Title: Tanglewoods’ Secret (1980; unrated*)
Director: Mike Pritchard
Major Themes: Salvation, Faith, Trust
Synopsis: When Ruth’s relationship with her strict aunt falls apart and she runs away, she has a chance to meet the Good Shepherd, and her life is transformed.
When we were looking for a movie for a family night recently, we came across Tanglewoods’ Secret, based on the book of the same name written by Patricia St. John. My mom is often skeptical of any adaptations, but even she was impressed by this one—she thought it was fairly close to the original story, although obviously condensed. I know we’ve read the story together as a family, but it’s been long enough that I don’t remember the plot myself. In this case, I’m glad we chose this as our evening entertainment. We all enjoyed the story—it’s sweet, gentle, and (definitely a bonus!) isn’t as long as most movies typically are.
Ruth, a lively, spunky 8-year-old, loves exploring the woods close to their house with her brother Philip. A nature lover at heart, there’s nothing that delights her more than to be skipping through the fields, crouching over a pheasant’s nest, or building a wigwam with Philip. One thing she can’t stand, however, is doing house chores—and more often than not, due to carelessness or deliberate negligence, she manages to slip out of doing the majority of her work. Her aunt, whom she and Philip are living with, is fed up with her, and uncertain how to help her learn to be more responsible. Things come to a head one day, and Ruth ends up running away, hoping to leave her troubles behind. When she meets a vicar and is introduced to the Good Shepherd, her life is transformed—but just because she’s made some good decisions doesn’t mean her life will be easy afterward.
Tanglewoods’ Secret was the perfect movie for our family night. Most of it was very gentle and lighthearted, but it wasn’t all easy and perfect—there were consequences to some of Ruth’s choices, and one part of the story, especially, was difficult to watch play out. I loved how the siblings delighted in nature, and how they wanted to spend as much time out birdwatching and playing in the woods as they could. I also loved Ruth’s spunk, and her and Philip’s special friend, Terry, whom they met in the woods—his zest for life was a lot of fun!
I also loved the spiritual aspect of this movie. Although some people might think the way the gospel is presented here is a bit pointed and preachy (and perhaps it is), I found it quite refreshing and encouraging. The children didn’t become saints overnight; they still had struggles and still had to face some very difficult circumstances, but their faith in God also grew and developed as time went on. It was a delight to watch them get to know the Lord and then get to know how to follow Him.
I highly recommend this movie to any family who just wants a short, entertaining story to watch. It’s definitely a dated film, but carries just as much significance now as it did 40 years ago. We enjoyed it, and are looking forward to checking out other movies based on Patricia St. John’s works.
*I would rate this movie as G.
WARNING: Gosh is used three times; cor is used twice, and gee is used once. A boy falls from a tree around 40:00, and dies (you don’t see him dead, just the end of the funeral service) near the end of the movie.
Appropriate ages:
Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15, Family Friendly
Links to buy this movie:
Amazon: Prime Video | DVD
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