The Chalk Garden [Blu-ray]

Director: Ronald Neame Ronald Neame

Overview

After her mother (Elizabeth Sellars) remarries and hands over parental responsibilities to her own inadequate mother (Edith Evans), young Laurel (Hayley Mills) believes her mother no longer loves her. Laurel's grandmother refuses to give attention to anything but her garden so Laurel is left to grow increasingly troublesome. When mysterious Miss Madrigal (Deborah Kerr) is hired on as the new governess, she recognizes the emotional difficulty Laurel is experiencing and with the help of butler Maitland (played by Mills' father, John), attempts to turn the young girl around before she becomes violent. It would seem Miss Madrigal has personal experience with emotional problems when a secret about her own past is revealed. From a successful play by Enid Bagnold, this drama was adapted to the screen by talented John Michael Hayes, who was responsible for the scripting of such greats as Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, Daniel Mann's Butterfield 8 and William Wyler's Children's Hour (from the play by Lillian Hellman). Evans garnered a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role, which she had previously played onstage. Hayley Mills executed, in the role of Laurel, a significant turn in her career from her prior film characters for Disney--(Pollyanna, The Parent Trap).

Product Details

Release Date:	10/13/2020
UPC:	0738329250874
Original Release:	1964
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:46:00

Special Features

Audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas; Theatrical trailer; 1920x1080p

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Deborah Kerr	Ms. Madrigal
Hayley Mills	Laurel,Maitland
Edith Evans	Mrs. St. Maugham
Felix Aylmer	Judge McWhirrey
Elizabeth Sellars	Olivia
Lally Bowers	Anna
Toke Townley	Shop Clerk
Tonie MacMillan	Mrs. Williams
Malcolm Arnold	Composer

Technical Credits

John Hayes

Ross Hunter	Producer
Ronald Neame	Director
John Hayes	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

The Chalk Garden was a powerful film when first released in 1964 (and an even more powerful play when first staged ten years earlier). It has lost a great deal of its potency and impact over the years, but it is still immensely enjoyable as a showcase for some very fine actors. Handsomely photographed and directed with an awareness of the story's ebbs and flows, Garden's real problem is its screenplay. The plotting is too schematic and it suffers from an over-simplified "Psych 101" approach to the social problem at its core. Much of the dialogue is stilted and emphasizes the obvious; the play's themes and concerns are stated in symbolic terms that are so blatant as to occasionally inspire laughter. That said, some of the sequences do have isolated moments of good, effective writing, such as the dinner scene in which Madrigal's secret is finally revealed. And even when the screenplay offers lesser support, this sterling cast makes the film great fun to watch. Although Edith Evans received the lion's share of attention for her scene-stealing role, the rest of the cast is equally good. Deborah Kerr is all icy authority covering a volcano of insecurity and sadness; she conveys enormous details about her life merely by the way her eyes dart about or how she holds her hands. Hayley Mills grabs the showy part of Laurel by the collar and runs with it, demonstrating that her full talents were rarely exploited, and John Mills is powerful in his understatement. Garden is dated but worth a visit.