Another Name

A rose by any other name . . . is still the same flower; so is a narrative set in a different locale and time period still the same story or a fresh tale with its own special twists and turns?

Finally returned to my Netflix queue today as wind, rain, and other assorted obstacles prevented a return to the increasingly enjoyable workouts. (In lieu of physical exertion, I opted for a nice hot chili sauce to induce the daily perspiration release...)

The Secret of Roan Inish looks for all the world like Frances Burnett's The Secret Garden, set in Ireland on an island instead of the Yorkshire countryside. The mystical touch is a little more pronounced, which is actually pleasant in a video experience, though I suspect I would have been less appreciative, had I first encountered it in written form. The Princess Bride-style flashbacks are perhaps the most attractive aspect of the film, or perhaps I'm just a sucker for epimethean snapshots.

All in all, the film was a pleasant diversion on a rainy day, much as the book would have been, I suspect. Let's hear it for hard work and the triumph of the agrarian way of life over that of urban squalor and rapacity.