It's about time I got some Wonder and Whimsy. I mean, this is day 4 of the fest!
Based on an old fantasy novel, and set during WWI, this story is about a family of children evacuated to their mad uncle's country home, and the peculiar adventures they have.
Superficially a fairly standard 'learn valuable life lessons from wishes gone wrong' sort of movie, the movie is raised to excellence by the writing and, even more importantly, the excellence of the performances of the cast.
Not only Eddie Izzard, the wild British comedian who voices the titular 'It', but also the various children were given a very long ad-lib leash. The result is dialogue that seems much more alive than you expect in a movie. The children speak to each other like genuine siblings. And the "Sand Fairy" is gut-bustingly funny.
Beautifully shot on the Isle of Man, the movie is obviously a work of love of the material.
I can't wait for the promised sequel.
Posted by Gaunt at September 13, 2004 09:08 AM