The Borrowers (1997 film)
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| The Borrowers | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Peter Hewitt |
| Produced by | Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Rachel Talalay |
| Written by | Mary Norton (book) Gavin Scott John Kamps |
| Starring | John Goodman Jim Broadbent Celia Imrie Mark Williams Hugh Laurie |
| Music by | Harry Gregson-Williams |
| Cinematography | Trevor Brooker John Fenner |
| Distributed by | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | 5 December 1997 (UK) 13 February 1998 (USA) |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Borrowers is a 1997 film based on the famous children's novel The Borrowers by author Mary Norton. In 1998 it was nominated for the title of Best British Film in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards, but lost to Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth. The film also picked up another two nominations and one win in awards.
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[edit] Plot
The movie starts with young Matthew Walker setting up traps around his house. His parents ask him to explain why, and he says he's trying to capture whatever is stealing the small commodities lying around the house. Meanwhile, his parents go to meet Ocious P. Potter (Goodman), a corpulent lawyer who intends on destroying the Lenders' home in order to build an apartment complex. The only way to save the house is to find the long-lost will of Pete's maternal grandmother, who is rumored to have left the house to them before her death. Meanwhile, Arrietty Clock, the elder child of a family of miniaturized humans known as "Borrowers", meets Pete during her mischievous ventures into the Lenders' home, where she learns that their precious home will be destroyed if nothing is done. Unfortunately, her family refuses to trust Pete, a member of the human "beans" (As they call them), so Arrietty must get the two families to work together to find the will before Mr. Potter reduces the house to ruin.
[edit] Reception
The Guardian has described the film as "A spirited screen version of the Mary Norton stories about the tiny folk who live under the floorboards, and off human scraps. Jim Broadbent and Celia Imrie are a joy as the parents of little Arrietty..." [1] Roger Ebert in his review described the film, in the wake of numerous television adaptations, as a "big-screen, big-budget version with special effects so amusing it's like Toy Story has come to life...the charm comes in the way The Borrowers makes its world look like a timeless story book. If the action and the physical humor are designed to appeal to kids, the look of the film will impress adults who know what to look for." [2]
[edit] Relationship with other films
This film reunites British comic actors Hugh Laurie and Mark Williams, who starred as Jasper and Horace, Cruella De Vil's henchmen, in the US live action film version of 101 Dalmatians the previous year.
The film also features three British actors who later played major roles in the Harry Potter films: Jeff the exterminator is played by Mark Williams who went on to play Arthur Weasley, Peagreen is played by Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy, and Pod is played by Jim Broadbent, who is Horace Slughorn in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Coincidently, the villain in this movie is called Ocious P. Potter (played by John Goodman).
[edit] References
- ^ Watch This Dave Green, December 17, 1999, The Guardian
- ^ The Borrowers Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, February 13, 1998, accessed August 12, 2007
[edit] External links
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