I have access to three of the versions (1939, 1986, and 1995) and I'm going to examine each, compare them, and talk about how closely each relates to the book. (I've read both versions of the novel, but as A Little Princess is basically just a longer version of Sara Crewe, with very few actual plot changes, I will compare the films only to A Little Princess.)
First, a synopsis of the book:
Sara Crewe is a wealthy child. Her mother died long ago and she lives with her doting father in India. When she reaches the age of eight, Sara's father, Captain Crewe, takes her to Europe, intent upon enrolling her in a boarding school, where she is to spend the next several years. At Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Girls, Sara is treated as somewhat of a royal pupil -- her father insists that she is to have whatever she wants. Despite her stature, Sara does not act spoiled; instead, she is a kind, generous little girl.
Time passes, and Sara makes friends with several of her classmates, including Ermengarde, a not-so-bright girl who's very much a loyal friend, and Lottie, the youngest pupil, whom Sara "adopts" because Lottie is upset she has no mother. One of the older girls, Lavinia, dislikes Sara (mostly out of jealousy), and often taunts her. Throughout it all, Sara's closest companion is her doll, Emily, a very special doll given to her by her father.
Miss Minchin doesn't like Sara very much -- she, too, is jealous, and also feels inferior to Sara. Sara is very clever and is in control of her emotions. In many ways, she's an enigma to Miss Minchin. But the headmistress never hesitates to spend Captain Crewe's money on Sara, for she is all about show -- she wants the other students' parents to see how well the girls are treated. She throws a lavish birthday party for Sarah one year, but unbeknownst to her, this will be the last party Sara will have at Miss Minchin's.
On Sara's birthday, news comes that Captain Crewe has taken ill and died. He had invested in a diamond mine, prompted by his friend Carrisford. When he heard that there were no diamonds in the mine after all, Crewe believed he had lost everything. His illness coupled with the stress of the financial loss killed him. But it was all a mistake -- there really were diamonds, and Carrisford felt so guilty about Crewe's death that he decided to find Crewe's daughter and make it up to her. He had no idea where to start looking; all he had to go on was the information that the child had been sent to a boarding school somewhere in Europe.
Upon hearing of Captain Crewe's death, Miss Minchin immediately puts a stop to the birthday party. She coldly gives Sara the news, and, deciding not to cast the child out in the streets (that might make her school look bad) she "graciously" agrees to let Sara live in the attic and work as a servant. From this point on, this is what Sara is. She cleans, she tutors the younger students, and she runs errands for the cook. Night after night, she goes to bed tired, cold, and hungry. She is rarely given enough to eat. She feels her schoolmates will no longer want anything to do with her, so she talks only to Emily, to Becky (the scullery maid who lives in the room next door to Sara's), and to a rat who lives in a hole in her wall.
Despite her hardships, Sara's spirit remains intact. She has a vivid imagination, and can usually pretend things are better than they really are. She likes to look out her attic window; often she wishes a family would move in next door so she could have someone to talk to through the window. Then one day, someone does. A man from India buys the house. He has a servant and the servant has a monkey. One day the monkey escapes and climbs into Sara's room, through the window. This breaks the ice, and Sara speaks to the servant. He sees the state she's living in and tells his master, Mr. Carrisford. Yes, it's the Mr. Carrisford. He has people looking all over Europe for little Sara Crewe, totally unaware that she's living right next door. Without knowing "the little girl in the attic" is Sara, Mr. Carrisford decides to help her. He and his servant buy things for Sara, and the servant sneaks them into her room; she is given decorations for her room, blankets, clothing, and food. These things restore Sara's faith in humanity almost fully. She doesn't know who her mysterious "friend" is, but it warms her heart to know someone cares.
Sara often pretends herself to be a princess, and she acts like one -- she does kind things for others. At one point, when she is extremely hungry, she gives some bread to a girl who is even hungrier than she is. The baker's wife who sold Sara the bread is so touched by Sara's generosity to the beggar child that she (the baker's wife) adopts the street child and makes her an apprentice.
At long last (and with the help of Mr. Carrisford's lawyer and his family), the connection is finally made that the little girl in the attic is Sara Crewe. Carrisford is overjoyed. Sara goes to live with Mr. Carrisford. She learns she is heir to half the diamond mine fortune. Miss Minchin is, of course, shocked when she learns that the little girl she treated so terribly is extremely wealthy once again.
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Two of the three movies took the story in an interesting direction -- in the 1939 and 1995 feature films, Captain Crewe does not die, he is only presumed dead after serving in a war. Miss Minchin is still told he's dead; Sara still becomes a servant. But the end of these two films features a happy, tearful reunion between Sara and her father. Only the 1986 version sticks to the events of the book -- the man dies, he's dead, he's not popping back up for goodness sake. As much as I love the tearful reunions, I think the 1986 version's ending is quite satisfactory.
Here's a bit more information about each of these films...
THE LITTLE PRINCESS (1939) -- Starring Shirley Temple
I think the title says it all. She's not A princess. She's THE princess. Shirley's Sara was fairly sweet and kind even when she was a pauper, but she doesn't do much in the way of helping people. She doesn't give bread to a homeless girl like Sara does in the book. Her shining moment is when she dumps a bucket of ashes on snobby Lavinia. This Sara spends most of her time insisting that her father is alive. Sara checks the hospital every day. Everyone tells her she's crazy, but she never gives up. At long last, she finds her father in the hospital. He's aliiive! Another happy Shirley Temple ending.
The movie's motto: "Don't stop believing."
A LITTLE PRINCESS (1986) -- Starring Amelia Shankley
This version sticks very closely to the book; the only drawback is that it touches very little on Sara's vivid imagination, a trait that is very prominent in the novel. Sara has a few moments of daydream bliss, but otherwise you never really understand why she always has that darn little smile on her face. The 1986 adaptation earns points for including the character of Donald (aka "Guy Clarence") as well as his siblings. These children were featured in the book and play heavily into the story, but were not included in the other film versions.
The movie's motto: "Strive to be a kind humanitarian, and you will be a 'princess,' no matter what your station."
A LITTLE PRINCESS (1995) -- Starring Liesel Matthews
The most visually delicious of all the films, this feature film is quite similar to the Shirley Temple version. Once again, Captain Crew "dies" in the war, but Sara is reunited with him at the end. A nice Indian gentleman still moves in next door, but he is not the co-owner of the diamond mine; he's not looking for Sara. Miss Minchin is given a kind of vague, but nonetheless compelling, emotional underside; Sara uncovers the fact that Miss Minchin did not have a happy childhood. Still, Miss Minchin's actions prove unforgivable. Another major difference is that this movie was set in New York instead of England, which is where the story in the book (and the two other movies) took place.
This movie's motto: "All girls are princesses! Dammit!"
THE CHARACTERS
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And now!
The moment you've all been waiting for! (Except not.)
It's time for the first (and last) annual...
LITTLE PRINCESS AWARDS!!!
Best Sara
Must give this one to Shirley Temple. When she cries, you believe she's really upset. Say what you want about her, that girl could cry with the best of them.
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Best Miss Minchin
1986's Miss M. is definitely the scariest, meanest Miss Minchin of them all. Sure, the 1939 one is strict and the 1995 one can yell, but 1986's does all of the above, plus she makes your blood run cold. Kudos to her.
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Best Becky
Tough choice, here, but I'm going to have to go with 1986. The other two are all kinds of cute, but almost too cute. Becky in the book is supposed to be a skinny, scraggly, uneducated waif. 1986's version is the only one that dared to portray her like that.
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Best Lavinia
It all comes down to personal preference on this one. Most faithful to the book? 1986. Least annoying to me? 1939.
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Best Captain Crewe
This is tough, because 1986's Captain Crewe looks the part (Captain Crewe is supposed to be quite young), but 1995's is an incredible actor. Acting wins out over looks this time...
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Best Art Direction
1995. The visuals are arguably one of the best things about this version.
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Best Adaptation
1986. No question about it. It's very faithful to the novel.
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Most Ridiculous Ending
1939. Shirley enlists the help of Queen Victoria to help her find her father. They reunite, and the movie ends. No more is ever said about Miss Minchin, Becky, or the school. Cue the credits; Shirley wins again!
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Biggest Tearjerker
1995. Very few movies make me cry. Sara and Captain Crewe's reunion in this version still gets me every time.
I enjoy all three films for various reasons. 1986 may be the most faithful to the book, but it also has this low budget feel to it. 1995 may differ from the book, but the child actors are adorable and the movie is beautiful and charming. 1939's just feels like an older version of 1995's, and there's really nothing wrong with it, unless you consider "being made in the 30's" to be a bad thing -- you know, if you're a Gone With The Wind and Wizard of Oz hater. :(
Ideally, I'd like to see a dedicated filmmaker take another shot at making a Little Princess film. I hope they could stick closely to the book's plot (no "daddy returns" plotline) but still have a big enough budget for it to look and sound amazing. Considering how many children's books are going Hollywood these days, I wouldn't be surprised if we got another adaptation in the near future.
9/1/2006
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