A Little Princess (1995)

A young girl is relegated to servitude at a boarding school when her father goes missing and is presumed dead.

Director:

Alfonso Cuarón

Writers:

Frances Hodgson Burnett (novel), Richard LaGravenese (screenplay),

Stars:

Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liesel Matthews	...	Sara Crewe
Eleanor Bron	...	Miss Minchin
Liam Cunningham	...	Capt. Crewe / Prince Rama
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Amelia Minchin
Arthur Malet	...	Charles Randolph
Vanessa Lee Chester	...	Becky
Errol Sitahal	...	Ram Dass
Heather DeLoach	...	Ermengarde
Taylor Fry	...	Lavinia
Darcie Bradford	...	Jesse
Rachael Bella	...	Betsy
Alexandra Rea-Baum	...	Gertrude
Camilla Belle	...	Jane
Lauren Blumenfeld	...	Rosemary
Kelsey Mulrooney	...	Lottie

Storyline

When her father enlists to fight for the British in WWI, young Sara Crewe goes to New York to attend the same boarding school her late mother attended. She soon clashes with the severe headmistress, Miss Minchin, who attempts to stifle Sara's creativity and sense of self-worth. Sara's belief that "every girl's a princess" is tested to the limit, however, when word comes that her father was killed in action and his estate has been seized by the British government.

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Plot Keywords:

girl | boarding school | school | british | presumed dead | 

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Taglines:

Every girl everywhere is a princess.

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

10 May 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

La princesita

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

£723,238 (UK) (15 March 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Mark Johnson Productions, Baltimore Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the extras in the flower lady scene also played parents in the parents day scene.

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Goofs

When Miss Minchin introduces Sara to the rest of the class, she then starts saying, "Now, there are certain rules...", and we can see Monsieur Dufarge taking a cup and saucer from behind his desk twice (both times at different angles).

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Quotes

Miss Minchin: [voiceover, as she leads Sara up to the attic] And because of the expenses you've incurred, everything you own now belongs to me: your clothes, your toys, everything, though it will hardly make up for the financial losses I've suffered. From now on, you must earn your room and board here. You will move to the attic with Becky and work as a servant. If you fail to meet the standards of this institution or if you don't do as you're told, you'll be thrown out. And believe me, Sara, the streets of ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Crimson Tide/A Little Princess/The Perez Family/The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill/Swimming with Sharks (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Kindle My Heart"
Written by Maggie Smith
Produced by Maggie Smith
Performed by Liesel Matthews
Courtesy of Sony Records

User Reviews

A sweet confection of a film-one of the overlooked gems of the '90s

This movie is on my short list of great live action family films. If you believe that every girl is a princess, this is the movie for you. Beautifully staged and shot, well-acted, superbly directed. This movie works from start to finish.

Some reviewers here on IMDb have slammed the film as overly sentimental. If you don't like movies with a sweet disposition, this isn't your film. Let's put it this way: if you think Frank Capra was the bane of American film-making, you're gonna hate this movie. If you judge films on a "the darker, the better" scale-why are you even watching this? Another caveat: I haven't read the book. The movie apparently takes great liberties with the book. If this kind of thing bothers you, stay away.

Alfonso Cuaron shows a deft handling of the sense of wonder here. When he was announced as the director of Harry Potter 3, his work on Little Princess made me confident he'd deliver the goods. One reviewer tried to declare that "Princess" was a calculated attempt by Cuaron to to get a gig on the Potter series. Impossible. "Princess" was released in 1995, and "Sorceror's/Philosopher's Stone" was PUBLISHED in 1998.

This is a small, quiet, sweet little film the entire family can enjoy, without insulting Mom & Dad's intelligence. It is the next step for all little girls who are starting to outgrow Belle/Ariel/Jasmine and the rest of the animated princesses. This Little Princess is real, and her story is worth watching.

Side note-little boys might not find the film engaging. It is kind of chick-flick for the tween set. That doesn't mean it's totally male-unfriendly. Fathers of daughters will be hard-pressed to avoid shedding a tear or two.

If you have a tween daughter, save some rental money and just buy it! She's going to watch it over and over.