Tom's Midnight Garden (1999)

disappointed to find there is no garden in which to play, but his disappointment turns to wonder when he discovers a magical garden which only appears at night when an old grandfather clock... See full summary »

Director:

Willard Carroll

Writers:

Willard Carroll (screenplay), Philippa Pearce (novel)

Stars:

Nigel Le Vaillant, Marlene Sidaway, Serena Gordon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nigel Le Vaillant	...	Thomas Long (adult)
Marlene Sidaway	...	Doris Schuster
Serena Gordon	...	Melody Long
Alfie Lawrence	...	Harriet Long
Mel Martin	...	Alice Long
Greta Scacchi	...	Aunt Gwen Kitson
James Wilby	...	Uncle Alan Kitson
Anthony Way	...	Tom Long
Nick Robinson	...	Peter Long
Liz Smith	...	Mrs. Willows
Arlene Cockburn	...	Susan the Maid
Tom Bowles	...	Mr. Ferguson
Joan Plowright	...	Mrs. Bartholomew
David Bradley	...	Abel
Stuart Piper	...	Hubert

Storyline

disappointed to find there is no garden in which to play, but his disappointment turns to wonder when he discovers a magical garden which only appears at night when an old grandfather clock strikes thirteen. His nightly excursions to this beautiful garden become even more interesting when he realizes that the people he meets cannot see him, except one young girl named Hatty (Laurel Melsom).

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Plot Keywords:

garden | clock | girl | measles | head bandage | 

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Taglines:

It was a special time... and a special place

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie features a scene or two filmed in and near to Ely Cathedral in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.

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Quotes

[talking about Hatty]
James: Why do you hate her so much?
Aunt Melbourne: I hate her because it's so easy for the rest of you to love her.

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Connections

Version of Tom's Midnight Garden (1989)

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Soundtracks

After Always
Written by Debbie Wiseman & Don Black
Performed by Barbara Dickson & Miriam Stockley

User Reviews

Grabbed Me and Wouldn't Let Go

I'd never heard of this movie before today, and had no intention of watching it. I stopped by my parents' house to feed their cat, and offhandedly flipped the TV on, about 10 minutes into the movie. Oh look, I thought, another dry British film. Wow, Greta Scacchi does a pretty good accent. Next thing I knew, I had my coat off, it was 2 hours later, and the film was over. It grabbed me just like that. Of course, I may be biased -- I have a thing for "time travel" stories of any kind, and this one was so subtle that I found it especially intriguing. Anybody who's ever felt a bit alone or abandoned at some point in their life should get a lift from this story. And there's a nice underlying message about the ability of true friendship to transcend both gender and age.

Details

Official Sites:

Easton Films Vine International Pictures Ltd.

Country:

UK USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tom's geheimer Garten - Als die Uhr 13 schlug

Filming Locations:

Chenies Manor House, Chenies, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

BS24, Hyperion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1