A Little Princess

Plot synopsis:
Captain Ralph Crewe, a wealthy English widower, enrolls his young daughter Sara, who had been living in India, at Miss Minchin's boarding school for girls in London, to prepare her for a life in high society. Crewe dotes on his daughter so much that he orders and pays the headmistress for special treatment and exceptional luxuries for Sara, such as a private room for her with a personal maid and a separate sitting room (see Parlour boarder), along with Sara's own private carriage and a pony. Miss Minchin openly fawns over Sara for her money, but secretly and jealously despises her for her wealth. Miss Minchin's younger sister, Amelia, is kindhearted yet her will is weak.
Despite her privilege, Sara is neither arrogant nor snobbish, but rather kind, gracious and clever. She extends her friendship to Ermengarde, the school dunce, to Lottie, a four-year-old student given to tantrums, and to Becky, the lowly, stunted fourteen-year-old scullery maid. When Sara acquires the epithet of a princess, she embraces its favorable elements in her natural goodheartedness.
After some time, Sara's birthday is celebrated at Miss Minchin's with a lavish party, attended by all her friends and classmates. Just as it ends, Miss Minchin learns of Captain Crewe's unfortunate demise. Prior to his death, the previously wealthy gentlemen had lost his entire fortune; a friend had persuaded Captain Crewe to cash in his investments and deposit the proceeds to develop a network of diamond mines. The scheme fails and Sara is left a pauper. Miss Minchin is left with a sizable unpaid bill for Sara's school fees and luxuries, including her birthday party. In a rage, Miss Minchin takes away all of Sara's possessions (except for some old frocks and one doll), makes her live in a cold and poorly furnished attic, and forces her to earn her keep by working as an errand girl.
For the next several years Sara is abused by Miss Minchin and the other servants, except for Becky. Amelia deplores how Sara is treated but is too weak to speak up about it. Sara is starved, worked for long hours, sent out in all weathers, poorly dressed in outgrown and worn-out clothes, and deprived of warmth or a comfortable bed in the attic. Despite her hardships, Sara is consoled by her friends and uses her imagination to cope, pretending she is a prisoner in the Bastille or a princess disguised as a servant. Sara also continues to be kind and polite to everyone, including those who treat her badly. One day she finds a coin in the street and uses it to buy buns at a bakery, but despite being very hungry, she gives most of the buns away to a beggar girl dressed in rags who is hungrier than herself. The bakery shop owner sees this and wants to reward Sara, but she has disappeared, so the shop owner instead gives the beggar girl bread and warm shelter for Sara's sake.
Meanwhile, Mr. Carrisford and his Indian assistant Ram Dass have moved into the house next door to Miss Minchin's school. Carrisford had been Captain Crewe's friend and partner in the diamond mines. After the diamond mine venture failed, both Crewe and Carrisford became very ill, and Carrisford in his delirium abandoned his friend Crewe, who died of his 'jungle fever.' As it turned out, the diamond mines did not fail, but instead were a great success, making Carrisford extremely rich. Although Carrisford survived, he suffers from several ailments and is guilt-ridden over abandoning his friend. He is determined to find Crewe's daughter and heir, although he does not know where she is and thinks she is attending school in France or Moscow.
Ram Dass befriends Sara when his pet monkey escapes into Sara's adjoining attic. After climbing over the roof to Sara's room to get the monkey, Ram Dass tells Carrisford about Sara's poor living conditions. As a pleasant distraction, Carrisford and Ram Dass buy warm blankets, comfortable furniture, food, and other gifts, and secretly leave them in Sara's room when she is asleep or out. Sara's spirits and health improve due to the gifts she receives from her mysterious benefactor, whose identity she does not know; nor are Ram Dass and Carrisford aware that she is Crewe's lost daughter. When Carrisford anonymously sends Sara a package of new, well-made and expensive clothing in her proper size, Miss Minchin becomes alarmed, thinking Sara might have a wealthy relative secretly looking out for her, and begins to treat Sara better and allows her to attend classes rather than doing menial work.
One night, the monkey again runs away to Sara's room, and Sara visits Carrisford's house the next morning to return him. When Sara casually mentions that she was born in India, Carrisford and his solicitor question her and discover that she is Captain Crewe's daughter, for whom they have been searching for years. Sara also learns that Carrisford was her father's friend and her own anonymous benefactor, and that the diamond mines have produced great riches, of which she will now own her late father's share. When Miss Minchin angrily appears to collect Sara, she is informed that Sara will be living with Carrisford and her entire fortune has been restored and greatly increased. Upon finding this out, Miss Minchin unsuccessfully tries to persuade Sara into returning to her school as a star pupil, and then threatens to keep her from ever seeing her school friends again, but Carrisford and his solicitor tell Miss Minchin that Sara will see anyone she wishes to see and that her friends' parents are not likely to refuse invitations from an heiress to diamond mines. Miss Minchin goes home, where she is surprised when her sister Amelia finally stands up to her. Amelia has a nervous breakdown afterwards, but she is on the road to gaining more respect.
Sara invites Becky to live with her and be her personal maid, in much better living conditions than at Miss Minchin's. Carrisford becomes a second father to Sara and quickly regains his health. Finally, Sara - accompanied by Becky - pays a visit to the bakery where she bought the buns, making a deal with the owner to cover the bills for bread for any hungry child. They find that the beggar girl who was saved from starvation by Sara's selfless act is now the bakery owner's assistant, with good food, clothing, shelter, and steady employment.

Tags: good versus evil, cruelty, storytelling

Review:
Alfonso Cuaron (who was later tabbed to direct the 3rd Harry Potter movie, really showed his stuff in this film, which in my opinion was largely overlooked, as I don't remember a whole lot of publicity being done when it was first released, which is a shame, because a lot of effort went into making this such a good movie.
As my emotions swayed along with the joys and plights the little child Sara endured, I realized I am still as humane and compassionate as I always have been, and that it just doesn't show too much on the exterior anymore, that's all.Each time my eyes went moist, I felt happier with myself.Too bad this film did not do too well in the theatres, as I find the film quite moving and uplifting.
No other film makes me tear up or cry as much for its brutal honesty, it's uncliched tenderness, and heartfelt truth about those ultimately human truths- love, kindness, and the magic of believing.
This movie tells the story the way it really was in the novel-- unlike the Shirley Temple-sugar-coated ridiculously inaccurate version.
This movie is on my short list of great live action family films.
Let's put it this way: if you think Frank Capra was the bane of American film-making, you're gonna hate this movie.
"Princess" was released in 1995, and "Sorceror's/Philosopher's Stone" was PUBLISHED in 1998.This is a small, quiet, sweet little film the entire family can enjoy, without insulting Mom & Dad's intelligence.
This Little Princess is real, and her story is worth watching.Side note-little boys might not find the film engaging.
The year is 1914 and little Sarah is forced to go to a school in New York, New York (after spending all her life in India) when her father must fight for Britain in the First World War. Immediately Sarah has made two foes, the head-mistress and founder Miss Minchin and Livinia the school bully.
(Just go see his Great Expectations modern remake for further proof!) The cast excels with the familiar material, Eleanor Bron is letter perfect as the wicked headmistress of the school, never descending into caricature, but still making her mark as a the villianous Miss Minchin.
Liesel Matthews is a surprising delight as the title character, the other little girls are stereotypical but miraculously wonderful in their individual parts!
A sympathetic little girl is sent by her father(Liam Cunninghan in role dual as dad and prince Rama) to New York(the original is London) seminary school ruled by a grumpy headmistress(Eleonora Bron), while he's posted in European WWI.
When her daddy is declared wounded and his memory is lost , then the penniless schoolgirl ought to work in the boarding house as a servant to pay her existence.Marvelous rendition has Liesel Mattews as fanciful little girl and Liam Cunninghan as her lovely father and of course the spiteful governess well performed by Eleonora Bron.
I saw this movie with my 5 year old daughter -- and while it was a little too complex for her to follow I completely fell in love with it.
A major change to the plot/ending changes the whole story, glossing over Sara's (originally) very real loss, and obscuring the point that sometimes bad things DO happen to good people-- and that one can triumph over adverse circumstances without their turning out to have been just mistakes after all.4.
The banquet scene, with its sumptuous mise-en-scene, is made resplendent with the joy exuded by the talented young actresses.As an adaptation, it is a powerful piece; though it strays from the novel, it is done so tastefully, in the style of the novel, and the climax is both heartbreaking and incredibly heart-warming.A Little Princess is precisely the type of movie every child should watch- and every adult.
We were not rewarded.I cannot for the life of me think of a reason the film makes should alter this excellent book in such a bad direction.
If you saw Shirley Temple's version of this story, which was okay - nothing great - this movie, in comparison, is disgusting.In this remake, the occult takes center stage: witches spells, Hindu magic, etc.
But she does not do the stupid, spiteful things that the Sara in the film does.It's really rather unsettling to me that so many here say they loved the book and they love the movie.
Alfonso Cuaron's A Little Princess of one of the most gorgeous, sumptuous, painstakingly detailed films I've ever seen.
Liesel Matthews is electrifying as Sarah Crewe, an Army Captain's daughter who is left at a high end school for girls in the heart of the city, when her father goes to war.
It is as sweet as it can be , well staged and the cinematography is so beautiful that for once you will surely forgot about all the cruelty and chaos of the world and see the beauty in each aspect of life and praise it.this film is about love, kindness , magic and full of heart.This movie is spellbinding and a fascinating movie to watch.
The movie is full of beautiful moments.My primary complaints about the film are probably due to its short running time.
For example, the movie really needed to show us what the lawyer said to Miss Minchin, because without that explanation, it came across as a highly improbably turn in the narrative put there entirely to propel the story, as opposed to something that is likely to have happened (the book, from what I've read on wikipedia, makes more sense in this regard).
A few months ago I wanted The Secret Garden on DVD, I found it, but it was a double feature with A Little Princess, I never saw that movie but remember hearing about it when I was a little girl.
Not sure why I never saw it, but I was looking for a movie to watch last night and figured I would watch it and I have to say that this was such an adorable and beautiful film about how every girl in the world has a little princess in them.
The girl who played Sara was so incredibly amazing, she was such a talent in this film, and so were the other children.
I think the reason why this film is so wonderful is that we could all relate to the magic of being a child and using our imagination to make things better.
The story here is absolutely charming.Sara is going to an American private school where over privileged girls are getting their education, her father leaves her to fight in the war.
But Sara will not loose hope and reminds the girls that they all have a little princess in them.A Little Princess is an absolutely charming film that I would recommend to anyone.
This was a great film to watch, the acting and sets were so amazing, but it's the story that was so wonderful for the children and adults alike.
Child roles are usually poorly played, but the girls in this movie are truly brilliant meaning you are brought into the world of innocence and imagination that only childrens minds can conjour.
Well developed characters and a good story are all put together in this beautiful movie.
Matching her perfectly, was Eleanor Bron as the evil Miss Minchin never once over the top, and there were some funny and touching moments, like Sara's first meeting with Becky and when she learns of her father's death.
Liesel Matthews does a wonderful job portraying Sara as a smart, sensitive girl who, though very wealthy and well-liked, is still humble, compassionate and always thinking of others.
Sara Crewe is a young girl who loves to tell creative stories.
When Sara meets Miss.Minchin, the schools mean headmistress, they don't get on as Miss.Minchin doesn't like Saras stories or creativity and the fact that Sara believes "every girl is a princess".
Minchin makes Sara a servant in the school.Sara still believes "every girl is a princess" though and convinces everyone else in the school the same thing, she carries on telling her stories and stays happy and true to herself.A Little Princess is a great fantasy drama with wonderful performances from everyone involved and great dramatic directing.
I never cry so much than when I watch this scene.Although the themes of the movie differ from the book, as I said earlier, I think these themes are better.
For one, the theme of the book is that a girl is a Princess when they behave, when they are good and virtuous as Sara is.
It's like the Santa Claus myth, trying to bribe/blackmail children into being good, but the theme of the movie, which is that all girls, even horrible ones, are Princesses is lovely.
An epic and beautiful presentation, crossed with the parallel story of Prince Rama and Princess Sita that echos the main plot of Sara Crewe and her father, who both know that all girls are princesses.
The acting was also great with realistic characters.My favorite part of the movie is when the girl reunites with her father who returns back to the orphanage at the end of the movie.
This story, about the little girl who travels from her home in India to an exclusive boarding school in early 1900's New York, is based on a classic novel by Francis Hodgson Burnett.
Little Sara Crewe has a vivid imagination, a lot of which is due to the fact that she has spent most of her young life in a magical and mystical land, the India that she often talks about.
Things take a dark turn when it is discovered that Sara's father, whom she loves more than anything in the World, has died in battle, during the first World War. Sarah can no longer attend school as a pupil, but Miss Minchin, the icy head mistress, keeps Sarah on as a servant girl.
I remember reading the book as a child, and then watching the movie.
I have not seen this film for a while, but it remains fresh in my mind as a beautiful, enchanting, great movie.
I also think it is better than the Shirley Temple version- which although it wasn't that bad, it had some added scenes, such as the ridiculous dream, which took away the charm of the story, and also some important deleted elements of the plot, such as Sara's friends.
It is absolutely wonderful, heart-wrenching, and enchanting.It follows the story of Sara Crewe, who is sent to a boarding school with a mean headmistress, who on finding out Sara's father is dead and penniless, sends her to live in the attic.The story in itself is enough to make anyone's heart skip a beat with sympathy for the girls in the attic, and the hardships they face.The actress playing Sara is brilliant, she can make you smile and cry, as if she really was the girl all this happened to.
This is one of the best movies I have ever seen!I first saw it when I was 9 and now I'm 15 and still cry every time!Believe me,even one of the football players told me it was the only movie he ever cried for!I have to admit it was a little hard for me to understand when I was a kid,but it is still one that every child should see!It borders on a fairytale,and real life,which is good for kids.Great acting,and a really good plot,with all kinds of characters kids love.No matter what age you are,you must see this movie at least once,if not more!Has many touching scenes,some will make you laugh,and some will make you cry!Have a box of tissues ready too,cause this one gets me every time!.
I just love this film...it has brilliant acting, particularly from liesel matthews who plays the little princess sara crewe and the setting and storyline are faultless.
beautiful stories of rama and seta told by a little girl so far away from her papa, who misses him dreadfully.
The acting is to be commended, especially Eleanor Bron as Miss Minchin And Liesel Matthews as the little girl Sara.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time, for both the technical aspects of direction, cinematography, acting and so forth, as well as the wonderful story.
Great actors, Liesel Matthews is a beautiful girl and it is just my all time favorite.More power to the Little Princess..
The story itself is not that spectacular; a little girl, Sarah, (played by Liesel Matthews) is left alone in a school for girls in New York while her father is fighting for England during the First World War. Having lived a comfortable life in India, she'll learn that the world is not always a fairytale.
The book was about how Sara WAS a princess because she behaved like one.
I liked the hint that Miss Minchin might be the way she was because her father never gave her the kind of love that Sara had as a child.
Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) lives a fairy tale life with her loving father (Liam Cunningham) in Simla, India.
Miss Minchin reduces her to work as a servant girl for the money she owed.Director Alfonso Cuarón brings this classic story to life.
The main role of Sara Crewe is played by Liesel Matthews, a really cute young girl (in this movie anyway), although her acting skills aren't great , she really gets the message across.
Alfonso Cuaron's adaptation of A Little Princess is a film filled with magically realism, whimsy and sickly sweetness.
It is a popular film for young girls and women for these reasons.In 1914 Britain has entered into the First World War. Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) is a British girl (even though she has an American accent), living in India.
When her father (Liam Cunningham) is called up to serve in the war, Sara is sent to the same boarding school her descended mother went to, the Miss Minchin's Seminary for Girls in New York.
It is story about a girl needs to keep her determination, hope, kindness and imaginable that strength of friendship.I personally love Cuaron as a director, especially for his work on Harry Potter and Children of Men. With A Little Princess he was in full manipulation mode and it very much like a Spielberg film in the emotional scenes to more comically toned involving the girls causing mischief, playing jokes to a scene where the bully of school is 'cursed' and sees the outcome of it.
By changing it to 1914 it made the scenario less believable, that Sara becomes slave labour when she should would be education and child labour is still being used when in most Western countries had at this point introduced some sort of compulsory education.A Little Princess truly is a family film, children of all ages will find something to enjoy in this whimsical film.7.5/10.
The bad news is that, while a significant improvement on the aforementioned Little Princess "adaptation," this movie is nonetheless an Americanized version of a classic British children's novel, and its roots definitely show as a stereotypically Hollywood effort.
Finally, there is the much-maligned happy ending pulled straight from the Temple version, which I only had a problem with because it was too over-the-top, where most of the time, the movie had the sense to pull back and have an occasional reflective moment.To make a very, very long story short: Not my favorite, has no nostalgia attached to it for me, but I can accept it, and even enjoy it..
It follows the story exactly, the characters look and act the way they're supposed to, and it gives you the real feeling of what Sara had to go through.
Many years after I saw Alfonso Cuaron's movie adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel "A Little Princess", it surprised me to learn that the cast includes Liesel Matthews (Harrison Ford's daughter in "Air Force One"), Eleanor Bron (Ahme in "Help!") and Arthur Malet (Mr. Dawes in "Mary Poppins").
The music score whilst not one you would listen to regularly, matches the movie perfectly.If you haven't seen A Little Princess, you're missing out.
"A Little Princess" is a really fascinating film about the misconceptions between adults and children; the rich and poor; fantasy and reality.
I recommend this movie to anyone who could use a good cry, or who simply loves well-made films..
I don't think any of the Little Princess movies have kept that part in.
The book "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a book that changes the life of children who read it.
We need to vote with our dollars and support films like 'Little Princess' Get the DVD.
A great heart-warming movie for little princess, and family!
A Little Princess based on the book by Frances Burnett is a beautiful family film that delivers on a couple of levels.
A Little PrincessMuch better version than the original Shirley Temple film has a more believable young lady portraying the title roll.
PLEASE NOTE:  In the original 1880 short story "Sarah Crewe, or What Happened at Miss Minchin's" and the 1905 novel "A Little Princess," , THE STORY IS SET ENTIRELY IN INDIA AND LONDON, ENGLAND IN THE 1880S, EVERYONE IS BRITISH EXCEPT RAM DASS & BECKY IS WHITE AND COCKNEY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, CAPTAIN CREWE DIES OF A LETHAL JUNGLE FEVER AND HIS "DEAR FRIEND" EVENTUALLY FINDS SARAH AFTER A LONG SEARCH AND ADOPTS HER.That duly noted, this movie version is well-directed by the director of the beautiful "Like Water for Chocolate", and it is beautifully filmed.
I have loved the book "A Little Princess" for most of my life, and was very excited that there was a movie.
The real theme of the story should be that a girl can be a princess only when she behaves like one, as Sara does when she gives 5 of her 6 buns to a beggar child, even when she herself is very hungry.
If you're looking for a film that actually tells the story of A Little Princess (in fact, if you've read the book) don't waste time with this one.