Hyde Park Pick: The Secret Garden
A family gem from the archives plus a special partnership with the Thackray Museum!
Sylvia Barber
As a film programmer, I love the opportunity to bring archive films back to the big screen for loyal fans and new audiences, and The Secret Garden is an absolute beloved gem of a film brimming with gentle nostalgia, enthralling imagery and pure 90s charm, suitable for all generations. Like all good family films, beyond the whimsical story are more thought-provoking themes which will keep adults interested and children challenged.
The Secret Garden based on the novel first published in 1911, (just before the opening of the Picture House) tells the story of when Mary, a young, recently-orphaned girl is sent to terrifying and gloomy Yorkshire (eek!) after living in India all of her life. Once there, she begins to explore her new, seemingly-isolated surroundings, and its secrets. Along the way, she befriends Colin, a young boy confined to his room through long-term illness and only able to see the sky from the window visible from his bed. Mary determines to break Colin out of his solitude and share her magical discoveries with him against the wishes of Mrs Medlock, the matriarch of the house played by the formidable and dearly missed, Maggie Smith.
Prior to our Saturday screening, we are honoured to be joined by our dear friends and fellow residents of a beloved heritage venue, the Thackray Museum of Medicine to help us to delve into Colin’s story and treatment, alongside the history of illness and healthcare of the Victorian and Edwardian era with a special introduction looking at some intriguing and fascinating artefacts from their collection. If you'd like a sneak preview, they made this excellent film for us about the Magneto-Electric Machine featured in the film.
If you love heritage venues, antique medical equipment and horticultural films, this is the dream collaborative event for you which you won’t want to miss!
The Secret Garden is showing at HPPH this weekend on Sat 01 Feb at 11:00 [with guests from the Thackray Museum] and Sun 02 Feb at 11:00 [Autism-friendly] and 11:30. You can book Pay What You Can tickets here.
