johnstonjames
saw this movie when i was very young and was charmed. i now watch it every Easter season and still remained as coddled and cuddled by it as i was as a child.it's delightful. it is also a beautiful example of Ballet and cinema. it boast some of the most beautiful photography to come out of England to date, which is no small feat considering that English cinematographers are amongst the very skilled and best. the sets, costumes and critter make-up is also equally accomplished.with so many young people lacking in any traditional culture or understanding of the arts, this is a perfect way to expose them to something other than most of the mindless entertainment that targets them. at least kids will learn something here about the history of the arts and culture. anything is better than bringing them up on moronic commercial jingles and shows that are ALWAYS tied into merchandising. or pumping them up on video games that teach them nothing more than mindless winning and competition.not to mention this is a very good understanding of Potter's early life and how she became inspired to draw. it's probably a better interpretation than the mushed down, Saturday morning cartoon interpretation with Renee Zellwigger.if you are tired of your kids learning nothing but the "value of their own backyard", or how to "neutralize" the enemy, than start having them watch things of culture and breeding early on. who knows? maybe they'll turn out "genteel" than a "thug".
TheLittleSongbird
This was an absolute delight from start to finish. The choreography was fantastic, as always with the great Frederick Ashton, who himself appears as Mrs Tiggy Winkle. The music was just outstanding, with some elements of Tchaikovsky, some elements of french opera buffe, and some elements of pure English lyricalism, all of which are needed to make a charming ballet production work. I was amazed by the production values, the costumes and scenery were so beautifully designed by Christine Edzard, the whole thing was exquisite to look at. The dancers like Wayne Sleep, Lesley Collier and Alexander Grant brought their charming characters to life through their faultless dancing. My personal favourite was Jemima Puddle Duck flying through the air to the very Swan Lake finale-like music. The mice dance was really charming, in possibly the best known segment of the whole production. I grew up treasuring the stories from Beatrix Potter, and I thought this gave them justice. Another thing that impressed me was the contrast of reality and the imagination, people complained of the Beatrix Potter as a girl bits slowing it down, but as she is only there for about three scenes, I thought it was very effective. All in all, if you love ballet, like I do, and I am 17, and you haven't seen this already, give yourself a treat for an hour and a half. 10/10 Bethany Cox.
Blueghost
I caught this on HBO years ago, and was dazzled by the production values. I was even more stunned by the fact that it was a 1971 production: a period in film that was very transitional for children's venues. The sets, costumes and dancing are all executed with a great amount of care in this production. Grab a copy for your kids or grandkids, and watch it with them. You won't be dissapointed.One can only hope that it will see a DVD release someday.
