The Wind in the Willows (2006 film)
The Wind in the Willows is a 2006 live-action television adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic 1908 novel The Wind in the Willows. It was a joint production of the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and starred Matt Lucas (Mr. Toad), Bob Hoskins (Badger), Mark Gatiss (Ratty), and Lee Ingleby (Mole), with a cameo appearance from Michael Murphy as the Judge. Rachel Talalay directed. It debuted in Canada on CBC Television on 18 December 2006 in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 1 January 2007, in the U.S. on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre on 8 April 2007 and in Australia on ABC TV on 23 December 2007. It was filmed on location in Bucharest, Romania.[1]
| The Wind in the Willows | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Kenneth Grahame Lee Hall (adaptation) |
| Directed by | Rachel Talalay |
| Starring | Matt Lucas Mark Gatiss Lee Ingleby Bob Hoskins Michael Murphy |
| Theme music composer | Benoît Jutras |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom Canada |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Justin Thomson-Glover Patrick Irwin |
| Cinematography | David Franco |
| Editor | Annie Kocur |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC CBC |
| Original release |
|
Though the novel is considered children's literature, critics noted that this adaptation might not be appropriate for young children; Ginia Bellafante wrote in The New York Times that it "is ultimately too jaunty to be considered 100 percent safe for someone over 10",[2] and David Knox thought it "may well alienate children".[3] However, Variety's Brian Lowry said that its appeal "should run the demographic gamut for PBS, from Sesame Street to Bleak House."[1]
Reception
Critics praised Matt Lucas's portrayal of Mr. Toad. "In ordinary life Mr. Lucas’s frame does not suggest that he is a salad-and-pea-shoots kind of guy, and here he has fun with an exaggerated corpulence that seems to leave him channeling W. C. Fields," wrote Bellafante.[2] David Knox wrote that "Lucas’ performance positively swamps this treatment of the classic story".[3]
Director Rachel Talalay received the 2007 Leo Award for "Best Direction in a Youth or Children's Program or Series" for the film.[4] It was also nominated for the 2007 Satellite Award for "Best Motion Picture Made for Television"[5]
References
- ^ a b Brian Lowry (April 3, 2007). "Recently Reviewed: The Wind in the Willows". Variety. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
- ^ a b Ginia Bellafante (2007-04-06). "Creatures More Slothful Than You and Me". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
- ^ a b David Knox. "First Review: Wind in the Willows". TV Tonight. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
- ^ Libby Mccarthy (2007-11-30). "Satellite nominations announced". Variety. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
External links
- The Wind in the Willows at IMDb
- Review at Eye for Film