a kid, you enjoy this film despite the very Hollywood like story. When you get older you see the flaws in the acting (except Bron, and Cunningham), the plot (eg.change of setting), and the turnout of events (oh, the father happens to live next door to the school). If you want to see a more gripping and realilistic retelling, see the 1939 Shirley Temple film, or the 1986 BBC adaptation.

Stephane Tanaka

7Feb12

While launching it I didn't know it was an adaptation of the eponymous book! Thus kind of a live version of the mega cult animé Princess Sarah \o/. Too bad it's way too much telefilmesque in the form ...

Stephane Tanaka

10Feb12

and too bad all the misery, raw cruelty and sadness is wiped out and replaced by so much happiness, and spielberg family music etc :s