Search - A Little Princess on DVD

Mary C. from GILLETTE, WY
Reviewed on 8/22/2010...

I like this movie....have since my daughters were young....I would suggest watching it to others.

Kelly K. from MECHANICSBURG, PA
Reviewed on 3/24/2010...

I Love this movie! It is a remake of the Shirley Temple movie THE LITTLE PRINCESS. It's a story about a young girl,Sarah, who's world is turned upside down when her British father is sent off to WWI. Her mother is dead so she is taken from the only home she has ever known, India, and sent to a girls school in New York. She becomes a favorite among the other girls with her stories of India. When Sarah is told that her father is killed in battle she loses everything and is turned into a servant girl. There are some minor subplots that add to the entire story. Sarah encourages the Headmistresses sister to run off with the milk man and her friendship with the other servant girl. There is also a wise Indian man living next door. Unbeknownst to anyone Sarah's father is alive but suffering from anmesia and being cared for by the wealthy man next door whose own some is missing in action. I won't give the dramatic ending away, but it's a tear jerker and I cry everytime!

Aimee M. (AimeeM)
Reviewed on 2/11/2008...

This version is better for young girls in that the father really doesn't die, however it might have some scenes which would frighten young children.

Of course, that is not at all how the book goes. If you are looking for a movie version of this story that follows the book closely you should check out the BBC version. It is well acted and follows the book almost line by line.

I do enjoy this one, even though it deviated so much from the original story, it has a lot of nice elements.

0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

I am a Princess!

Lee Neville | London, ENGLAND | 09/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""I am a Princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they live in rags. Even if they aren't pretty, or young, or smart, they're still princesses. All of us! Didn't your father ever tell you that? Didn't he?"Well no. My Dad didn't call me a princess, and that's because I'm a guy. But after seeing this movie, I was really beginning to wish I was. "A Little Princess" is quite simply amazing. It is the most magical family movie there is. I just can't recommend it high enough. I saw this at the movie theater, 7 times and it is quite easily my favorite film of all time.Set in 1914, "A Little Princess" tells the story of a girl called Sara who goes to a strict boarding school while her father from England goes to fight the War. The school is run by a mean spirited head teacher called Miss Minchin. From the start, Miss Minchin is jealous of Sara who considers herself to be a princess. After all, her Papa has told her that she will always be his little princess. Despite the harshness of Miss Minchin, Sara continues to fill those around her with magic as she tells stories to them of a beautiful princess and her prince. The emotion begins early in this movie, firstly being when Sara and her Papa say goodbye as he goes into war. Midway through the movie Sara hears that her Papa has been killed in battle. I have to say, when I watched this I was gone. Ok I wasn't gone yet, but I was holding the tears in. Actress Liesel Matthews who plays Sara is so genuine, and director Alfonso Cuaron definitely brings out the best in her. It is at the end which is complimented by the music of Patrick Doyle, that I really did feel a few tears going by my face. It happened just after Sara realized she may truly have lost her father forever.The DVD itself just has a trailer and it would be great if it had more extras, but the moie is just so wonderful that you have to buy this DVD. In addition, the subtle Dolby Digital 5.1 is just right for a movie such as this. "A Little Princess" made my heart feel so much, and I really felt like a girl, getting upset over a family movie like this. I guess I was getting in touch with my inner princess. Maybe I am a princess after all."

Nice movie, too bad about the ending

Patti Whaley | London, UK | 09/07/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This was one of my favourite books when I was a little girl. The movie is well done, but I was disappointed at the "Hollywood ending" that replaced the original ending of the book; it's unnecessary and it doesn't ring true. In the book, although Sara is adopted by the wealthy man next door, who turns out to be her father's business partner and who restores her fortune, her father doesn't return. She becomes comfortable and secure again, and her efforts to be good and brave during hard times have made her a better person, but things will never be as they were before. To pretty this up with a dramatic last-minute reappearance, as was done in this film, is an injustice both to the book and to the audience; the best children's books don't avoid the question of irretrievable loss, but face it squarely and so help young readers to learn that although great losses will occur, we can survive them. Sara's father doesn't return; Beth March dies; Sykes kills Nancy; these leave us saddened but not destroyed. Too bad that this film ditched this sombre but true ending for an over-dramatised, all-but-incredible, sugar-plum ending; it's a good film, but it could have been a great one."

Every girl dreams of being a princess!

Rebecca Johnson | Washington State | 04/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you remember seeing Shirley Temple in the 1939 "The Little Princess," this is the same basic plot with a wonderful new twist. The story is based on the beloved classic by the same author of The Secret Garden.

The movie opens with some stunningly beautiful scenes from India and all too suddenly Sara Crewe must leave with her father who is being called away for military duties. Sara has to go live in a New York boarding school. Through her experiences she learns to survive in the world and takes each day as it comes. Her vivid imagination is a pure delight and when she tells her magical stories, they are played out in a fairy tale like way onscreen. This contrasts with her real life at the school.

Sara's fun-loving spirit does get her into trouble from time to time. Overall, she is just used to living with her father and being free to do mostly what she likes. In her new school she has to follow many rules. She draws strength from her father's words to help her believe in herself. He tells her that she will always be his little princess.

A wonderful movie which shows that if we make the best of our circumstances, we will be blessed in the end. Five stars for storytelling magic!

~The Rebecca Review"