Wonderworks - A Little Princess Pt. 1 (VHS, 1990)

I bought this after a 20 year search, having seen it in london when it was aired in 86. My interest in derives from the fact that I wrote my thesis on the book for my degree in children's literatire.
I love this for its fidelity to the book, unlike the Shirley Temple vehicle of 1939, with its dream sequence and musical number, and blonde cutesy Shirley who does not resemble burnett's description of the heroine in the least. Also the hokey ending with Queen Victoria being wheeled through an army hospital was absurd. I also prefer this to the acclaimed Alfonso cuaron version of 1995, in which the story was reset in WWI New York City. That film was entertaining but over the top.
This version is well acted throughout, especially by younf Amelia Shankley as Sara, who avoids the cute schtick most child actors indulge in. The beloved English comedienne Maureen Lipman plays against type as a truly evil, though not exaggerated Miss Minchin. The always excellent Miriam Margolyes is superb as Miss Minchin's more humane sister.
The film is beautifully shot in a way that recreates 1890' London, although i doubt it was shot on location; the grittiness and stark contrasts betwen the rich and the poor are involving. Above all I love the haunting score, composed by the 25 year old Rachel Portman, who in 1996 went on to become the first woman composer to receive an Academy Award, for her score for "Emma." The film
adds a fillip of modernity by implying that there was a romantic relationship between Sara's father and her Indian nursemaid in the India scenes. All in all an excellent production.