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Amazon.co.uk Review
The Secret Of Moonacre is a charming adaptation of Elizabeth Goudge’s novel The Little White Horse. Starring The Golden Compass’ Dakota Blue Richards, she plays young teenage orphan Maria Merryweather, who inherits a single book from her father.
That book, however, is the catalyst to what happens next in The Secret Of Moonacre, as the story bursts to life, throwing Maria into the middle of a feud between two families, the Merryweathers and the De Noirs. As she eventually makes her way through the book, Maria understands what she needs to do, and realises that the fate of Moonacre Valley could well be in her hands.
Co-starring Tim Curry, Ioan Gruffudd, Natascha McElhone and Juliet Stevenson, The Secret Of Moonacre does take a little time to warm up, with a tepid first act not the best of beginnings. But then the the steady hand of director Gabor Csupo--previously responsible for the underrated Bridge To Terabithia--kicks in, and things soon pick up. Csupo’s movie boasts striking visuals and genuinely impressive production values, and while it doesn’t quite match his earlier film, it still emerges as solid family entertainment that’s been well realised. What’s more, Dakota Blue Richards does her credentials no harm at all either, turning in another impressive performance that eases the film through its weaker moments. Recommended. –-Jon Foster
Product Description
United Kingdom released, Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Dolby TrueHD ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: The story follows the exploits of thirteen-year-old orphan Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards), whose sole inheritance from her father is a book. This is no ordinary tome, however in Maria's hands, its ancient story comes alive. The book chronicles an age-old rivalry between the Merryweather and De Noir families over a set of magical pearls, and as Maria delves into the mysterious tale, she finds herself fantastically entangled in the bitter feud.Left penniless by her father's death, Maria has no choice but to leave the city and live with her taciturn uncle, Sir Benjamin Merryweather, at his isolated country estate in Moonacre Valley. On her way to her new home with her caretaker Miss Heliotrope, Maria's carriage is attacked by Robin, the De Noir family's teenaged son. Although she is unharmed, the incident gives Maria a frightening taste of the animosity between the two clans. Having spent the night at her tower, Maria has been surrounded by magic, the stars on the ceiling of her room falls, one by one. She also noticed that the house seemed falling apart. She qestions her uncle, but she was reprimanded not to enter the forest.When Maria arrives at the Merryweather property, her uncle spies the unusual book in her possession, and immediately confiscates it. With the help of the estate's resourceful chef, however, Maria relocates the book and continues reading, finally discovering the weight of her responsibility: she has been anointed the last Moon Princess of the valley. It is up to her to find the magic pearls before the next full moon and end the conflict between the two families. If she fails in...The Secret of Moonacre (2008) ( Le secret de Moonacre ) ( The Little White Horse ) (Blu-Ray)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This film is true to the phrase "adapted from the book" In itself, a very enjoyable "watch" with it's own kind of magic appeal, but apart from place and character names, is only scantily-like the actual novel!
I have to admit, I'm certainly not complaining about Ioan Gruffudd's tall dark and handsome moodily-magnificent Uncle Benjamin, even though the Benjamin of the book is tall, fair, older, and very ... plump (stating it kindly!)and of a much sunnier and friendly nature. Another character (the youthful love interest of Miss Heliotrope, Old Parson)is missing altogether, and Robin, who originally was the son of the previous Moon Princess, and a "good guy" has become the son of the villian of the story, instead!Incidently, Miss Heliotrpe of the film is used for comedy-effect very efectively with her sufferings from indigestion, but the original would have been mortified to be frequently belching in public - and scandalised to be seen tippling Sir Benjamin's wine!
Enjoy this story for what it is - watchable entertainment - but please, do read your young 'uns "The Little White Horse" by Elizabeth Goudge, or buy the older ones their own copy. It's REAL magic in print, and will draw them back again, even as adults, to return to Moonacre Valley.
I have to admit, I'm certainly not complaining about Ioan Gruffudd's tall dark and handsome moodily-magnificent Uncle Benjamin, even though the Benjamin of the book is tall, fair, older, and very ... plump (stating it kindly!)and of a much sunnier and friendly nature. Another character (the youthful love interest of Miss Heliotrope, Old Parson)is missing altogether, and Robin, who originally was the son of the previous Moon Princess, and a "good guy" has become the son of the villian of the story, instead!Incidently, Miss Heliotrpe of the film is used for comedy-effect very efectively with her sufferings from indigestion, but the original would have been mortified to be frequently belching in public - and scandalised to be seen tippling Sir Benjamin's wine!
Enjoy this story for what it is - watchable entertainment - but please, do read your young 'uns "The Little White Horse" by Elizabeth Goudge, or buy the older ones their own copy. It's REAL magic in print, and will draw them back again, even as adults, to return to Moonacre Valley.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
As a long time fan of the book this is apparently 'based on', I was somewhat sceptical. However, I have enjoyed film adaptations of most of the books I am fond of, so I wasn't expecting to completely waste my time.
The best thing that can be said for this film is that, looks wise, Dakota Blue Richards is relatively close to the description of Maria Merryweather. The script is appalling, the casting fairly inappropriate, the acting from Natascha McElhone in particular is horrific (and straight out of a provincial pantomime as the Moon Godess). Even the CGI is unimpressive.
Obviously, personally I would have been best pleased if they had stuck to the actual story, but failing that, the re-write they produced could have been done well. Instead, within half an hour I was wondering about the cast and crews' sanity, and within three-quarters of an hour, my own.
In saying that, the music is incidentally pleasent, and the setting isn't bad. Moonacre Manor has an exterior that is relatively close to the description in the book, as is the castle of the de Noir clan - although both have been enlarged. Maria's 'Moon Godess' boudoir is pretty, and will probably set any little girl to dreaming for a bedroom like that! (But then, so would the description in the book.)
The worst thing is, having bought the DVD, I don't even want to pass it on to my younger relations, as even they, at the ages of 8 and 12, will find this film beneath them. Buy this for little girls under 6 if you must; they are likely to enjoy it a great deal - but better to spend the time reading the book to them - and it can be appreciated by all ages.
The best thing that can be said for this film is that, looks wise, Dakota Blue Richards is relatively close to the description of Maria Merryweather. The script is appalling, the casting fairly inappropriate, the acting from Natascha McElhone in particular is horrific (and straight out of a provincial pantomime as the Moon Godess). Even the CGI is unimpressive.
Obviously, personally I would have been best pleased if they had stuck to the actual story, but failing that, the re-write they produced could have been done well. Instead, within half an hour I was wondering about the cast and crews' sanity, and within three-quarters of an hour, my own.
In saying that, the music is incidentally pleasent, and the setting isn't bad. Moonacre Manor has an exterior that is relatively close to the description in the book, as is the castle of the de Noir clan - although both have been enlarged. Maria's 'Moon Godess' boudoir is pretty, and will probably set any little girl to dreaming for a bedroom like that! (But then, so would the description in the book.)
The worst thing is, having bought the DVD, I don't even want to pass it on to my younger relations, as even they, at the ages of 8 and 12, will find this film beneath them. Buy this for little girls under 6 if you must; they are likely to enjoy it a great deal - but better to spend the time reading the book to them - and it can be appreciated by all ages.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I saw this at the cinema when it came out, it was such a lovely film to watch again and again for the whole family. Based on a book called The Little White Horse, the story is Maria Merryweather who has lost her parents and must live with her uncle in Moonacre. There she discovers a ancient curse that when the 5,000th moon comes, the Merryweathers will be doomed forever and Moonacre will destory everything. It's upto Maria to join the two warring familes and save Moonacre. It has the same feel of Inkheart, enjoyable and nothing too harsh about it. It has a good cast in it, Ioan Gruffudd playing two roles and as always brilliant as ever. Dakota Blue Richards is a improvement from Golden Compass, finally using a proper accent and shreding the annoying "Look at me" faze. Tim Curry is his usual villian self, Juilet Stevenson is brilliant as Maria's mentor and Natasha Mcleone is great as Loveday. Awesome scenery, beautiful dresses, romance and just good fun, The Secret of Moonacre is highly recommened by me if you loved Inkheart, Bedtime Stories or just a family film to watch.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
secret of moonacre
all the actors played their parts very well , a well put together script and a lovely adventur , most enjoyable to watch , a lovely adventure
Published 2 days ago by rossina
Crying out for a faithful remake!
Elizabeth Goudge wrote some outstanding novels for adults and children.
Of these, one of her best is "The Little White Horse", a whimsical blending of Dickens, Grimm, Austen,... Read more
Of these, one of her best is "The Little White Horse", a whimsical blending of Dickens, Grimm, Austen,... Read more
Published 5 months ago by John Gough
The story ruined and uglified
'The Little White Horse' is one of the loveliest and most magical children's books there is in English. This isn't really a film version of it, though. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Anomalous Monist
Moonacre
I got this for my kids as I thought it would fill in a rainy afternoon, when I produced it they both said it "looks crap" and refused to watch it but I persevered and made them... Read more
Published 8 months ago by anne
The curse of Moonacre
A unicorn, an ancient curse, magical pearls, a blood feud, a forest haunted by bandits, and a bit of "Romeo and Juliet" romance (without the suicide). Read more
Published 13 months ago by E. A Solinas
MAGICALLY ENCHANTING!
THE SECRET OF MOONACRE is a 2008/2009 fantasy kids film starring Dakota Blue Richards. It is a truly great film! Read more
Published 13 months ago by G. Stephenson
unusual kids film
We discovered this film by accident on TV, recorded it and then lost it part way through. The kids (boy 8, girl 6), were enjoying it so much I promised to buy the DVD. Read more
Published 13 months ago by C. Cowie
Magical Fantasy
This is an enchanting family fantasy film recounting the story of a young girl (Maria) who is forced to stay with her Uncle Benjamin Merryweather in his dilapidated mansion... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Nostalgia
Magical, visual and allegorical delight
We watched this on my nieces 9th birthday with her friend. It was magical - visually fascinating, some whacky and fun characters,all the main characters were interesting for the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Amy Fields
Moonacre review
I bought this DVD for my grandaughter and wife. However as a 62year adult male I really enjoyed it and can only say it covers all age groups.
Dave
Dave
Published 15 months ago by DaveT
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