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.

47 of 55 found the following review helpful:

Nice movie, too bad about the ending  Sep 07, 2001
By Patti Whaley
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.

25 of 29 found the following review helpful:

Every girl dreams of being a princess!  Apr 17, 2001
By Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review"
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

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

A Beautiful Film, But NOT Burnett's "Princess."  Jun 05, 2000

"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.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:

a wonderfully sweet film.  Apr 30, 2000

ok. i'm a guy. and i watch this film. and i cry. this has happened several times. i hate it. and i still watch the film.

on dvd, the colors and cinematography pop out beautifully. gorgeous. also, the music sounds lush and engulfing.

i missed this film at the movies. wish i hadn't. first, i think the movie would be experienced better on the big screen. second, i would love hollywood to get the message to make more films like this (well acted, well written, well thought out, etc.) of course, the downside would be walking out of the theater with those tears streaming down my face.

not a real guy thing to do.

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