Guy Chapman
Joined May 2001
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Guy Chapman's rating
If you think "CAddyshack" or "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" are the funniest thing on earth, this is not for you. If you love cool jazz and warm humour prepare for a treat.
It's not just the script, although Alan Plater is undoubtedly a genius.
It's not just the acting, although not a gesture is out of place, every nuance in its place.
It's not just the soundtrack, although the Beiderbecke-inspired jazz soundtrack is superb in every respect.
It's the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Pace? Who needs it. This is a series which proves beyond doubt that frenetic, fast-paced comedy is *not* the be-all and end-all. This is comedy to be enjoyed with a glass of wine and the life partner of your choice; it is as British as chips and brown ale, it is timeless. Watching it again twenty years on it is as perfect as it was on first viewing.
It's not just the script, although Alan Plater is undoubtedly a genius.
It's not just the acting, although not a gesture is out of place, every nuance in its place.
It's not just the soundtrack, although the Beiderbecke-inspired jazz soundtrack is superb in every respect.
It's the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Pace? Who needs it. This is a series which proves beyond doubt that frenetic, fast-paced comedy is *not* the be-all and end-all. This is comedy to be enjoyed with a glass of wine and the life partner of your choice; it is as British as chips and brown ale, it is timeless. Watching it again twenty years on it is as perfect as it was on first viewing.
There is not much one can say about this film that hasn't been said better and at greater length elsewhere - yes, we know that Gimli is not really a comic character and that some bits were cut and others moved around between characters, but if you're so much of a Tolkien weenie that you can't enjoy the film anyway you are in a very small minority.
For the rest of us - well, all the superlatives have already been exhausted on lesser films, so there are no words left to describe just how exceptional this film is. It will surely take its place with Kane and 2001 in cinema history: a brilliant story, brilliantly told, brilliantly acted, brilliantly edited and directed, and special effects which are the pinnacle of the art today.
The acid test, of course, is whether the film still impresses once the novelty of the special effects wears off, and when newer techniques render them outdated and creaky. I believe it will. I believe that in fifty years' time people will still watch this film, because it is a perfect example of movie theatre entertainment.
For the rest of us - well, all the superlatives have already been exhausted on lesser films, so there are no words left to describe just how exceptional this film is. It will surely take its place with Kane and 2001 in cinema history: a brilliant story, brilliantly told, brilliantly acted, brilliantly edited and directed, and special effects which are the pinnacle of the art today.
The acid test, of course, is whether the film still impresses once the novelty of the special effects wears off, and when newer techniques render them outdated and creaky. I believe it will. I believe that in fifty years' time people will still watch this film, because it is a perfect example of movie theatre entertainment.
Good clean fun with some casting gems, notably Kenneth Branagh, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Miriam Margolyes and Robbie Coltrane Not a particularly faithful adaptation of the book, but a perfectly acceptable film, great for the kids with enough to keep the adults amused as well.