This is one of the many versions of this movie made over the years. I think it functions well as a representative movie of that sub-genre of 'Fairy Tales (For Adults).' It is a fable in that children—at least in this case--teach adults a valuable moral lesson.When a spoiled child, Mary (Margaret O'Brien) living in India is orphaned because her parents die of a cholera epidemic, she is sent to England to live with her strange uncle (Herbert Marshall). He is has a dark mood, is reclusive, and really doesn't want to be bothered by her or anyone else. Left to her own devices, she roams around her new surroundings--within her uncle's explicit restrictions--and discovers how best to get along. While walking on the grounds of his estate, she meets one of the servant's boys, Dickon (Brian Roper). Dickon tells Mary that there is legend of a secret garden somewhere on the grounds. He also tells her that the garden is walled in and has been totally unkempt for years and no one can find the key to its gate.Later, while in the house, Mary hears human screaming but can get no information from any of the servants about it. Finally, she finds a bedridden boy about her age, Colin (Dean Stockwell). Colin tells Mary that he is 'throwing a temper tantrum'. Like her, he seems spoiled and kowtowed to by the servants. When the Mary and Dickon find the key to the garden gate, they enter and find it overgrown and neglected, as predicted by the legend. But, the garden seems to be something within the children's ability to change, and as they revitalize the garden we learn more about its symbolic power. It holds the answer to many of the past's mysteries that simply needed to be 'unlocked and used' to be discovered.Thinking of the story's symbolism a bit, one could imagine that the children in the garden—the only part of the movie in color--represent something of a Garden of Eden--in reverse. That is, it is unspoiled by the world around it after being re-discovered by children (sort of a return to the innocence of Eden--Before The Fall).Another interpretation might be that, just as Freudian psychoanalysis unmasks forgotten childhood memories to 'see the past,' a child-like state of questioning is often necessary to rediscover a healthy state of being. After all, in the movie, the Herbert Marshall character often refers to himself as on the brink of insanity. But, when the children bring him back in the garden, he is restored in mind and spirit.

After a cholera epidemic wipes out her parents and most of their Indian village, spoiled and disagreeable Margaret O'Brien (as Mary Lennox) is sent home to live with her reclusive uncle Herbert Marshall (as Archibald Craven) in Yorkshire, England. Accustomed to many devoted servants, young Miss O'Brien finds the new staff lacking. They don't think to hand her a biscuit. She has to dress herself. Her melancholy uncle prefers to remain a stranger. O'Brien is locked in her room at bedtime and told she must not explore the dark, moody mansion. At night, she hears the wailing of ten-year-old cousin Dean Stockwell (as Colin Craven). Sickly and bedridden, young Stockwell fears his death is near. Allowed outside to play, O'Brien meets robust young Brian Roper (as Dickon). The local lad is beloved by wild animals and tells O'Brien about a "Secret Garden" on the estate...Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel has been made into several movies. Probably, none fully capture the nightmarish enchantment present in the original work. MGM and producer Clarence Brown succeed in the former, partially, by giving it a Gothic look...Dreary and majestic setting (by Edwin B. Willis) and photography (by Ray June) make several early scenes memorable, but director Fred M. Wilcox loses focus as the pace dulls and story development becomes rushed. The character "Mary" becomes less relevant and her cousin "Colin" suffers from a too-hasty resolution. While fine performers, O'Brien and Stockwell do not have the appropriate script or appearance; as well as unlikeable, they should be frail, plain and sickly. Like "Colin", the "Garden" changes too suddenly. In this instance, the switch to color photography is harsh and turgid. Set design and costuming add to the increasing artificiality. Still, the film contains many moments which faithfully evoke scenes from the book. And, the character you'd most expect them to blunder turns out to be the best, as Brian Roper's "Dickon" is appropriately amazing.******* The Secret Garden (1949-04-30) Fred M. Wilcox ~ Margaret O'Brien, Dean Stockwell, Brian Roper, Herbert Marshall

This is my own opinion and "take" on the film. You can understand the storyline from the main description, but the real story is that the subject is "the Garden of the Psyche". A B&W film, there is great usage of light and shadow for dramatic effect. It conveys a dreary, foreboding atmosphere, and a world devoid of color (Love and Joy). A prominent symbol in this film is a raven. According to website www.ask.com, "...the raven symbolizes metamorphosis, change, or transformation...messengers from the cosmos...and help people to find answers to thoughts that they are unable to face...it is believed that ravens help to expose these secrets to help a person begin the process of healing from their effects..."Mary comes to live with her uncle after her parents die in India from cholera, and she is deeply hurt by the loss of her parents, acting like a spoiled brat and insisting to be waited on/indulged as if she were a cripple. Her uncle (Archibald Craven) is psychologically wounded by the loss of his wife 10 years earlier in a tragic accident, and takes out his grief on his son, treating him like a cripple.His son (Mary's cousin), Colin, is told by doctors and other adults that he IS a cripple, and is a spoiled, miserable brat. An "outside" doctor eventually reveals that the boy is not crippled at all, and just needs some exercise and sunshine. The discovery of the Secret Garden by Mary and Dickon begins to soften Mary's heart, and its subsequent clean-up becomes a labor of love. As the garden is healed, Mary and then Colin are healed psychologically, and become kind and thoughtful to each other. The three children become friends, and are bonded with a common love and joy about the Garden - which is translated visually when the Garden is shown in color.Eventually, Archibald resolves to sell the house, including the Garden, and the children are beside themselves with grief. He learns from the realtor/banker that the Garden is in bloom and beautiful (after having been abandoned for 10 years), and he rushes to break into it and see for himself. The children are all there, and it's in color. Colin is sitting in his wheelchair, and in a plea to his father to save the Garden, gets up and walks stiffly into the waiting arms of his father; all are healed and are truly in the Garden of Joy. IMHO, much like classics such as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Wizard of Oz", it is well worth your time to watch it, because of the journey that it takes you on, even if you know how it ends.

I love this classic Margaret O'Brien version. Margaret embodies the spoiled and orphaned Mary Lennox. Herbert Marshall plays her brooding uncle and a young Dean Stockwell plays her crippled cousin and rival in the pitching a fit department. These child stars were powerful actors whose performances rival most any adult. Gladys Cooper plays the strict and prim housekeeper, and the delightful Elsa Lanchester plays the maid who cares for Mary and introduces Mary to her brother, Dicken. Mary and Dicken explore the grounds and discover the secret. Along the way, Mary and Dicken coax her cousin outside. Of course, Mary's uncle isn't thrilled with the changes upon his return from an extended absence.This film's amazing cast, beautiful Technicolor scenes in the garden, bittersweet story, and that good old happy ending that I love make this a classic keeper for the family or any individual who enjoys being visually immersed into great literature. I highly recommend this film.