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On Paddington, and simply wonderful films
December 18th, 2014The hardest film to make is one that appeals to children and adults alike. Make it too kiddie-friendly and the grownups will simply get bored; if it’s pitched at the older audience, it’ll go over the heads of the little ones. Paddington, then, is that rarest of things, a film that works — oh, and how it works! — on both levels.
Paddington
This is, simply, a delightful, wonderful film. From the black-and-white intro in — where else? — Darkest Peru to the not-cheesy-at-all Doogie-Howser-esque ending, the film barely puts a single foot wrong. Paddington himself is voiced perfectly by Ben Wishaw; Colin Firth, so we’ve been told, was originally in the frame for this role, but, magnificent though he utterly and undeniably is, his voice would not have suited Paddington. He’s too mature, too sophisticated. Wishaw, instead, plays Paddington with simplicity, naivety — an innocent voice for an innocent abroad. Firth might have worked better as Mr. Brown, but that role is handled to fantastic effect by Hugh Bonneville, who manages a near-perfect combination of grump and humour. Sally Hawkins is similarly effective as Mrs. Brown, as are Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin, as Judy and Jonathan Brown. Peter Capaldi, as Mr. Curry, and Jim Broadbent, as Mr. Gruber, are criminally underused, but when they are, briefly, on screen, they are a joy to watch. Less convincing is Nicole Kidman as the baddie of the piece, a Cruella-lite character that doesn’t quite work.
Indeed, if there is a weakness to the film, it’s the shoehorning of the essence of Paddington — a bear-out-of-water story, a refugee story that needs a little more Mr. Gruber to really make it work — into a narrative arc. And that’s where Kidman’s character, Millicent, comes in, and I could have lived without her bleached bob and insufficient evil.
But that really is the only criticism I could level at Paddington. It was, from start to finish, it was faithful in character and tone to Michael Bond’s source material, animating and rejoicing in its central character without feeling the need to reinvent him or reimagine him or force some contrived backstory. Instead, it’s the story of a real, developed, engaging and relatable character, but one who just happens to be a bear. Part of the joy of the film, indeed, is the fact that nobody seems to find the presence of a bear — a four-foot-tall, dufflecoat-wearing (of course), English-speaking bear — in the middle of London especially remarkable.
Paul King, who also directed, has written a very, very funny film. The humour is, to be fair, mostly compressed into the first half of the film, but it is truly, seriously, funny, and this, at least partly, thanks to the outstanding supporting cast — Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, Matt Lucas, even Michael Bond himself, make cameo appearances. The biggest laughs come from brilliantly-staged set-pieces, but the overall tone of the film is one of humour and joy and light.
King has also directed a film that’s exquisite to look at — this is a film that has nothing but affection and respect for its characters and its settings. Paddington himself is, of course, a digital creation, but such an excellent one that the computer animation fits into its physical surroundings seamlessly, and you’ll forget that you’re not looking at an actual bear. The film inhabits a version of London that probably doesn’t exist, but perhaps should. Windsor Gardens’ pastel colours, the steampunk of the Geographers’ Guild, the utterly superb lighting and shooting of the Natural History Museum — the city is treated with as much respect as the characters that people it.
In the end, it’s not a Children’s Film. It’s a fantastically entertaining, enjoyable, sweet, wonderful film. See it. You’ll be very, very glad you did.
[…] where (mostly over China, but also bits of Afhganistan and Iran) we’d flown, while I watched Paddington over […]