Great (1975)

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Movie
Original title Great
Country of production Great Britain
original language English
Publishing year 1975
length 25 minutes
Rod
Director Bob Godfrey
script Bob Godfrey,
Joe McGrath ,
Robyn Smyth ,
Richard Taylor,
Paul Weisser
production Bob Godfrey
for Bob Godfrey Films
music Jonathan P. Hodge
camera Julian Holdaway ,
Kent Houston
cut Tony Fish ,
Peter Hearn
synchronization

Great is a 1975 British animated short directed by Bob Godfrey .

action

In 1837, Great Britain was proclaimed “Great” for the first time when Queen Victoria was enthroned . As a team, Britain was unbeaten on all levels, be it writing ( Charles Dickens ), sport ( cricket ) or colonization . Oscar Wilde , the British Lion and Britannia with the English Bulldog sing and dance to the song We're victorious . Even if Great Britain has produced numerous great men, Isambard Kingdom Brunel is the greatest, one man explains to another when asked, because among other things he revolutionized the railway system itself. Although he is criticized by numerous people, the queen admires his energy.

Brunel was born in 1806. It grew, but not for long. Contemporaries he was considered relatively small, which Brunel tried to compensate with his tall cylinder . He conducts the title Get a Big Top Hat, If You Want to Get Ahead with his walking stick .

After initial setbacks in the construction of the Thames Tunnel , in which Queen Victoria dined with her party and was promptly flooded, he took part in a competition to find the winning design for a bridge. This is followed by the title It Can't Be Done by its critics, who reject the design because of its instability and price intensity. Brunel begins to get enthusiastic about the railroad and builds the railway line London – Bristol, even if it is predicted that he could not do this professionally. He builds the rail network of the Great Western Railway and predicts that people will still be singing about the Great Western Railway in a hundred years. Real film recordings of old, overgrown steam locomotives are shown and the song GWR is sung.

This is followed by numerous inventions by Brunel and a song that lists what, for once, he did not invent, produce or design, including the car, the camera and the safety pin . To the reproachful question how he actually wasted his life, Brunel reacts sullenly.

Queen Victoria wants to know what he will build next, and Brunel plans to build the largest existing ship of his time. The result is the Great Eastern , which is a topic of conversation for the whole country, among other things because it is too heavy to be able to set sail as planned. Shortly before the maiden voyage, Brunel suffers a heart attack , so that the Great Eastern sets off without him. A steam boiler explodes while driving. Although they want to keep the news from Brunel, he finds out about it and dies. There is still a happy ending: The Great Eastern is praised, among other things, by the Queen in a final song as the largest ship.

production

Isambard Kingdom Brunel's life forms the basis of the film

Great combines animation sequences with original photos and video material. The film is designed as a musical and contains numerous songs. The basis is the life and works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel .

synchronization

role Original speaker
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Richard Briers
teller Harry Fowler
Queen Victoria Barbara Moore

Awards

Great won in 1976 the Oscar in the category " Best Animated Short Film ". It was the first British film to receive an Oscar in this category.

That same year, Great received a BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.

Web links