A Little Princess (1995 film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids A Little Princess
Theatrical re-release poster
Directed by	Alfonso Cuarón
Produced by	Mark Johnson
Screenplay by	Richard LaGravenese Elizabeth Chandler
Starring	Eleanor Bron Liam Cunningham Liesel Matthews
Music by	Patrick Doyle
Cinematography	Emmanuel Lubezki
Editing by	Steven Weisberg
Studio	Baltimore Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	May 10, 1995 (1995-05-10)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$17 million
Money made	$10 million

A Little Princess is a 1995 American family drama film. It was directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The movie stars Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham, and Liesel Matthews as Sara Crewe. Other actors include Vanessa Lee Chester, Rusty Schwimmer, Arthur Malet, and Errol Sitahal. Warner Bros. released the film.

The story takes place during World War I. It follows a young girl named Sara. She is sent to a boarding school in New York City. The headmistress makes her a servant after hearing that Sara's father died in the war. The film is based on the 1905 book A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This movie version was also inspired by the 1939 movie.

Even though the film did not earn a lot of money, critics loved it. It received two Oscar nominations. These were for its amazing art direction and cinematography.

The Story of A Little Princess

Sara's New Life at Boarding School

Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) is the kind daughter of Captain Richard Crewe (Liam Cunningham). Her father is a rich man from India. Sara's mother and baby sister died when she was very young. Captain Crewe decides to fight for the British Army in World War I. This means Sara must leave her home and friends.

Her father places Sara in a girls' boarding school in New York. He tells the headmistress, Miss Maria Minchin (Eleanor Bron), to make sure Sara is very comfortable. Sara gets the biggest room. Her father gives her a special locket with her mother's picture. He also gives her a French doll named Emily. He tells Sara to talk to Emily, and he will hear her.

Sara finds the school's rules strict and Miss Minchin harsh. But Sara becomes popular with the other girls. She is kind and has a great imagination. She also becomes friends with Becky (Vanessa Lee Chester), a servant girl. Sara writes many letters to her father. These letters make him very happy during the war.

Sara's Life Changes

Sadly, Captain Crewe is thought to be dead. This happens because a body is wrongly identified. But he is actually badly hurt and has lost his memory. The British government takes his money and company. This leaves Sara and her father in debt.

Miss Minchin is throwing a big birthday party for Sara when she hears the news. She had hoped to get more money from Sara's father. When his lawyer arrives, he tells her there will be no more money. Miss Minchin becomes very angry.

Since Sara is now poor and has no family, Miss Minchin makes her a servant. Sara has to move to the attic with Becky. She must work for the cook, Mabel (Peggy Miley), starting at 5 a.m. Miss Minchin takes all of Sara's things. She only leaves Sara with Emily and a book.

A Neighbor's Kindness

Meanwhile, an old neighbor, Charles Randolph (Arthur Malet), gets bad news. His son, John, is also fighting in Europe and is missing. Mr. Randolph is asked to identify a soldier who has lost his memory. He is sad to find it is not his son.

His wise Indian assistant, Ram Dass (Errol Sitahal), tells him to take the man in anyway. He says the man might know what happened to his son.

Even though her life is hard, Sara stays kind. She still believes that all girls are princesses. Sara and Becky play a trick on Miss Minchin. This happens after Miss Minchin scolds a young chimney sweep boy (Jonás Cuarón). Sara even shows kindness to Miss Minchin's sister, Amelia (Rusty Schwimmer).

Ram Dass lives in the attic of the Randolph house. He notices Sara and Becky because of his monkey. He hears Sara telling amazing stories to Becky. He tells his employer about the girls. He says he wants to make some of their imagined stories come true.

A Secret Banquet and a Discovery

Later, the girls sneak up to visit Sara. Miss Minchin catches them. Sara protects her friends by saying she invited them. As punishment, Miss Minchin locks Becky in her room. She also makes Sara do both her own chores and Becky's. Neither girl gets anything to eat.

Miss Minchin even makes fun of Sara for believing she is a princess. But Sara stands up to Miss Minchin. She says all girls are princesses, no matter how hard their lives are. Miss Minchin gets very angry. She threatens to throw Sara out if she sees her with the girls again.

After Miss Minchin leaves, Sara and Becky are hungry. To distract themselves, they imagine a huge feast. They picture themselves in beautiful clothes, with a warm fire. The next day, they wake up to find their dream has come true! Ram Dass secretly brought everything for them.

Reunion and Justice

Later that night, Amelia sneaks out of the school. She runs off with the milkman. Miss Minchin then notices Sara's locket is gone. The other girls had secretly taken it back to give to Sara. Miss Minchin goes to Sara's room and confronts her.

She finds all the nice things left by Ram Dass. Miss Minchin gets angrier and accuses Sara of stealing. She calls the police. With Becky's help, Sara escapes. She climbs over to the Randolph house.

Miss Minchin fails to catch Sara. She then tells the police to arrest Becky for helping Sara. While hiding, Sara finds the soldier. She realizes he is her father! Captain Crewe does not recognize her. As she tries to make him remember, Miss Minchin and the police arrive with Ram Dass and Mr. Randolph.

Miss Minchin clearly recognizes Captain Crewe. But she lies and says Sara has no father. She tells the police to take Sara. She chooses revenge over the truth. As the police are about to take Sara and Becky, Captain Crewe suddenly remembers everything. Ram Dass helps him. Captain Crewe rescues his daughter. Miss Minchin walks away in defeat.

A Happy Ending

Later, Captain Crewe sorts things out with the school and the bank. The boarding school is given to Mr. Randolph. He makes it a much happier place for the girls. The Crewe family gets their wealth back. They also adopt Becky. Captain Crewe tells Mr. Randolph that his son died in a gas attack. This gives Mr. Randolph some peace.

As punishment for her meanness, Miss Minchin loses her job. She becomes a chimney sweeper. She now works for the same chimney sweep boy she treated badly. The film ends with Sara and Becky waving goodbye to their friends. Their carriage leaves the school as the family returns to India.

Meet the Cast

• Liesel Matthews as Sara Crewe: A sweet, kind, and caring girl. She is Captain Richard Crewe's daughter.
• Eleanor Bron as Miss Maria Minchin: The mean, greedy, and selfish woman who runs the boarding school. She is Amelia's older sister.
• Liam Cunningham as Captain Richard Crewe: Sara's loving father. He is a widower.
  • Liam Cunningham also plays Prince Rama, a character from Sara's stories.
• Vanessa Lee Chester as Becky: Miss Minchin's servant. She lives in the attic of the school.
• Taylor Fry as Lavinia: A mean girl who is jealous of Sara.
• Heather DeLoach as Ermengarde: A shy and unsure girl. Lavinia and Miss Minchin often pick on her.
• Kelsey Mulrooney as Lottie: A girl at Sara's school who often has tantrums.
• Rusty Schwimmer as Amelia Minchin: Miss Minchin's long-suffering sister.
• Arthur Malet as Charles Randolph: A kind old man who lives next door to the school.
• Errol Sitahal as Ram Dass: Mr. Randolph's wise servant. He becomes Sara's friend.
• Jonás Cuarón as Jim: The chimney sweep boy.
• Peggy Miley as Mabel: A cook who works for Miss Minchin.

The Film's Music

A Little Princess
Film score by Patrick Doyle
Released	May 9, 1995
Length	49:57
Label	Varèse Sarabande
Patrick Doyle chronology
Exit to Eden (1994) A Little Princess (1995) Sense and Sensibility (1995)

The music for A Little Princess was composed by Patrick Doyle. A film score is all the original music written for a movie. Three of the songs have solo singers. The film also uses a piece of music by Michael Haydn. The New London Children's Choir also sings in the movie.

Awards and Recognition

The film A Little Princess received several awards and nominations. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: La princesita para niños