A Little Princess (1995)
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A young girl's imagination becomes her sanctuary after her wealthy life is stripped away at a strict boarding school.
The story
In 1914, a kind-hearted young girl named Sara Crewe lives in India with her wealthy father, a British Army Officer. When he is called to serve in the Great War, he enrolls her at an all-girls boarding school in New York City. After her father is reported killed in battle, the school's haughty headmistress, Miss Maria Minchin, seizes Sara's belongings and relegates her to a life of servitude in the school's attic. Despite her bleak circumstances and the loss of her wealth, Sara maintains her spirit through a powerful imagination and her belief that all girls are princesses, even as she faces the cruelty of the school's administration.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1914, Sara Crewe lives in India with her wealthy father, Richard, a British Army Officer. He sends her to a New York boarding school, where she is initially treated well. However, after Richard is reported killed in the Great War, the headmistress, Miss Minchin, strips Sara of her wealth and moves her to the attic to work as a servant alongside Becky. Despite the hardship, Sara uses her imagination to cope. She befriends a local man named Ramdas, who helps her and others. The plot thickens when a soldier with amnesia is found nearby; it is eventually revealed to be Sara's father. While Miss Minchin tries to seize his property, she is deceived by his identity. Ultimately, Richard regains his memory and his fortune, rescuing Sara from deportation. The school is taken over by a kind man, and Miss Minchin is punished for her cruelty, while Sara and Becky are reunited with their new life.
- First release year
- 1995
- Runtime (minutes)
- 97
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alfonso Cuarón
- Writers
- Richard LaGravenese · screenplay; Elizabeth Chandler · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Eleanor Bron · Maria Minchin; Liam Cunningham · Richard Crewe; Liesel Matthews · Sara Crewe; Rusty Schwimmer · Miss Amelia Minchin; Arthur Malet · Charles Randolph; Vanessa Lee Chester · Becky; Errol Sitahal · Ram Dass
- Genres
- fantasy drama
- Themes
- resilience; imagination; inner strength
- Tone and mood
- whimsical; fairytale-like
- Setting
- New York City and India, 1914
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; period piece; magical realism
- Source material / true-story basis
- A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1905)
- Content notes
- child abuse
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and was described as a 'bright, beautiful and enchantingly childlike vision' that 're-creates the ephemeral world of childhood'.
- Production trivia
- The film was based on a 1905 novel.; The film's plot was heavily influenced by the 1939 cinematic version.; The film's score was composed by Patrick Doyle.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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This film adapts A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Check the adaptation reference.
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