33. A Little Princess

Alfonso Cuarón’s A Little Princess is a stunning film of fresh visual style and originality that pulls out all the cinematic stops while managing to appear sincere and unaffected.

Imaginative 10-year-old Sara Crewe (Liesel Matthews) lives a charmed life in early 20th-century India with devoted dad Captain Crewe (Liam Cunningham). The fairly tale is shattered when the Captain is abruptly called to war, leaving Sara stranded at the tony New York academy Miss Minchin's School for Girls.

Determined to support her brave absentee father, Sara maintains a stiff upper lip and wins over her classmates with her confident manners and extravagant storytelling. When Captain Crewe is reported missing in action and all his assets frozen, the unsympathetic Miss Minchin strips Sara of her possessions and privileges and demotes her to the role of servant girl.     

With a generous spirit and genetic valiance at hand, Sara takes a stand and refuses to believe that her father is dead. Blithely tolerating her Cinderella status, Sara soldiers on for her father, her country, and filmic pathos.

Fact and fiction combine for a fluid force of narrative. Cuarón stages elaborate fantasy sequences that punctuate the drama and heartbreak of wartime, and a poignant sense of solitude. Matthews' Sara is a constant delight, as is the warm intensity of relationship between father and daughter. Bold outrageous color, exceptional camera work, flawless period costuming and a diverse score make for glorious filmmaking. (Jeanne Aumuth)