The Secret Garden (1949) with Margaret O'Brien. Never on DVD? (1 Viewer)

I am wondering why it appears there has never been a DVD release of The Secret Garden from 1949. Besides Margaret O'Brien, it starred Dean Stockwell, Else Lanchester and Reginald Owen (among others).

I've never seen this version, but it is my understanding that the film interchanged B&W footage with 3-strip Technicolor sequences to great effect.

Is this a film that might be eligible for MOD treatment?

Can anyone give me any insight?

Thanks!

You're right; it's never been on DVD in Region 1 to my knowledge. I made a DVD-R from a TCM broadcast. Yes, it goes to color when Margaret goes into the secret garden and makes it green and lovely again.

I have it on vhs, and the Technicolor is beautiful.

WAC said they needed to do a new transfer of the film and it is on their radar. This remark was almost a year ago in response to a poster on their Facebook page that is always asking about O'Brien Films.

I too would love to have this film.

Thanks, Allen. Hopefully, they'll get around to it.

After Matt's post, I checked...but didn't find any upcoming air dates on TCM.

Lookee what I just found for sale through the WB Archives program...

Apparently, it's been available for awhile.

And it's currently just $11.99!

This might sound a little dramatic...but my mother-in-law saw this at the theater when she was a little girl in an orphanage and hasn't seen it since. She has been thinking about it quite a bit in recent years (which prompted my OP in this thread nearly three years ago. She'll have a nice surprise at Christmas this year!

I remember seeing THE SECRET GARDEN at a children's matinee in a South Bronx theater in 1972. The crowd gasped appreciatively when the black-and-white turned to Technicolor. It was followed by a double bill of THE THING WITH TWO HEADS and Mario Bava's BARON BLOOD. Everyone at the children's matinee stayed for the double bill. A good time was had by all. (Interestingly, the two horror films both had old Hollywood leads, Ray Milland and Joseph Cotten, respectively, both of whom were big stars at the time of THE SECRET GARDEN, which co-starred Dean Stockwell, who was still working in 1972.)

I recently saw another Margaret O'Brien film for the first time, THE UNFINISHED DANCE (1947) in which she plays a ballet student who is obsessed with a prima ballerina played by Cyd Charisse, to the point where she does something bad to Charisse's rival and is wracked with guilt for the rest of the film. Very intense. Great dance scenes--in glorious Technicolor. I loved it so much I wrote about it on my blog:

https://briandanacamp.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/the-unfinished-dance-hollywoods-greatest-ballet-film/#more-2218

I had recorded UNFINISHED DANCE off TCM. Afterwards I learned it's also on Warner Archive. Too bad the film doesn't have enough of a rep to have been given a proper release complete with appropriate extras, e.g. a Margaret O'Brien commentary.

I have the soundtrack album set on 78s!

Matt Hough said:

I have the soundtrack album set on 78s!

Click to expand...

I saw the soundtrack album of The Unfinished Dance on 78's years ago at an antique show and still kick myself for not picking it up. Would love to see the complete OST released on cd. Some great music in this film.

The Secret Garden is excellent, also.