La piccola principessa

This movie is on my short list of great live action family films. If you believe that every girl is a princess, this is the movie for you. Beautifully staged and shot, well-acted, superbly directed. This movie works from start to finish.

Some reviewers here on IMDb have slammed the film as overly sentimental. If you don't like movies with a sweet disposition, this isn't your film. Let's put it this way: if you think Frank Capra was the bane of American film-making, you're gonna hate this movie. If you judge films on a "the darker, the better" scale-why are you even watching this? Another caveat: I haven't read the book. The movie apparently takes great liberties with the book. If this kind of thing bothers you, stay away.

Alfonso Cuaron shows a deft handling of the sense of wonder here. When he was announced as the director of Harry Potter 3, his work on Little Princess made me confident he'd deliver the goods. One reviewer tried to declare that "Princess" was a calculated attempt by Cuaron to to get a gig on the Potter series. Impossible. "Princess" was released in 1995, and "Sorceror's/Philosopher's Stone" was PUBLISHED in 1998.

This is a small, quiet, sweet little film the entire family can enjoy, without insulting Mom & Dad's intelligence. It is the next step for all little girls who are starting to outgrow Belle/Ariel/Jasmine and the rest of the animated princesses. This Little Princess is real, and her story is worth watching.

Side note-little boys might not find the film engaging. It is kind of chick-flick for the tween set. That doesn't mean it's totally male-unfriendly. Fathers of daughters will be hard-pressed to avoid shedding a tear or two.

If you have a tween daughter, save some rental money and just buy it! She's going to watch it over and over.

Just before seeing this movie, I wasn't expecting much. There just wasn't anything else on TV, and this was just beginning, so I decided to give it a chance. It wasn't very long in before I began to realize that this wasn't just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, by-the-numbers production. First of all, the movie, with all of the obvious attention to the sets and costume design and how it was photographed, just look absolutely beautiful. Then, the acting is simply superb by everybody, and not just the principal performers. Alfonso Cuaron (who was later tabbed to direct the 3rd Harry Potter movie, really showed his stuff in this film, which in my opinion was largely overlooked, as I don't remember a whole lot of publicity being done when it was first released, which is a shame, because a lot of effort went into making this such a good movie. Equally appealing to kids and adults alike, which is pretty rare as well. Highly recommended!

Sara (played by Liesel Matthiews) is a generous, compassionate, and imaginative character. This film reminds me of virtues I adhered to as a child, how almost identical they were with that of Sara, and how those virtues have gradually submerged as I ventured towards adulthood. It reminded me of the innocence I once possessed, the innocence that has been slowly but surely chipped away by Society as I know it.

Nevertheless, this film made me realize that all I ever believed was never lost in me, but rather, simply inert and obscured. As my emotions swayed along with the joys and plights the little child Sara endured, I realized I am still as humane and compassionate as I always have been, and that it just doesn't show too much on the exterior anymore, that's all.

Each time my eyes went moist, I felt happier with myself.

Too bad this film did not do too well in the theatres, as I find the film quite moving and uplifting. I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

This movie is a must-see for every little girl as well as anyone who still believes in fairy tales. The heartwarming story of Sara Crew and her faith in spite of all odds is enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. This movie tells the story the way it really was in the novel-- unlike the Shirley Temple-sugar-coated ridiculously inaccurate version. The whole family can watch this and enjoy it because there's a little something for everyone. Although there are a few flaws to it (such as ludicrous near-death escapes that only could be believed in fairy tales; besides events that weren't even in the book), the good definitely outweighs the bad and this is an excellent addition to any collection!

THis is a wonderful children's film full of fascinating adult tensions. The reactionary assumptions of the source material remain - the upper class are jolly nice and paternalistic; the bourgeoisie (represented by Eleanor Bron) are grasping, slave-owning monsters; India is not a massive subcontinent rife with internal and anti-colonial divisions, but a bright fantasy world of escape from reality - but the film is full of darkness unusual for such a film: apartheid, child abuse, poverty, the disruptive, harrowing effects of war, the absence of parents. In this way, the film's style, veering between fantasy and expressionistic 'realism' is impressive. The social order may be restored, but the film is full of heartening little revolutions: its ultimate message is, look HARDER.