Great (Isambard Kingdom Brunel)

Thanks to Amid on Cartoon Brew, I discovered this Oscar-winning animated short from 1975, directed by Bob Godfrey, on YouTube in three parts. As one can tell from the title, this is about the great British inventor Isambard Kingdom Brunel as illustrated by the animated musical numbers that dominate the nearly 30-minute short as well as many photos and live-action shots that are also depicted. Quite irreverent with the way Godfrey tells us what Brunel didn't invent as well as the many shots of a drawn Queen Victoria saying one thing or another. I found the whole thing quite entertaining even though not everything that came on the scene made complete sense to me. Still, one should give Godfrey credit for even attempting such a massive undertaking!

As you can see from other reviews of this little masterpiece, "Great - IKB" is a splendid piece of work that is shamefully neglected.

I first knew of the film when I heard the song "It's A Big One" played on the radio when it was released in 1975. I was looking forward to seeing this film about Brunel (already a hero of mine and now 2nd Greatest Briton of All Time, folks!). I never heard any more about it and began to wonder if I'd just dreamt it.

Then in the 1980's Channel 4 broadcast it one Saturday afternoon. Of course I watched it and was amazed at the number of animation styles and the sophisticated humour that was packed into a short film. For example, the film starts with a run-down of Victorian heroes in the style of a football team: 'Boots' Wellington, 'Flash' Gordon, 'Knockers' Nightingale and 'Little Willie' Gladstone on the touchline with his black bag. You need to know your history to appreciate this stuff. There are even references to the size of Prince Albert's manhood (when Queen Victoria said in her diary that "Albert's beauty is most striking" she wasn't writing about his haircut).

When the film was shown again a few years later I set up my cassette player and recorded the soundtrack, just to make sure I could play it whenever I wanted. A good job I did as to my knowledge it has never been shown again and is not available commercially.

I often wonder if a series of these was planned and didn't come off? I think it was produced by British Lion which went bust in the mid-70's. This might explain why "Great - IKB" was a one-off and the lack of a video/DVD distribution deal.

I guess in the UK Isambard Kingdom Brunel must be a well-known man, but here in the United States no one has heard of the man. Heck, I was a history teacher and never heard of the guy, so I was surprised and happy to see GREAT--as it opened my eyes to the engineering accomplishments of this Victorian man.

The film is an animated short using a variety of mediums. Some of the animation looks a lot like Terry Gilliam's animations from "Monty Python's Flying Circus" but some is more traditional animation. This combination makes for a striking film and the music and style really make the whole thing stand out and grab your attention.

GREAT starts off with a discussion of the Industrial Revolution in the UK and its ascendancy to the world-class power in the 19th century. The inventions and thinkers that came about during this time in Britain are discussed in general and there is no mention of Mr. Brunel until well into the film. In the mean time, such luminaries as Darwin, Dickens and other great thinkers of the era are briefly highlighted. I like how very briefly, the film makers also dropped the name "Jack the Ripper" into this august mix! Overall, a very interesting film due to its bold and manic style. Be forewarned, however, that the film is very edgy--with some boobs and such thrown in for extra-edginess! Not surprisingly, this film won the Oscar for Best Animated Short.

Bob Godfrey's free-wheeling, imaginative and irreverent look at the life and achievements of Isambard Kingdom Brunel benefits from eye-catching animation, upbeat songs, memorable set-pieces and an overall mood of infectious good humour. Although it's been years since I last saw it, several lines stick in my mind, including "Queen Victoria came to look, she said I'm tickled pink", a list of all the things Brunel didn't invent (including heroin, and, because this is a Bob Godfrey cartoon, a live-in bra!), a song about the diminutive inventor's taste in tall hats and a pre-punk rock and roller doing a very gritty song about the great man! At his best, Godfrey was capable of genius, and GREAT is proof of that. A DVD release is long overdue.

I saw this by accident on TV over 20 years ago and could never find it again. Catchy and witty. Such a shame it's not commercially available ( there was a thread by history teachers desperately trying to lay their hands on a copy!). As previously stated, a Pythonesque animation of the life and works of the Great Victorian inventor. With some memorable songs (you might hate them, but be unable to get them out of your head, though)

I did find it on YouTube, but please note that the previous link given no longer works. It is currently on at http://youtu.be/whJvNNdQlTI or you can search Great: Isambard Kingdom Brunel; which worked as at Sept 30 2011; but could disappear any time . Catch it while you can!