On October 23 this beautifully shot, long-awaited film version of the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, was released in the UK, featuring brilliant actor Julie Walters.
And on reflection, the delayed timing couldn’t be more apt. A main thread running through the film is finding light and beauty where there is darkness, hope where there is despair. What could be more fitting at a time when we have all been learning how to cope living through the pandemic.
It’s a thought that was certainly in Julie Walters’ mind when she spoke recently about the film. Julie, who plays stern housekeeper Mrs Medlock, has said: “There’s a lot of loss and a lot of darkness about the restrictions at the moment. So, I think this film is very relevant to current times. The Secret Garden explores themes such as loss and friendship, regeneration and light at the end of the tunnel. I think this will always resonate.
“It’s pertinent now because in the film, they’re coming out of a particularly dark period, showing that there is hope and light. Hopefully soon we will be, too.”
The Secret Garden, written in 1911, which over the years has been made for both big and small screens eight times, tells the story of Mary Lennox, an orphaned ten-year-old girl who is sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven, played by Colin Firth, under the watchful eye of Mrs Medlock. Although the novel was set at the turn of the 20th Century, this film version is set in Forties England.
At Misselthwaite Manor, a remote country estate deep in the Yorkshire moors, Mary begins to uncover many family secrets, particularly after chancing upon her cousin Colin who has been shut away unwell in a wing of the house. While exploring the grounds of the manor, Mary discovers a wondrous garden and meets a local boy, Dickon, who helps her heal stray dog Hector’s injured leg using the garden’s restorative powers. The three children adventure deep into the mysteries of the garden – a magical place that will change their lives forever.
Julie first read the book when she about 12 years old. Julie said recently, speaking to a film-lovers’ website. ‘I completely loved it. I don’t know any girl or boy who wouldn’t love it, really. It just has everything – it’s mysterious and creepy, exciting and unusual. Ultimately, it’s also very uplifting. It was a lovely, lovely read.
“I loved the film script from the moment I started reading it and that’s the reason I decided to do the film. I’m far too old now just to do things for my career! I felt the script was very true to my memory of the book.”
Julie also relished the opportunity to play a complicated character as Mrs Medforth. She’s the first character from Misselthwaite Manor who Mary meets.
“She’s a woman of about my age and she’s completely bewildered by Mary and the way the child speaks and behaves. She’s constantly wrong-footed by Mary. Mrs Medforth has a lot on her plate so you can see why she’s so harried. She’s very, very protective of Sir Archibald and perhaps also a little bit in love with him in a distant kind of way,” Julie has said.
Sir Archibald is suffering from depression so Mrs Medforth has to deal with that too. “Then there’s the manor which is huge and very rundown and she’s doing all she can to get it up and running again. It’s all rather a burden.”
Not that Julie found it a burden at all to be reunited with Colin Firth with whom she’s starred in films such as Mamma Mia and Mary Poppins. Although The Secret Garden is the first time they’ve never properly had a scene together.
“Oh, it was so lovely working with Colin. He’s just so good. We also had a wonderful time nattering and gossiping with each other!” Julie has said.
As has been widely reported, Julie (70) underwent surgery for bowel cancer in 2018. Happily, she has been given the all-clear but as she shared with the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire earlier this year, The Secret Garden may be the last film she makes.
“It’s possible, yeah it’s possible,’ she said. ‘Something might come up but it would have to be something I really engaged with and that didn’t have a killer schedule. I can’t go back to five, six days a week from five in the morning to seven at night. Then there’s learning the lines that a big part entails and the stress of it all.
“I’m not saying I’ll never act again but since the cancer, I feel like a different person to the person who was working the whole time and always rushing about. It’s changed me because it’s changed the way I live my life. I’m the same but different.”
But still a national treasure, Julie.
The Secret Garden is released at selected cinemas on October 23. It’s also available to watch on the Sky Cinema channel and, via a Sky Cinema pass, on the Now TV.
Some of The Secret Garden’s exquisite locations
Bodnant Garden, North Wales
A stunning arch of flowering laburnum at Bodnant Garden, near Conwy, features in the film. Described by the National Trust as ‘the height of spring’, the Laburnum Arch is 180ft long and was created in 1880. The vibrant yellow flowers usually attract 50,000 visitors when they bloom each spring but with manicured lawns, flower-filled terraces, meadows and water gardens, there is still plenty to see at Bodnant the rest of the year.
Helmsley Walled Garden, North Yorkshire
Built in 1758 and nestling next to the North Yorkshire Moors, Helmsley walled garden is one of the stars of The Secret Garden. It was originally created to provide vegetables, fruit and flowers to the Feversham family, who lived at nearby Duncombe Park which doubles for Misselthwaite Manor in the new film.
Trebah Gardens, Cornwall
This beautiful 26-acre Cornish valley garden near is bursting with exotic blooms and vibrant tunnels of colour. Its giant, Triffid-like Elephant’s Rhubarb plants – known as Gunnera – are native to the mountains of south-east Brazil, with leaves up to 2.5m wide and stems as thick as a man’s wrist.
Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire
The magnificent abbey was established by devout monks seeking a simpler existence. The atmospheric ruins provide a backdrop to the elegant Studley Royal water gardens with their mirror-like lakes and ponds. In the film the Abbey ruins are transformed into a sunken temple complete with vine-covered walls.
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