A Little Princess (1995 film)
A Little Princess is a 1995 American family drama film directed by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham (in a dual role), Liesel Matthews as Sara Crewe with, supporting roles by Vanessa Lee Chester, Rusty Schwimmer, Arthur Malet and Errol Sitahal. It was distributed by Warner Bros. through their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label. Set during World War I, it focuses on a young girl who is relegated to a life of servitude in a New York City boarding school by the headmistress after receiving news that her father was killed in combat. Loosely based upon the 1905 novel A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, this adaptation was heavily influenced by the 1939 cinematic version and takes creative liberties with the original story. Although not a box office success, it was critically acclaimed and received various awards, including two Oscar nominations for its significant achievements in art direction and cinematography. In 1914, young Sara lives in India with her widowed father Captain Richard Crewe, a wealthy British Army officer, sharing his love for stories of myths and magic. Called to serve in the Great War, Richard enrolls Sara at the all-girls' boarding school in New York City attended by her late mother, run by the haughty headmistress Miss Maria Minchin and her kindly sister Amelia. Instructing Miss Minchin to spare no expense for his daughter's comfort, Richard furnishes the school's largest suite and leaves Sara with her mother's locket and a doll he names Emily, which he tells her will keep them connected through magic. Although stifled by Miss Minchin's strictness, Sara becomes popular among the girls, including the scullery maid Becky, for her kindness and powerful imagination. Sara writes to her father, who is caught in a gas attack while trying to save a fellow soldier in the trenches. Miss Minchin throws Sara a lavish birthday party, hoping to extort more money from her father, but his solicitor arrives with news that Richard has been killed in battle; the British government has seized his assets, leaving Sara penniless.