Stars: Shirley Temple, Ian Hunter, Richard Greene, Anita Louise

Director: Walter Lang

Summary: Sara is at boarding school when she hears that her father is reportedly killed in action in the Boer War. After this she is treated like a servant by the headmistress and can only cling to the hope that her father will return...

Based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's popular children's book and stage play, THE LITTLE PRINCESS features one of Shirley Temple's most memorable performances and her first Technicolor appearance. Temple stars as Sara Crewe, a little rich girl who is enrolled in a prestigious boarding school while her father goes off to fight in the Boer War in Africa. When Sara receives news of her father's death, the school's ruthless headmistress makes the newly penniless girl a galley slave and forces her to live in a cold, dark garret. Sara, who refuses to accept that her father has died, escapes from the school to search for him, believing that if she can find him, her tragic days of abuse and poverty may be over. The production values in this enthralling riches-to-rags-to-riches Victorian drama are lavish, and the plot and performances are deftly handled by director Walter Lang, but it is of course the irresistibly charming Temple who ensures THE LITTLE PRINCESS a lasting place in the hearts of her fans, film lovers, and children of all ages.

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After the critical success of 1993's The Secret Garden, Warner Bros returned to the novels of Frances Hodgson Burnett to create this 1995 adaptation of A Little Princess, which instantly ranked with The Secret Gardenas one of the finest children's films of the 1990s. Neither film was a huge box-office success, but their quality speaks for itself, and A Little Princesshas all the ingredients of a timeless classic. A marvel of production design, the film features lavish sets built almost entirely on a studio backlot in Burbank, California. The story opens in New York just before the outbreak of World War I, when young Sara (Liesel Matthews) is enrolled in private boarding school while her father goes off to war. Under the domineering scrutiny of the school's wicked headmistress, Miss Minchen (Eleanor Bron), Sara quickly becomes popular with her schoolmates, but fate intervenes and she soon faces a stern reversal of fortune, resorting to wild flights of fancy to cope with an unexpectedly harsh reality. Rather than label her fanciful tales as escapist fantasy, A Little Princessactively encourages a child's power of imagination--a power that can be used to learn, grow, and adapt to a world that is often cruel and difficult. It's also one of the most visually beautiful films of the 90s and creates a fully detailed world within the boarding school--a place where imagination is vital to survival. A first-class production in every respect, this is one family film that should (if it's not too stuffy to say it) be considered required viewing for parents and kids alike. --Jeff Shannon

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	13 Chapter Points
Year:	1939
Release Date:	March 15, 2004
Runtime:	92 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	761659
Keywords:	Princess, Little, General, Drama
Genre:	Drama