The big problem with this adaptation is that in the book, Becky is Cockney (seen as lower class and uneducated) and had no backstory in the book either. In Victorian times ( when the book was written) servants weren’t seen as people, but as a kind of robot that just did what they were told. It’s a problem of the culture in which the book was written, not a problem with the movie

I love the movie A little princess. But your right. They glossed over Becky's life. I would have loved to see her tell Sarah her story, how she became a servant, what happened to her parents. I am happy she did get to leave with Sarah at the end with her father. Maybe the writers thought we , "the audience" would assume Sarah asked her father if Becky could live with them and take care of the paper work. Or because he's rich it doesn't matter... Idk. I was born in the 90's so I see how this movie and others came across. Maybe there could be a remake with a more realistic story. Thank you for the video.

There was a time of my life when The secret garden, A little Princess and Madeline movies were watched on rotation. Thank you for unpacking all of that, it’s definitely so important to look with a critical eye at the stories that were foundational to our world view and might have turned into unconscious biases.

This isn't about the character of Becky. Becky in the original book isn't black. This is about a screen writer choosing to make Becky a black girl and by doing so didn't feel the need to give her much back story because in real life her skin color would speak for itself. It's so much deeper than just breaking down the movie from a character stand point. Had they left Becky white the way she was written originally none of this would would an issue. In the book you knew who Becky was and how she got to the school. Making her black in the 1995 movie allowed the screenwriter, director, etc not to have to do all that.

As a half black man, I'm glad you see the elephant in the room too.

This and the secret garden are still some of my favorites.

I love that movie. I do wish they had more character development for Becky.

um I think they show in detail visually what Becky goes through. Also Sarah adapted maybe a bit too quickly to her new life conditions but its expressed in the movie the loss of her father outweighed any of the devastating changes in her position she was more heartbroken over not seeing her father. plus the whole point of the movie is to have the spirit that never stops even when facing adversity.

Girl... if you read the book it would solve like 90% of the story problems you're seeing. Also in terms of the decision to make Becky black in this film adaptation - there's a small moment that I think is brilliant. To paraphrase, Lottie essentially tells Sarah that Becky's not supposed to talk to them because her skin is dark, to which Sarah says "So?". Lottie then looks confused and asks "Well, doesn't that mean something?". The girls at the school do not have a full grasp of race. They are trusting the adults around them that there is a "reason" for the abuse that Becky suffers. I think it's a fairly effective demonstration of how classism and racism are justified and taught to children.

I mainly clicked because this looked interesting. Now I think I remember this, because I read the book with my mother.

In the book, Becky is a Cockney girl about 14ish. Also Sarah's father does die in the book, but his business partner and friend finds Sarah and adopts her and Becky as his daughters.

I love this movie, have since I was a child. I actually found so much depth in miss Michion. She has so much daddy issues, that’s why she did want to to let her reunite with her father, out of spite . It was clear she was terribly jealous of Sarah’s happiness, the fact she could have whatever she wanted. I reckon it made her feel great to kick Sarah right upstairs during the party. I think the whole being called a princess thing has a real trigger for Miss M. Maybe her father wasn’t nice? Ermengards part I thought was nice she lacked in confidence because she was “different” (fat) and had a big want to make her family proud. Through Sarah’s support, she found that confidence she discovered she was capable of learning French and having friends. I thought the hug at the end was beautiful because he was giving comfort to a child in a bad situation that was likely Sarah’s friend. She was getting arrested too. Plus he saw Sarah encouraging it, so Becky was clearly important to her. I imagine in India Sarah was used to people of color, after all she read books books and saw art in the country. There was likely poc at the manor right? I think that’s why Sarah just considered her another girl in a bad situation because she’d grown up around poc and knew they were just people too. The situation regarding just slumming it. I think Sarah continues to have hope in her heart for a better future. And even so at least she can communicate with her friend while in the attic, despite living a life of luxury I don’t think she “needed” all of the stuff and fancy clothes to be happy. Sure they’re nice but, I think as long as she’s around those she loves she can survive. Poor Becky has such a strong spirit and survives, she’s been through a lot of crap leading up to her point as a servant. If she’s had the same confidence as Sarah she might’ve had all the friends and the same support. Unfortunately it seems like she was shy and found it easy to become part of the wallpaper to the other kids. Sarah brought out her true brighter personality I think. Unfortunately I think not knowing much about Becky or her past is down to it being a children’s book, that’s just really focused on it’s main protagonist. I’m sure in India or whoever they moved to Sarah continues to learn about her or will learn all about her. The moment where Dad remembers makes me cry every time. The way I see it is there love and bond is strong it broke through his amnesia at the last moment. Which, thank good ness 😂 Poor Becky being pushed into a puddle, it may or may not have been to do with her skin. Perhaps he just was an asshole and disliked kids lol I took the servitude not as easy but hard and sad work actually. I thought that Sarah was really suffering at first before she remembered she’s still cared for.

I can’t argue with your analysis at all, totally agree about the treatment of Becky. I think for me a lot of the other issues with characterisation and plotting are helped massively by exceptional direction from Alfonso Cuaron and performances from the cast. One of the most glaring issues with the movie is the character of Ram Dass, the Indian manservant for the neighbour of the school. He’s the epitome of the magical person of colour trope, every time he’s on screen you get this mystical Sitar riffs and he’s implied to be at the centre of the more magical moments of the film. It’s very 90’s and very cringe nowadays.

I always wanted Becky to be the princess.

I’ve always wanted to watch this movie, guess I really should now!!!

I would like to say that even though I'm a boy I watched this with my sister and cousins and I think I enjoyed it even more than They did. so that 90's tv movie reviewers

I haven’t seen this movie since the 90s, like when it was relatively new on HBO. I actually saw Shirley Temple’s version before this “new” version. I need to go back and watch this again.

This was my favorite movie as a kid, and I brushed my hair obsessively because I thought it was cool how much power the bad girl had =P

I haven't thought about this movie in years but I loved it when I like 11. I had a DVD that had both "The Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden" on it and I watched them both _all the time_ on our portable DVD player. Gosh, things change so fast. I haven't used a DVD in years.

I was in a youth community theater that did A Little Princess the musical. Actually was really fun to be a part of as a 10 year old. Had to be around 2004ish.

I remember seeing it in cinemas as a kid with my mother and sister and liked it

Her father owned a diamond mine in the book. And in the book her father dies no amneisa and she comes into her inhertaince when she comes of age and is stuck in servitude for years. The 1939 adaption they changed it up to her father being alive and the the 1995 one followed the same. The 1917 adaption I believe followed the book. 1939 starred Shirley Temple as Sara.

there is a cartoon version of this that i watched a few years ago and it goes a little bit into to Becky's life and how she ended up at the school it was one of those like cheap straight to tv or DVD films from what i remember of it it was actually quite a good film

Me and my sisters loved this moive when we were children and still do as adults

In the book this is based off of, Becky is adopted by Sarah's father.

I believe in the book he owned a diamond mine and that’s why he died, a collapse in the new diamond mine and the headmistress realized that she wouldn’t be getting anymore money from him and demoted Sarah to servant. She was also rescued by another family who called her “the little beggar girl who didn’t beg” when she didn’t beg or ask for money when she really needed it, I think she was taking the money for herself when she realized she wasn’t going to be getting the extra money for letting Sarah getting away with whatever she wants, but I don’t remember if that was stated in the book. I think Becky had more agency in the book too but I’m not completely sure. I also think she was Irish, but I could be wrong

I don't have a good comment yet, so this might be edited, but I've been subscribed for a couple years now, and your vids make my day, so yeah. You rock. Hope you and your loved ones are having a fantastic summer 💖

I remember what I think was the original A Little Princess (from 1939 starring Shirley Temple as the main character) I watched it over and over with my grandmother when I was a child back in the early 90's. Then about 10 yrs ago I stumpled upon this 'remake' the 'tone' of this version is very different from the original, but honestly it would also be strange if it wasn't different, some of the characters from the 1995 version are easier to relate to, because there are more 'layers' to them then just the theatrical good vs evil (This comment possibly doesn't have anything to do with your review, but I just wanted to share what was at the top of my mind as soon as i saw what movie you where gonna talk about) Your videoes are always very entertaining for me to watch, I discovered you when you did all of your 'Coraline' videoes. Anywho I hope you are well ^^

I never watched little princess but all this stuff about Becky reminds me of two of my favorite historical movies Glory and The Last Samurai which now looking back both count as "could have been great but Hollywood thinks people will see the movie unless the POV is a white guy"

This movie was based on a book…the movie was true to the book, including the characters.

🙌🏿Breathtakingly beautiful analysis/&dissection📽👑

I remember watching this as an kid and being very bewildered by the changes from book to movie, which is probably why I preferred the more accurate Secret Garden (also that amazing score).

Love your derps!

Loved this movie 💙

I just watched the movie this week. I still love it. It's so beautiful with the costumes, and backgrounds, and the actors give it there all with this movie, that I can still adore to this day. So much so I wanted to see if it was free domain, because it's based on a book. In about 5 or so years it will be, and that makes me happy knowing this fact! That means any problems in the book (If there are any? I have not read it, but if they are like the problems in the movie then still on point.) can be fixed by other people telling the tell or making there own spin on it. The only thing I know about the book is that the girl who got the Cinnamon roll dose go to the all girl's school in the end, and that's it. But yeah when I did watch it I wondered a lot of the same things too. With how Becky is treated, the fat shaming (But the movie was made in 90's. So it was always going to be there.), If how Becky is treated lined into the setting (which is world war 1), and what was Becky's life like, since the movie never goes into it. Also with the ending in how Becky was adopted I feel the movie tries to justify it, because Sarah says she saw Becky as a sister. So seeing as a sister equals adoption. I really should read the book one day to know what was cut out and if the book goes into Becky a bit more. Last thing. I know this might be a negative with the movie, but I like it for this detail, but when you are informed that no one is allowed to talk to Becky, because of her skin. The youngest child is telling Sarah this detail. Meaning the children are growing up with that mind set from other people around her and the other adults. Thing is Sarah is pretty much braking down these ideas, but I wish they showed more of that in the movie rather, then the girls being around her only with Sarah telling stories in her room.

Being a book purist, I didn't care much for this movie despite the book being a problematic fave that got me through a really rough part of my childhood. Still, I do appreciate that Becky is treated as an equal adoptee, as well as Captain Crewe not really knowing who Becky was at that point, but he didn't care and hugged her too.

we love to see the pink and blue hair again

they really could have made a backstory where Becky was an actual princess who perhaps ended up there due to her family being killed or for any other reasons. That would make an interesting story

Sara ressemble à d'Artagnan dans le film l'homme au masque de fer. C'est dans certains aspects de sa personnalité. Par exemple, avoir du répondant, être bien courageuse, avoir une forte personnalité. Dans la scène où la directrice la presente à la classe elle lui dit: tu devrais pas garder un pendentif d'une telle valeurs. Elle lui dit: je tiens à le garder.

I remember the movie and book but I never saw the movie though. Or maybe I always fell asleep every time my friends pulled it out. 😅🤦‍♀️

Your so right lol that’s crazy cause I really loved this movie as a young girl wow

I saw this movie way back when I was little! Then I read the book by Francis H. Burnett and it’s more less the same story, still I love them both. The only differences in the book; Sara’s dad is a rich solider who invested his money in the 💎 mines, sadly there were no diamonds. Becky is a lower-class white girl, and Sara does lose her dad. When Sara’s dad dies, she goes through good days and bad, ones too. Still reminds herself “I am Princess” and that helps her get through her new life. Meanwhile her father’s best friend has been looking for Sara since her father died, but hasn’t been able to find her. Until finally he found her and told her that she is an heiress again! The best friend adopts her, and makes Becky Sara’s maid. And they all lived happily ever after‼️

I always thought Sarah boarding school was in England not New York

Because I grew up with THE Little Princess. Not just A Little Princess, but THE Little Princess.

@TheFangirl Do you think that the Evil Queen from Snow White could have been a Princess from another kingdom?

Made it to the end😊

I also wonder how hard we shoukd critique a movie & book regarding simple characters that's designed for children. And also an old book. Maybe these trope characters were new back then?

I clicked cause I enjoy knowing pop culture history. Vids like this contain a lot of it in an entertaining way

I do agree about the comments about Becky. I'm trying to wonder if anything is mentioned in the book. It's been a while since I read it.

I never thought about it until I watched this video. But what if miss michen was her mother? Think about it if she had a baby with a black man out of wedlock that would be a big deal since interracial couples were ground upon in those days. If would make sense that a wealthy white lady like michen would want to cover up the birth. Rasing Becky as a servant is perfect for that because she could just say that something similar to Sarah happened to the girl. No one would question it since orphans expcially little black orphans were probably common in those days too. Then once Becky was old enough miss michon would have free help for as long as she kept Becky. That’s why there was no legal repercussions and she didn’t have to pay her it’s her daughter. If this theory is true than handing her off the police can be seen as her giving up her parental rights leaving the door open for Sarah’s father to adopt her.

As usual the film is very diffrent from the book . The book was set in india and England at the time when the British ruled india and had an empire . Sadly this meant that indian people were looked down on and worked as servants . What is rightly now judged ss horrifically racist wasn't seen as racist when Francis Hodgson Burnett wrote the book . She was born in Manchester England in 1849 . Like it or not things were diffrent then .

My take on the movie was just because your different you shouldn't treat people badly.... Color of skin how rich or poor fat or skinny you should treat them how you would want to be treated

I love A Little Princess! The book is also wonderful. It was one of my 1st exposures of Indian culture & a Black person who was a mostly main character & just a regular girl like Sarah.

_could you just pluck up a child back then and give them to your child as a toy?_ Unfortunately, yes you could (if said child was a street urchin/servant with no family like Becky. And even if she had family, I'm afraid them asking the police for help when you're of the servant class and getting any would pretty much be a roll of the dice) And btw, in the book, the mild reaction and perfect adjustment after losing everything was considered a huge virtue for her. It made all the sense to 9 year old me bc Cinderella ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I just watch this movie for the first time, but I do agree with you a lot it just felt cheap to me. but that was what the 90s was like.

Hello I saw one of your old Coraline theories and I didn’t want to comment on it since it was like 3 years ago- and I know I didn’t look for one but have you done a Alice and Wonderland theory?

Yes. A lot of 90's black family sitcoms did kinda show a more better off family in a fun light but they did have episodes or conversations about experiences that did egsist. They may not have had it ingrained into every episodes and at times laugh tracks did play over a serious situation. But they did have episodes that expressed struggles. Including variations of rejection inside their communities. Their are also some dark jokes lightly said. That people wouldn't know, unless they genuinely knew the context. This is also a last momment add on. I know where you are coming from a current time perspective. But in that point of time, it was a very important type of family representation that wasn't out their.

I agree. That's because I wasn't writing the stuff. Becky would have been done something.

Nice video by the way could you do it Theory on paranormal activity and a paranormal activity 7 plot discussion

I just watched this movie again and loved it as a kid. Watching it again, while enjoyable, I def. see all the issues now with race, class, exoticism, etc. Wanted to see reviews about it and glad i came across this video.

Can you do a review on the book? It's actually quite different

I made it to the end!😄

I didn’t see the movie but I had the book ( not sure who bought it) and I loved it

This version is swallow, for not only the reasons you mentioned, but it also only implies Miss Minchin is starving Sara until A Little Princess (7/10) Movie CLIP - All Girls Are Princesses (1995) HD kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nL2AhcuDspe6Z30.htmlsi=Hw_tAjv2J6ZjFs9S near the end of the movie! There's the scene with a pie, which is zoomed in on I guess Sara is staring at it? There's the scene in the bakery, with no dialogue, unlike in the book. I agree with your analysis.

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't this come out as a Novel prior to the movies release I remember the book didn't give Becky much either

I Just love it, when a WHITE girl talks racism when there isn't in a movie. Quite the spectacle.

I remember being oddly uncomfortable of how the movie made another culture magical. It just always felt so I don't know...wrong. I guess I didn't think about Becky's backstory too hard since my mind filled in the blanks with an idea of what it was like for POC back then. So to me, Becky was abandoned, orphaned, or sold into that life. I also guessed at the end that the father used his money to force through an adoption quickly and took her too at his daughter's discussion of the mistreatment. In a lot of ways, I think the harshness of Secret Garden (which was not perfect as well) better portrayed the experience Sarah would have likely had in India. She very likely would not have been quite so kind to Becky or any other POC. But hey, maybe she just had the best family ever that was kind and wonderful to everyone even though they were of a higher class.

I never watched the movie but I really reading the book at least once and I remember Becky was black in the book too but that is all I remember

Omg I've been looking for the title of the this movie! I remember watching it in elementary during the last of school movie day. All I remembered from it was when Sarah was on the roof part because we never got to finish the movie.

I think Becky is a product of their time type of character oTL

Never saw this version just the one with Shirley temple it sounds like the older one has more emotion in the characters though

Wait, I thought the movie was about Sarah? Also, trying to find happiness and fun in terrible conditions is normal. Also, I'm pretty sure black comedy shows in the 90s were more focused on comedy rather than stoking racial division.

I feel like you sld watch the 1986 version since it's more accurate to the book and make all the characters served a purpose in the story. It was well done. I highly recommend it. I think you'll like it as adult but warning it'll be hard to watch.

I think you’re missing a bit of the point of the original novel. Victorian literature for girls at the time was not the socially conscious type we would expect of today. Becky was not Black in the novel which was set in England, but of cockney decent which was in a way not dissimilar class wise, but this movie tried to draw a parallel to in a very awkward way by setting it in America. Product of its time.

Dammit, there goes the neighborhood. Now, imagine if Vanessa Lee Chester, the actress who played Becky, saw this video.

I have a theory about the detective Pikachu movie about about how tims mother could have passed away it's possible she could have been poisoned by a poison type Pokemon or drowned by a water type

New subscriber here

So I only saw this version of the film once, but I watched the 1939 Shirley Temple version all the time. My mom loved old movies so I was allowed to stay up late if I watched a movie that was more than 50 years old.

My wife loves Noom. She lost about 80 pounds and has kept it off for a while now. You really have to stick to it, but if you're the right kind of person, it's great. I'm pretty sure it would not help me, based on what I know of how it works. I don't respond well to nagging, it just makes me shut down. But if that works for you, its a great system.

🙄 And here I thought Sarah's father adopting Becky was a good thing,silly me for thinking that

I dunno... Not that I don't think the point about race is valid here, but... I feel like you could argue that Sarah had a completely different attitude to servitude precisely because she'd well-off and loved. Not only that, she grew up in India and... Apparently her dad was real fucking liberal, because she didn't seem to think differently of Indian people, either. In any case... I loved this movie as a kid, but it took on a different meaning for me after my own dad died and I became a YA orphan. Despite being poor and having some really shitty things happen to me even after that... I'm a happy person? Like, I would say happier than a lot of the people around me. A lot of it does have to do with my imagination, and also... My dad thought I was just the best, so I grew up with a strong sense of self-esteem. That part of the movie, the part about strength in the face of adversity, rings very true to me. I'm uncomfortable with the film's treatment of India, though... I think they tried? At least, I thought it was interesting that it was her experience in India that made Sarah different; on that level, there is a positive portrayal of like Indian mythology. But it is heavily romanticized, and... They kinda skim over trauma of colonialism, don't they? Like, the Indian characters seem happy to serve the White people who colonized them. Although I will say that Ram Dass feels a little more ambiguous than Maya; he at least gives me the impression that he thinks the White people around him need to get their shit together, lol. In any event. Seeing the movie at 7 convinced me that India was some kind of fantasy land; I wanted to be Indian for years after that!

I came in ready to disagree since I loved this movie as a kid but damn...all you had were valid points.

achuly pokemon choses the trainer basied on whether or not they think your a good enuf mentor

I liked the Shirley Temple version too and I like it a little more.

Might check out the novel. Btw, papa really is dead.

Congrats on your progress :) But OMG!! I loved this movie! I used a cover of "kindle my heart" in my wedding!!! I think all little girls need to watch this movie (the princess speech scene is beautiful!!!) followed by a dialogue with their parents about social implications. But can we also talk about the film's exoticism of the Indian man-servant (and "servitude is wonderful" parallel). As a kid his character confused me. Like is he a mystic or not? Like the movie works really hard for you to see him as a stereotype of the other worldly wiseman of the east. Even as child I felt uneasy about it.

how do you know to do all my beloved moves its like your in my head or something

I clicked because I've seen the old Shirley Temple version. When this came out, I was in college (yep. I'm an old nerd). I remember regarding it as a remake for remake sake. Therefore I skipped it. This sounds SO different from the older version, and both are based on the book (haven't read it, sorry). I can't help but wonder what was changed from what to what. There is also a Veggie Tales version (this was after creators of VT lost most of the control over what used to be their own IP. So not as high quality as older VT.) I'm not sure if the VT version was borrowing more from the book or the Shirley Temple version, but both of those were set in England, not New York. And in the two versions I saw Becky was Cockney, not black. If I wasn't working 68 hours a week, I'd be tempted to read the book,. and watch/rewatch the various versions of the story to compare and contrast. I know it's often mind boggling what changes movie studios make to existing stories. It almost never improves anything.

This is me while reading the Wizard of Oz. Ive recently read it and found myself saying why the fuck.

U a big kid inside

the real institutional rac'ism lies within the actress who plays Sara Crewe. She's a pritzker lmao

You are forgetting the film was based in 1914-1918 so Becky’s character was a low life form. Only Sarah treated her indifferently. Lack of character growth? Absolutely but you got to understand it doesn’t matter if this was made in 1995 in the 90’s. The time of when black actors was becoming more and more of a thing. It was the character and the time of the film was placed in. But I respect your criticism the film for me was great. Like you said it was more fantasy.

as a kid i didn't see the problem and haven't seen the movie since but now that you bring this all up it all clicks and is just odd.

Have yall seen the one with Shirley temple in it?

I fell in love with a Shirley Temple version. I was a little bit disappointing in this one to be honest

They don't do their history research for the movie and the characters

Well Someone Didnt read the book... Clearly

Minchin was heartless and Soulless

You should watch the original movie with Shirley Temple. Becky was White. Black servants in Victorian England would've been quite rare. There were enough poor Whites to fill those roles.

I hated this movie is a kid, what it has to say about growing up poor is awful. My midclass cousine loved it.... She really identified with Sarah the "little princess".