The BFG (1989 film)
| The BFG | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Brian Cosgrove |
| Produced by |
Mark Hall Brian Cosgrove |
| Written by |
Roald Dahl (book) John Hambley |
| Starring |
David Jason Amanda Root Angela Thorne Mollie Sugden Ballard Berkeley Michael Knowles Frank Thornton Don Henderson |
| Music by | Keith Hopwood & Malcolm Rowe |
| Edited by | Nigel Rutter |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
Video Collection International (1990s) ITV (TV airing) Roadshow Home Video (Australia and New Zealand) Celebrity Home Entertainment (United States) Disney Channel UK (1998 TV airing) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The BFG is a 1989 British animated direct to television movie based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It was first shown on Christmas Day 1989 on ITV in the UK.
The film was dedicated to animator George Jackson, who had worked on numerous Cosgrove Hall productions before his death in 1986. This film is also the last and posthumous role of Ballard Berkeley (voice of the Head of the Army), who died in 1988.
Plot
Sophie is a young orphan girl living in an orphanage run by the cantankerous and abusive Mrs. Clonkers. One night, Sophie sees a cloaked giant blowing something through a trumpet into a bedroom window down the street; whereupon the giant notices her and carries her to his homeland of Giant Country. There, he identifies himself as the Big Friendly Giant, who, at night, blows dreams into the bedrooms of children, while the other giants are man-eating, and they prefer children. Because the BFG refuses to eat people or steal food from humans, he subsists on a revolting vegetable known as a "Snozzcumber". Sophie and the BFG quickly become friends; but Sophie is soon put in danger by the sudden arrival of the Bloodbottler giant, who suspects the BFG of harbouring a human. The BFG tricks the Bloodbottler into eating the Snozzcumber to repel him from his cave, during which Sophie is almost eaten. When Sophie announces she is thirsty, the BFG treats her to a fizzy drink called "Frobscottle", whose bubbles go downwards, which causes the drinker to flatulate; this is known as a "whizzpopper" to giants, and causes the drinker to soar.
The next morning, the BFG takes Sophie to Dream Country to catch more dreams, but is tormented by the other giants along the way; notably by the Fleshlumpeater, who is the largest and most fearsome. In Dream Country, the BFG demonstrates his dream-catching skills to Sophie; but the BFG mistakenly captures a nightmare. Upon return to his Dream Cave, the BFG shows Sophie all the dreams he has captured already, and takes Sophie to watch him on his dream-blowing duties; but this is cut short when they spot the Fleshlumpeater about to eat a little boy dreaming about pressing his "tummy button" with a bubble in the bath tub and becoming invisible wearing a robe, scaring his teacher away. When Sophie tries to intervene, the BFG flees with her and escapes. Thereafter Sophie tries to persuade the BFG to stop the evil giants.
At first, the BFG is reluctant to do so; but Sophie develops a plan to expose the evil giants to the Queen of the United Kingdom. Using dreams from his collection, the BFG creates a nightmare to this effect; blows it into the Queen's bedroom; leaves Sophie on the Queen's windowsill to confirm the dream; and retreats into the palace gardens. Because the dream included foreknowledge of Sophie's presence, the Queen believes her story, and speaks with the BFG. After considerable effort by the palace staff, the BFG is given a copious breakfast.
Once ready, the army and the airforce, in a fleet of RAF Chinook helicopters, follow the BFG to the giants' homeland, where the giants are taken prisoner. The only one to escape is the Fleshlumpeater giant, who immediately attacks the BFG and later pursues Sophie; but after a long chase he is stopped by the BFG. The tethered giants are then each transported by helicopter to London, where they are sealed in a pit and forced to eat Snozzcumbers for the rest of their lives. Contrary to the book's ending, the BFG stays in Giant Country instead of moving to England, and Sophie becomes his assistant at the distribution of dreams.
Cast
- David Jason as the BFG
- Amanda Root as Sophie
- Angela Thorne as Queen Elizabeth II
- Don Henderson as the Bloodbottler and the Fleshlumpeater
- Frank Thornton as Mr. Tibbs
- Mollie Sugden as Mary
- Michael Knowles as Head of Air Force
- Ballard Berkeley as Head of Army
- Myfanwy Talog as Mrs. Clonkers
- Jimmy Hibbert as additional voices
Reception
Writing in The Sunday Times before its broadcast, Patrick Stoddart called it a "delight", and wrote that it "puts its already celebrated British animators, Cosgrove Hall, into the Disney class".[1]
Media releases
The film was first released on VHS by Video Collection International in 1990, and again in 1995 and 1997 in the United Kingdom. Roadshow Home Video and ABC Video released the film on VHS in Australia in 1992, while its first video release in the United States was by Celebrity Home Entertainment in 1995.
In 2001, Pearson Television International Ltd released the film on DVD and VHS the same releases, followed by the Daily Mirror DVD. Other releases followed in 2008 by Fremantle Home Entertainment's release. The American DVD release was distributed by Celebrity Home Entertainment in 1999 and A&E Home Video in 2006.
In 2012, Fremantle Home Entertainment released a Digitally Restored DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Widescreen, as Brian Cosgrove originally intended the film to be released in that format.
In 2016, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment UK released a Digitally Restored DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Widescreen, as Brian Cosgrove originally intended the film to be released in that format.
References
- ↑ Stoddart, Patrick (24 December 1989). "Christmas comes but not this year – Television networks". The Sunday Times.
External links
- The BFG at the Internet Movie Database