Not anamorphic, but widescreen nonetheless, and the print of THE CHALK GARDEN is beautiful. Only flaws are that it's DVD-R and not pressed, which means it will function on some players while other players will reject it, and there is no menu whatsoever, no way to navigate other than manually. Otherwise, it's a knockout.
This is a rather unusual little film which is based on an unusual play by Enid Bagnold. Kerr is a mysterious woman who is applying for the position of governess at a stately old house. Kerr hasn't any experience nor references to give to her staid but essentially tender-hearted employer (played carefully by Dame Edith Evans, grotesquely dressed in lavender much of the time). Hayley Mills plays the troubled Laurel, a sprited, lying adolescent girl of 16 - who is much like Miss Madrigal (Kerr) was at the g..
I've always like Hayley Mills movies. "Pollyanna" was achingly sweet, and "The Parent Trap" was corny but delightful. However, I believe her performance in "The Chalk Garden" is her best. This well-crafted film deals with the relationship between a young girl, played by Hayley Mills, living with her grandmother and the new nanny, played by Deborah Kerr, hired to care for her. The young girl is a pyromaniac who compulsively manipulates and lies, perhaps as her way of handling what she feels is a lovel..
