From India to the Anglo-Boer War The book by Francis Burnet “Little Princess” quickly gained a crowd of loyal readers and fans, who to this day stage performances on it in the theater, make films. The first silent film was made in 1917! But 22 years have passed, cinema has evolved, and it is time for a second adaptation of Sarah Crewe.
In truth, the director took up “The Little Princess” not out of love for the book and not out of a desire to show the story of an unfortunate orphan, but in order to restore the popularity of Shirley Temple. She is a cheerful charming girl who with her cute face can please the audience, but will not make you cry. In Burnet’s book, there is almost no room for humor and joy, it is dedicated to the difficult life of a little girl who lost everything overnight – her father, human warmth, and home. The girl who became a maid in the boarding house, in which most recently everyone treated her like a princess.
However, the film and the book have little in common. There is no India where Sarah Crewe is from, no two girlfriends of Hermegrande and Lottie. Sarah Crewe's story is preserved, but with major changes. Sarah is the daughter of a warlord who died during the Boer War. Cruel Miss Minchin, fearing conviction, did not surrender Sarah to the orphanage, but left her as a maid. Sarah didn’t get angry with the world, she didn’t get heartbroken, and she refused to believe her father was dead. Sarah ran to the hospital every day hoping to find her early father. If the book was about fortitude, then the film is about faith and hope.
Another reviewer before me rightly said that if you change the names of the characters, you get a completely different work. Evaluating the film separately, without going back to the book, you can find pros and cons in it. Of the pluses, this is, of course, a good game of actors, scenery, a simple and uncomplicated plot. The downside of the film is rush. It's happening fast. Here Sarah was brought to boarding school, here she met Becky, here is the Birthday and the news of the death of her father. It does not feel like many months have passed between these events. And I, as a pacifist, did not like that the film so much glorified the Anglo-Boer war with its hundreds of thousands of innocent victims.
In principle, the film was not bad. I thought for a long time how many points to put on the film. There was no special disappointment from the reworking of the book, as in the German film about Huckleberry Finn. The new story is also good and worthy of life. Shirley Temple, Richard Green, Anita Louise, Sybil Jason, Maria May Jones played great. I also liked the show Sarah had in her dream.
In general, removing grievances:
7 out of 10