I'm 27 and love this movie. It's easily one of my top five, if not number one. I've seen the Shirley Temple version and highly disliked that. Also saw the mini series and thought that was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as this one. I've read the book a few times and enjoyed it, but I think this is one of those rare cases when the movie is better than the book.
I also did a paper on the movie: when I was taking a class on children's literature and development, our final paper was to write about some book, TV show, movie, etc. that had a profound impact on us as a child, and how we relate to it today. I got a perfect score on that paper. :)
One of the aspects of the movie that is better than the book is that Sara actually has spunk. In the book, she uses the idea of a princess in order to make herself be generous with others. Also, she accepts harsh treatment because she feels that princesses must behave like this. Yes, you have to deal with unfairness in life, but you shouldn't just accept it. You have to fight against it and stand up for yourself. In the movie, she fights against her circumstances and holds onto her belief that every girl is a princess. In short, every girl has value, regardless of their social class or looks.
Now I want to go and watch the movie again!
Emily
reply
share