i absolutely despise this film . i want to love it i really want to . but man and oh man they be so off with sara . and the father living be pretty cheesy . that straight out of the shirley temple film . i highly recommend the book . it be amaze . in the book and sara be honorable and decent and she do the right thing . because it be right . she doesn not have a spiteful bone in her body . in the film and she be mean spirited and spiteful . she do little thing to get back at miss minchin . in the book and sara be above such thing . she do stand up to miss minchin . she tell the truth and be not cow by her . but she do not do the stupid and spiteful thing that the sara in the film do . it really rather unsettle to me that so many here say they love the book and they love the movie . i can not help but wonder . do we read the same book . the whole point of the book be personal responsibility and behave with honor and integrity and always tell the truth and face adversity with calm and integrity . sara have a happy end in the book not the ridiculous survival of her father and but the joining with his partner who have be search for her . in the book and she be take in by this new father figure who love and care for her and becky . and miss minchin be not a chimney sweep that part of the film really be stupid . to see all this praise for this wretched film be disturb to me . we be praise a film that glorify petty and spiteful behavior with a few tip of the hat to kindness . sara in the book be kind to the bone and full of integrity . i do not even recognize her in the film . she not in it . good thing mrs. burnett isn not alive to see this horrid thing . it ghastly and undeserving to bear the title of her book .