SEINFELD BLOG

Masterpiece Theatre: My Family and Other Animals

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: WGBH BOSTON VIDEO
EAN: 0783421409491
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Label: WGBH BOSTON
Manufacturer: WGBH BOSTON
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: WGBH BOSTON
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 27, 2006
Running Time: 90 minutes
Sales Rank: 19368
Studio: WGBH BOSTON
Theatrical Release Date: 2005

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Related Items:

• My Family and Other Animals
• Birds, Beasts, and Relatives
• Masterpiece Theatre: Carrie's War
• A Zoo in My Luggage
• Menagerie Manor
• see more

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
A tale of the childhood experiences of naturalist Gerald Durrell from 1935 when his family moved from England to the Greek island of Corfu. Excited by the exotic insect life Gerry embarks on an adventure into the marvelous mysterious world of insects animals and other intriguing creatures who live in this island paradise.System Requirements:Running Time 90 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. UPC: 783421409491 Manufacturer No: WG40949

Amazon.com:
'Why do we put up with this bloody climate?' moans Larry Durrell during the rainy prelude to this Masterpiece Theater presentation. It's 1935 and 12-year-old Gerald (Eugene Simon, Casanova) is living with his family in Bournemouth. His father passed away years ago. Much like Judi Dench in Mrs. Henderson Presents, his mother (Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake) sees widowhood as a chance to make a fresh start. On Larry's advice, she decides to relocate the brood to sunny Corfu (now Kerkira), so off to Greece they go: Mother, nature-obsessed Gerry, boy-crazy Margot (Tamzin Merchant), gun-happy Leslie (Russell Tovey), and literature-loving Larry (Matthew Goode, Match Point). Minutes after their arrival, a burly fellow named Spiro (Iranian comedian Omid Djalili, Gladiator) takes the quintet under his wing and finds them a roomy villa. Soon Gerald is collecting every manner of animal: turtles, rose beetles, rabbits. The other Durrells embark on adventures of their own, brassy jazz-pop punctuating their every move. Previously produced as a 1987 miniseries by the BBC, this fanciful film boils Durrell's enduring memoir down to a brisk 90 minutes. The structure may be episodic, but the attention to detail--the exotic fauna, the evocative costumes--is praiseworthy. As Gerry notes about his creatures, 'They're just like us, aren't they--families. I want to know how they all work. Imagine if they weren't there?' While Gerald would go on to become a naturalist, brother Lawrence would find also fame with The Alexandria Quartet. --Kathleen C. Fennessy




Rating: - Pretty, and
...the characters look like I had pictured them in my mind, BUT, this movie sure does not do justice ... Read More

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Rating: - Delightful Eccentricities
In the late 1930s life for the Durrell family in England has just about become unbearable. At the behest ... Read More

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Rating: - Masterpiece Theatre Stories
I've always found the Masterpiece Theatre presentations to be outstanding.
"My Family and Other Animals" ... Read More

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Rating: - Just about ok
I am afraid I cannot recommend this adaptation. The crucial difficulty is a lack of appreciation of the characters ... Read More

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Rating: - Delightful and Fun
I have not read the book but will be remedying that as soon as I can make it to the library. So, as I write this I ... Read More

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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.