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The Chalk Garden is a 1964 British-American film directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Deborah Kerr and Hayley Mills and is an adaptation of the 1955 play of the same name by Enid Bagnold.[2]

The Chalk Garden
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ronald Neame
Screenplay by	John Michael Hayes
Based on	The Chalk Garden play by Enid Bagnold
Produced by	Ross Hunter
Starring	Deborah Kerr Hayley Mills
Cinematography	Arthur Ibbetson
Edited by	Jack Harris
Music by	Malcolm Arnold
Production companies	Ross Hunter Productions Quota Rentals Limited Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures (United States) Rank Film Distributors (United Kingdom)
Release date	21 May 1964
Running time	106 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Box office	$3.25 million (US/ Canada rentals)[1]

Plot summary

An elderly woman hires Miss Madrigal, a governess with a mysterious past, to look after her disturbed and spoiled teenage granddaughter Laurel, who has driven away many previous governesses. Laurel feels intense jealousy and resentment of her beautiful mother, who lives elsewhere with her new husband, and her grandmother has taught her to hate her mother. When Miss Madrigal arrives, Laurel tries to investigate her past and potentially expose her. Miss Madrigal had been convicted of murdering her stepsister 15 years ago and was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted and she spent years in prison. Miss Madrigal uses this painful revelation to convince Laurel and her grandmother that she was once like Laurel, and that Laurel should leave her toxic environment to live with her mother, with whom she can grow into a better person. Laurel understands Miss Madrigal's self-sacrifice as an example of love, and follows her advice to live with her mother.

Cast

• Deborah Kerr as Miss Madrigal
• Hayley Mills as Laurel
• John Mills as Maitland
• Edith Evans as Mrs. St. Maugham
• Elizabeth Sellars as Olivia

Production

Don Hartman acquired the story for Paramount Pictures and took it over when he left Paramount in 1956 to become an independent producer. Shortly before Hartman died in 1958, Paramount halted pre-production.[3] In 1960, producer Ross Hunter said that he had the rights to the play, having "forced the studio to buy it." He worked with a writer to make the script "more commercial."[4]

The film was announced in May 1962 and Joanne Woodward was slated to star with Sandra Dee. Hunter wanted Ingrid Bergman for the film and had originally sought Gladys Cooper for the role of Mrs. St. Maugham in place of Edith Evans.[5]

Reception

Critical reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther wrote: "A great deal of scrupulous cultivation and orderly shaping of the plot have been done ... Ronald Neame, who has directed the picture, and John Michael Hayes, who has written the script, present us with a cozy, compact drama that follows a comfortable, sentimental line. ... There are moments, however, when the sharpness of Miss Bagnold's oblique slant on life cuts through, usually in glints of hidden mischief or in lines of slashing paradox and wit. When these come, the film sparkles briefly beyond the brightness of its Technicolored hues."[6]

Box office

The film grossed $180,000 in its second week at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, which was a record for Memorial Day week, and it become the number-one film in the United States.[7][8] It earned theatrical rentals of $3.25 million in the U.S. and Canada.[1]

Awards

Award	Category	Subject	Result
Academy Award	Best Supporting Actress	Edith Evans	Nominated
BAFTA Award	Best British Actress		Nominated
		Deborah Kerr	Nominated
	Best Cinematography (Colour)	Arthur Ibbetson	Nominated
	Best British Production Direction (Colour)	Carmen Dillon	Nominated
Golden Globe Award	Best Motion Picture - Drama	Ross Hunter	Nominated

References

External links

• The Chalk Garden at IMDb
• The Chalk Garden at the TCM Movie Database

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