Original and Remake: A Little Princess

Here's my monthly edition of Original and Remake. This month I'm focusing on A Little Princess.
It's based on the  1905 children's book of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. For this post I'll be focusing on the 1939 and 1995 big screen versions, however, there is a 1917 silent adaptation as well as several television movies.

The Little Princess (1939)

Directed By: Walter Lang

Starring: Shirley Temple, Cesar Romero, Sybil Jason

Running Time: 93 Minutes

A Little Princess (1995)

Directed By: Alfonso Cuaron

Starring: Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham

Running Time: 97 Minutes

Personally my pick is the remake, maybe I'm a bit biased since I saw the remake first as a child and imminently fell in love with the story. It's funny because I am a Shirley Temple fan, she was the first Old Hollywood star I became interested in, but the 1939 version I don't 100% love. Sure it's a sweet film, it has it's touching moments and a lovely ballet sequence but there are some things in the remake I just prefer. I like Liesel Matthews better in the role of Sara than Shirley, I feel while Shirley was one of the child stars that could be cute and dance I'm not 100% sure drama was the best for her, Liesel tends to be a bit better in a more dramatic role. I'm not even sure if this film should be called 'drama' even though it's labeled 'family' while it does have it's dramatic moments  *Spoiler Alert* such as Sara's father off at war and believing he's been killed. I like the supporting cast in the 1995 version better than the 1939 version but I go have to give a shout out to Cesar Romero and Sybil Jason as Ram Dass and Becky, respectively. One of my favorite scenes from the '95 version is this one I just think it's a touching scene. So if you are to see only one, I'd pick the 1995 version. 

Until Next Time,

Ashley A.