A Little Princess - My Favorite Movie

I talk about a lot of movies that I love and have listed quotes from many on my blog, but there is one movie that pulls at my heart strings every time I watch it: A Little Princess. Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote the 212 page novel. There is a black and white, Shirley Temple original version, but I prefer the movie made in 1995 with Liesel Matthews that plays Sara Crewe. It is a movie that moves me. The very fact that the movie depicts parts of India's epic story of love named Ramayana made me magnetized, as I learned that story as a child. It captures the essence of goodness, the possibility of imagination, hope, love and the fruition of a beautiful fairy tale for little girls probably from six years old on up.

The main character is Sarah Crewe, a lovely, learned, imaginative, affectionate, and kind young girl residing in India. Her English father places her in a U.S. boarding school as he leaves for the war. Her experiences at the school are hard, but little Sara brings back something I feel our society has lost in the hearts of children - the pure-ity of affection, thoughtful comments, awareness of others and a sincerity in speech that literally brings tears to my eyes. The tears come down faster each time I watch the movie over the years. I used to wonder why I couldn't get past the tears, and today I realized why.

This afternoon I watched this magical movie with my daughter. She's nowhere near ready to sit down through a full length feature film, but I still put the show on. As I sat and watched the movie, knowing every bit of each scene, I still felt the water surge up into my eyes. My heart became heavy and a lump formed in my throat. I looked at my daughter climbing up my lap, delicately wiping tears from my eyes and said "uh-ohh? Awwww...." to me. How thoughtful, I thought. How precious and pure of my daughter to do that. I realized then what it was all these years that made me just adore this movie. Her father called her a princess and though she had the wealth to be a princess, Sara 's message was much deeper in meaning.

The title princess didn't refer to the monetary wealth or possessions that most of us immediately believe real princesses have through society's description. Being a princess was about the richness that we have from our hearts, regardless of our status in this world. It is about good treatment of others, consideration of all beings in life, and getting through the hardships with a gentler attitude, never giving up hope on the magical-ness of life. The movie simply took me back to the basics and, in it's own way, asked me to stick to them because that is what is true and good in life. That is what it's all about at the end, and that is exactly where I want to be.

One of my favorite moments in the movie?

From the words of Sara Crewe to her headmistress Miss Minchin:

"I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They're still princesses. All of us...".

If what she says is right, then I guess that makes me a princess. I learn something new everyday, eh? Wait till my husband comes home and finds out he's married to a princess. :)

Take a peek at the movie! If you have any girls, I sincerely suggest this great movie to be a part of your dvd collection (especially if you want them to learn great manners and thoughtful behavior)!