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A Little Princess

A Little Princess

List Price: $14.97
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good adaption
Review: "A Little Princess" is a fine film for both adults and children. It is visually stunning, for a start, and its music and lighting create many magical images. The plot hews quite closely to the classic F.H. Burnett novel, in which young Sarah Crewe is left at a New York boarding school while her father goes off to World War I. The school is run by the hard-nosed Miss Minchin (expertly played by Eleanor Bron), who, upon learning that Sarah's father is presumed dead, turns Sarah into an impoverished servant. Like most of Burnett's great stories, this one pits one optimistic, winning child against the overwhelming odds of a harsh world. Sarah's ability to bring joy to the other girls she meets builds her a powerful support network, and in the end her triumph is tremendously moving. The film is forced to rely on the acting abilities of many small girls, but they all do their best and overall are engaging. As I say, the cinematography is first rate, and, having seen this film three times, I find I am always glad to have watched it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wondeful classic - but is Sara too good to be true?
Review: "A Little Princess" is perhaps the only book I have read which determedly sticks to its title. Motherless Sara Crewe is sent from India to school at Miss Minchin's in Victorian England. Her father was tremendously rich, and Sara is treated accordingly - as a little princess. Her classmates nickname her Princess Sara, some in affection and some in scorn, but in this space of about four years, Sara befriends a poor, overworked little scullery maid about the same age as herself, Ermengarde, a rather fat, awkward little girl without many friends, and a very small girl called Lottie who has lost her mother. Then her father dies and his wealth disappears, and Sara must learn to cope with being demoted from show-pupil to scullery drudge. but Sara carries with her a loving heart and a quick imagination, and through this continues to hold herself as a princess would. Her princess status is eventually reinstated, with the discovery of her late father's best friend, who has been holding Captain Crewe's fortune for him and just looking for Sara.

The book is of course a truly wonderful classic, highlighting severe social concerns around the Victorian era, but the only problem I have ever had with it is Sara's sheer perfection. Modern children may feel at times as if they are being preached at. It is however, a book that both children and adults can read again and again to share Sara's fortune, her joys and her love.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: for ever y LITTLE PRINCESS that you know
Review: "Miss Amelia shut the door. "You are not to go in there." she said. "You are to sleep in the attic." Miss Sara ran up dingy stairs and into the attic. The room had a slanting wall and dingy whitewash. There was a rusty bed and an old grate."
So Miss Sara, seven-year-old Sara Crewe goes from riches to rags, doing the hardest chores. She remembers how kind she was to the other children despite her richness--but that doesn't matter now: she can barely associate with even her closet friends.
A LITTLE PRINCESS is beautiful, inspiring, and motivational. It teaches children that there is more to life than richness, and that kindness is the best thing to do. This Harper Trophy edition is beautifully illustrated, and it is the VERY ORIGINAL CLASSIC. Old England...fancy streets, dark streets, secrets, and all--are brought brilliantly to life. Everyone in this story seems real.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best movie version of the story from the author of...
Review: "The Secret Garden". I rented both this version and the 1939 Shirley Temple one. I didn't much like the latter, since I can't stand Shirley Temple. However, the 1995 Warner Bros. version is superb. As Sara Crewe, Liesel Matthews is perfect for the role whereas Shirley was NOT. Unlike Temple's overrated and overly cutesy presense, Matthews comes across as a real child in this version, and never resorting to showy, shrill theatrics to get her emotions across. She's very believable, as well as quite attractive-looking. The 1993 "Secret Garden" film is also superior to Margaret O'Brien's campy 1949 version. The 90's versions of "Secret Garden" and "Little Princess" are among only a handful of remakes that improve upon the original films. This is because they have higher production values, beautiful cinematography, and they do NOT use the latest popular child stars to carry the roles of Frances Hodgson Burnett's immortal child characters. How can you say that about other remakes?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A timeless tale of courage and character.
Review: "A Little Princess" is a delightful book for girls of any age. It is filled with the magic of an active imagination, properly directed, which provides little Sarah Crewe with the courage and determination to maintain her good and kind nature throughout the worst adversity. Those who enjoy the "Anne of Green Gables" series will certainly enjoy this book as well.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good adaption
Review: "A Little Princess" is a fine film for both adults and children. It is visually stunning, for a start, and its music and lighting create many magical images. The plot hews quite closely to the classic F.H. Burnett novel, in which young Sarah Crewe is left at a New York boarding school while her father goes off to World War I. The school is run by the hard-nosed Miss Minchin (expertly played by Eleanor Bron), who, upon learning that Sarah's father is presumed dead, turns Sarah into an impoverished servant. Like most of Burnett's great stories, this one pits one optimistic, winning child against the overwhelming odds of a harsh world. Sarah's ability to bring joy to the other girls she meets builds her a powerful support network, and in the end her triumph is tremendously moving. The film is forced to rely on the acting abilities of many small girls, but they all do their best and overall are engaging. As I say, the cinematography is first rate, and, having seen this film three times, I find I am always glad to have watched it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wondeful classic - but is Sara too good to be true?
Review: "A Little Princess" is perhaps the only book I have read which determedly sticks to its title. Motherless Sara Crewe is sent from India to school at Miss Minchin's in Victorian England. Her father was tremendously rich, and Sara is treated accordingly - as a little princess. Her classmates nickname her Princess Sara, some in affection and some in scorn, but in this space of about four years, Sara befriends a poor, overworked little scullery maid about the same age as herself, Ermengarde, a rather fat, awkward little girl without many friends, and a very small girl called Lottie who has lost her mother. Then her father dies and his wealth disappears, and Sara must learn to cope with being demoted from show-pupil to scullery drudge. but Sara carries with her a loving heart and a quick imagination, and through this continues to hold herself as a princess would. Her princess status is eventually reinstated, with the discovery of her late father's best friend, who has been holding Captain Crewe's fortune for him and just looking for Sara.

The book is of course a truly wonderful classic, highlighting severe social concerns around the Victorian era, but the only problem I have ever had with it is Sara's sheer perfection. Modern children may feel at times as if they are being preached at. It is however, a book that both children and adults can read again and again to share Sara's fortune, her joys and her love.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My most precious book...
Review: "A Little Princess" is something I re-read every single year around the first snowfall. It helps me to imagine the drudgery poor Sara endured. This book has taught me that no matter what happens to you in life, you always have a choice about how you can react. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. I would especially recommend the now out-of-print edition with the illustrations by Tasha Tudor if you can find it. Do yourself a favor and read this book at least once in your life.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Beautiful Film, But NOT Burnett's "Princess."
Review: "A Little Princess" is, simply put, a beautiful film. The cinematography, sets, music and lighting are top-notch. The scenes in India are particularly gorgeous. The acting is, by and large, superb. As a film, it works.

As an adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved classic, however, this film doesn't come very close. As the 1939 Shirley Temple version, this "LP" simply appropriates the characters' names and the vague situation. Most of the action in the second half of the film--including the discovery of the attic room, the ashes incident, the wild chase and the ending--are from the Temple picture, not the book.

Similarly, the characters deviate significantly from those described in the book. Liesel Matthews is excellent, but she does not have the personality of Burnett's Sara Crewe. Amelia Minchin and Lavinia are both given more sympathetic portrayals, and so forth.

This is a fine movie, but it should be viewed as such, not as an adaptation of the fine novel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A exellent book for any girl, or any age!
Review: "A Little Princess" was a simply magical and heart-warming experiance.It takes you back to the victorian era, where Sara Crewe, The "Little Princess", has just arrived at Miss Minchin's boarding school. Sara is easily liked and settles in quickly. When news comes that her father has died and that she no longer has any money, she goes from riches to rags. But as always there is a happy ending!


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