Deborah Kerr returns to the role of governess following her brilliant portrayal in The Innocents (1961) in this intriguing mystery drama based on a play by Enid Bagnold (National Velvet).

Miss Madrigal (Kerr) is the last applicant for the role of governess to Laurel (Hayley Mills), a tough-talking feisty teen who is outspoken and is predisposed to arson. The butler, Maitland (John Mills) takes to her instantly and the matriarch of the house Mrs St. Maugham (Dame Edith Evans) approves of her when she shows and interest in her beloved garden that won’t grow. As Madrigal watches Laurel she recognises something of herself in her and wants to put her on the straight and narrow, and believes Laurel’s absent mother (Elizabeth Sellars) should take part in her upbringing.

Laurel, on the other hand, goes from wanting to break Madrigal – she boasts that she went through three governesses in a week – to trying to discover what her secret must be, since Madrigal is closed about her past.

The Chalk Garden is a stunning looking movie. The producer was Ross Hunter, who was behind classics such as Pillow Talk and Airport and his final cut didn’t please director Ronald Neame (The Poseidon Adventure) but the result is an absorbing story and impeccably acted by all the cast. Hayley Mills, in particular, does great to shake her Disney pure image, something she’d continue to do with The Family Way and Twisted Nerve. There’s a touch of Hitchcock in some scenes as the tension is built as Laurel, who having poking around in Mrs Madrigal’s room and taking her painting case to try to uncover a secret, has to return it via the window when the door has been locked. The denouement, with the revelation of Madrigal’s past is equally thrilling and unexpected.

This Australian release, from Via-Vision’s boutique label Imprint, contains some unique features inside the hard slipcase. An informed commentary by Kat Ellinger provides some background, and a pair of featurettes add some more flavour.