A Little Princess (1995) - 7/10

The first movie of today was A Little Princess by acclaimed director Alfonson Cuaron, the same guy who brought us Children of Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. His name being attached to this film as well as having the same cinematographer from his future work made me want to check out this intriguing tale of a young princess who after being sent to a boarding school by her rich father, finds out that he is presumed dead and missing at war which then leads the place to take away her lavish lifestyle to live a life of servitude. The color palette of this film was very well done representing the rich greens and reds of India that made for a cool background where we see her dreaming into these far off fairy tales only to be dragged back to reality by a nasty headmistress and told she has to earn her place at the school. With the help of the girls around her, she tells stories and creates imaginary worlds for them which transport their minds out of the strict, boring school they're stuck with and into the worlds that this young girl Sarah has only been lucky enough to see. I really liked the depiction of the dark school being compared to the war and the sadness this girl overcomes as her faith is rewarded by the loyal friends she encounters who help rebel against the school to get her reunited with her father. Overall, this movie was just as it sounds, a heartwarming tale which showed the true spirit of how children are able to use imagination to break the rules and conventions around them in order to conquer evil and help everyone see the brighter world around them.