Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1402 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-23
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 184 minutes

Synopsis
With an all-star ensemble cast of the UK's most loved actors including David Jason, Ian Richardson, Peter Guinness, Marc Warren and Tony Robinson, Hogfather brings Pratchett's infamous 'Discworld' to life.

Discworld is a world very similar to our own - if you overlook the fact that it is flat, and balanced on four elephants, which in turn are standing on the back of a giant turtle. The inhabitants of Discworld have their own version of Christmas, Hogswatch, and their own version of Santa, the Hogfather - who is pulled across the sky in a hog-drawn sleigh.

This year, however, something is amiss, when on the night before Hogswatch, Death (voiced by Richardson, Bleak House), who is responsible for escorting all beings to the afterlife, notices that the Hogfather's life-timer is lying broken on the floor of his castle. Could it be that Hogswatch will not happen this year?

With much of the fabric of reality dependent on the human power of belief, Death swaps his black shroud for a false beard and red coat to make sure that the children of Discworld remain blissfully unaware of the Hogfather's absence. With the help of his faithful servant Albert (Jason, A Touch of Frost, Only Fools and Horses) Death dutifully travels from house to house delivering gifts, leaving his granddaughter Susan (Michelle Dockery) to find the real Hogfather before belief in him, and subsequently Discworld is destroyed.

Synopsis
In this live-action adaptation of the Terry Pratchett book of the same name, the inhabitants of Discworld celebrate a form of Christmas called Hogswatch, where the Hogfather travels in a hog-drawn sleigh, delivering presents to children. In this world, the fabric of reality is predominantly dependent on the power of belief. So, when the Hogfather mysteriously disappears, Death dons a red coat and false beard and sets about delivering all the presents before the children of Discworld notice that anything is amiss. Of course, he cannot do it all alone, and enlists the help of his trusty servant Albert (David Jason, ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES). Meanwhile, Death’s granddaughter Susan (Michelle Dockery, CONSENT) searches for the Hogfather before belief in him disappears, leading to the destruction of Discworld. This adaptation of THE HOGFATHER is the first time a live-action version of a book by the hugely successful author Terry Pratchett has been made and it manages to be an entertaining Christmas family tale. With a sizeable budget and a charismatic performance by David Jason, THE HOGFATHER brings Discworld fully to life.

Customer Reviews

I shall be brief
I've never read Hogfather, but I loved the film. The Colour of Magic had better CGI effects, and I'm a big fan of the character who was away in Fourecks during this dark time of the year- fighting fot his life, apparently. I hadn't read the Last Continent then so I thought he was Sideney at first, then one of the wizards surrounding Ridcully.
I liked David Jason in both roles, as with Nigel Planer. Ed Coleman made a good Ponder. Enough said. Anyone who wishes to go further into the subject...?

How can this be so wrong...
Why? But why (?!!) should it have to last for 2x90 minutes ?

Should it be because Sky had to fill some gaps in its Xmas' TV schedule at the time...?

As a result, in any case, this long-awaited theatrical Hogfather version desperately lacks the pace (even flirting with a downright feel of boredom at times), humour, witt and dynamism that, fortunately, overwhelm the novel.

Yes, indeed : sets and costumes are very nice. But when you are more than 10 years old, you expect a bit more from such an "Hollywoodian" production, with an obvious huge budget at disposal. Perhaps some of it should have been put towards a more apt Director...?

In short, Discworld's fans, keep well away!

Could Do Better
As a long-standing Pratchett fan (yes, I have all the books.. and the maps.. and other stuff..) I looked forward to Hogfather. Unfortunately, although the attention to detail is good, it feels like most of the humour has been distilled out and left on one side.

The script follows the book and it's plot extremely well, but I despair at the wooden acting. Done properly it should have had me rolling in the aisles with laughter, yet I got all the way through the first part with barely a giggle. Sorry, but this very funny book has been short-changed.