The Chalk Garden

"The Chalk Garden" brings Edith Bagnold's 1951 play to the screen. The film focuses on Laurel, a troubled 16-year-old who moved in with her grandmother, Mrs. St. Maugham, in protest against her mother's re-marriage. Mrs. St. Maugham hired various governesses to deal with Laurel; but the young girl quickly drove them away. They failed to comprehend her; but she discovered their deepest secrets, and immediately conveyed these to her grandmother, leading to the dismissals of a succession of governesses. When Mrs. St. Maugham hires Miss Madrigal as the new governess, the tables are turned. Laurel cannot figure out Madrigal--an enigmatic figure, who, although almost aristocratic in bearing, is unable to provide any references. But Madrigal completely comprehends Laurel at once. Olivia, Laurel's mother, plans to reclaim custody of her daughter; but Mrs. St. Maugham is determined to prevent this. Meanwhile, Maitland, the butler/general factotum, tries to keep the household on an even keel.That there is a certain complexity to each of these characters adds credibility and interest to the story. Laurel is a highly inquisitive, intelligent, and analytical person, whose judgments are sometimes very perceptive. Often disrespectful and occasionally obnoxious, in private, Laurel is tormented by grief. Mrs. St. Maugham is a generous but domineering woman--she wants the best for Olivia, but feels compelled to impose her choices on her daughter. And Maitland is recovering from his own personal tragedy.There are some weaknesses in the screenplay. In an early scene, Laurel urges Madrigal to smile more because she is beautiful when she smiles, then comments that Madrigal is "quite accomplished" as an artist, and then indicates that she values the governess' compliments about her own painting. It appears that there is in Laurel's view of Madrigal an element of admiration that she had not felt for her other governesses. But the screenplay does not develop Laurel's ambivalent feelings, although these are an important part of the story. Similarly, Olivia's maternal feelings are not much in evidence. We see Olivia primarily in confrontation with her mother. For four years, she has failed to contest custody of Laurel, for reasons that are not satisfactorily explained. Even now, Olivia says she is trying to regain Laurel because she is "my daughter, not yours"--which suggests there is an element of competition as well as compassion in her custody battle. Finally, the screenplay makes an effort to soften Madrigal's past. This weakens the plot. If Madrigal's travails resulted only from a failure of the justice system, what is the relevance of her experience for Laurel's situation?But the script is fundamentally strong. It stimulates concern about Laurel and weaves an air of mystery around Madrigal. It also limns the personalities of the principal characters, and shows how the outcome of the story has implications for all of them. Adult viewers may find themselves waiting to see who will finally tame the troubled teenager. But, in a rather sudden and surprising fashion, Laurel's obnoxious façade is cracked when her own machinations reveal Madrigal's mysterious past. Following this event, a series of carefully crafted dialogues, each with a somewhat unexpected outcome, take the story to its conclusion.Undoubtedly, the greatest strength of "The Chalk Garden" is its world-class cast. And, in view of the extreme close-up photography in the most emotional moments, the actors had to master the tiniest details of their performances. This is the cast you might have assembled if you got your first choice of the actor for each role. Edith Evans (nominated for three Academy Awards from 1963-1967) as Mrs. St. Maugham, and Deborah Kerr (nominated for five Academy Awards from 1953-1960) as Madrigal, were ideal for the roles of the aristocratic elderly British lady and the reserved governess. Many actors could have portrayed an English butler, but, as Maitland, John Mills (nominated for three BAFTA awards and one Academy Award) could also draw on varied talents to toss off insouciant comments to potential governesses and Mrs. St. Maugham, and even engage in a physical confrontation with Laurel. The great gamble was to cast Hayley Mills as Laurel. Other cast members had years of experience and had played similar roles in the past. Although she had been nominated for two Academy Awards and had received a special honorary Academy Award, Ms. Mills was only 17, and had never portrayed anyone remotely like Laurel. She must have found certain scenes hugely challenging, as some required her to show almost every emotion and to give credibility to seemingly irrational mood swings. In this reviewer's opinion, it is perhaps her best on-screen performance, and should be required viewing for those who think Mills could portray only Pollyanna-type characters. Felix Aylmer, who had played many "gray eminence" roles, does well as Judge McWhirrey. But Elizabeth Sellars' performance as Olivia, as noted above, is cramped by the script.The DVD comes without peripherals, but (fortunately) is in 1.85:1 format. A pan-and-scan version would have been a disaster, because in some key scenes the dramatis personae are arrayed all across the screen.

This in an outstanding movie. It's one you want to watch over and over. It grabs your attention from the get-go. I remember watching it several times with my mother our a black & white TV whenever it was featured on "Movie of the Week." It features an outstanding cast: Hayley Mills, Sir John Mills, Deborah Kerr, Edith Evans and Felix Aylmer. A British-American collaboration, this is one of the rare films to star both Hayley Mills and her father John. Both actors did an outstanding job.Hayley plays Laurel, a troubled teen whose penchant for starting fires is indulged by her grandmother, Mrs. St. Maugham (Evans). Laurel has been through several governesses--a lover of British crimes and murders, she makes it her mission to expose each governess' past and report her findings to her grandmother. As a result, the governess is fired. Miss Madrigal (Kerr) applies and interviews for the governess position. Laurel is intrigued by her and is determined to dig up Miss Madrigal's secrets. Miss Madrigal understands Laurel, because the girl is a reflection of herself at that age. She is knowledgeable about gardening, which is why Mrs. St. Maugham hired her in the first place--her flowers refuse to grow because they are planted in a chalk garden.Sir John Mills is Grandmother's loyal servant and Laurel's confidante. He also acts as Laurel's conscience, enabling her to make the right choice at a crucial point in the film.I won't give up any more of the plot, but like a good book you can't put down, you won't be able to watch this film unless you see the entire movie in one sitting. It is that good. Deborah Kerr is superb as Miss Madrigal, the governess with a past, and what a past it was. She's great in anything, just like Hayley and John Mills. I recommend this film highly--it is one of Hayley's best, outside of her Disney films. "Laurel" is also quite a departure from the wholesome roles Hayley played as a Disney child star. Ms Mills is one of those rare child stars who was able to segued into more adult roles. She is much beloved by us Baby Boomers, and I'm glad she is still acting. I've just ordered Hayley's autobiography on Amazon, and am looking forward to receiving it in September.If you're a fan of Hayley Mills, I recommend you buy this DVD. Watching it as a child, I vividly remember many scenes from this film years later as an adult, so it makes quite an impact. When it first came out on VHS, I bought it immediately. The DVD is much nicer--the picture quality is sharp, the colors vivid. I haven't seen this movie on any cable channel, so I recommend purchasing the DVD.

This is a review of the 2014 standard Region 2 DVD from Odeon Entertainment. The quality of the reproduction is very good and clear, but the aspect ratio seemed slightly odd. It is supposed to be in 16:9 Widescreen, but it appeared as a smaller than usual picture, that looked like a 4:3 ratio, set in the centre of the TV screen. I got used to it, but it is was a little annoying.Enid Bagnold, later Lady Jones, wife of the Chairman of Reuters, was born in Rochester, Kent in 1889. She had an interesting life, working as a nurse and then as a driver in France, in WW1. Her major claim to fame in the world of film, was as the author of the 1935 novel ‘National Velvet’. This became an iconic American film in 1944, starring a very young Elizabeth Taylor.In 1955, Bagnold wrote a play, ‘The Chalk Garden’, set in Kent and inspired by the family house, in Rottingdean, near Brighton. The house had originally been owned by the artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Bagnold anticipated a British production, but fate dictated an American premier, and the play opened, to enthusiastic reviews, on Broadway in October 1955, then transferred successfully to the UK. It had quite starry associations from the beginning, with American film director George Cukor masterminding it’s development in the US, and Cecil Beaton designing the costumes. Ross Hunter, the American producer responsible for such hits as ‘Magnificent Obsession’(1954) and ’Pillow Talk’(1959) ensured that Universal acquired the film rights, and initially advocated the action be moved to Carmel, California, because he thought the British setting ‘dreary’! Fortunately he changed his mind.Hunter and the director, Ronald Neame ~ who became very successful with ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’(1969) and ‘The Poseidon Adventure’(1972) ~ had several disagreements, over the look of the film, and some of the cast. In particular, Hunter wanted Ingrid Bergman in the governess role taken by Deborah Kerr, and Gladys Cooper (who had the role on Broadway) as the elderly and single-minded grandmother. For various reasons his choices were unavailable, and he was persuaded to agree to Edith Evans taking the role of the grandmother, after meeting her. Evans had been in the role on the London stage. In the event, she was OSCAR-nominated, and both she and Kerr were BAFTA-nominated.Far from being ‘dreary’, this is handsome and beautifully filmed, up on the chalk cliffs and in the nearby house. The music is by composer Malcolm Arnold. Kerr and Evans are superb, as they struggle with and disagree over, the care of troubled teenager Hayley Mills. Mills, aged 18 but playing 16, is affecting, annoying, troubling, in equal measure, whilst dad, John Mills, gives able support as the butler. This is quite a strange but rather seductive drama, perhaps a little stagy, but intensely English and very entertaining.

I am revisiting Hayley Mills films, now available on DVD, and thoroughly enjoying her charming acting and the period details whether rural moors ('Whistle Down The Wind' or 'Sky West and Crooked') or more domestic melodramas such as this interesting story of a neurotic girl, abandoned by her parents, living with a possessive grandmother. The original story was written by Enid Bagnold who also wrote 'National Velvet' on which the memorable film with young Elizabeth Taylor was based. Supported by her own father, John Mills, with the wonderful Deborah Kerr, and that superb veteran actress, Edith Evans playing the grandmother, this film is a small gem of British film-making and I thoroughly recommend it, especially for Hayley Mills fans.

The Chalk Garden is one of the superlative British films Hayley Mills was involved in as a young woman. The others being: The Family Way, Endless Night, Twisted Nerve, and Deadly Strangers. The C. G. also stars Deborah Kerr and Edith Evans in a film dealing with adult problems in a sensitive and engagingly sensitive way with aplomb. Hayley's tangled emotions defeat a series of governess's until D. K. enters her life and methodically unravels the teen's emotional turmoil. An excellent example of how one's formative years can warp and/or stunt one's emotional development.

The film takes your attention immediately by its wonderful scenery which looks suffocatingly close and frighteningly wide at times. All characters are seemingly complicated, but in the end they turn out to be simply humans hurt by life. John Mills is giving a solid background for the two leading ladies who carry on the story wonderfully. Life stories are unfolding, secrets come to light and slowly we saw that there`s still hope for the future - a nicer and warmer future where lives connect.

The acting by Haley Mills was marvellous, it was a difficult part to play and she carried it off to perfection. Deborah Kerr is a fantastic actress and this was in my opinion an outstanding preformance by her. John Mills again was marvellous in the part. The story from the start kept your interest and just got better and better.