Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4079 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-07-18
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 95 minutes

Synopsis
Nine year-old Danny lives in a gypsy caravan with his father William. Lord of the manor Victor Hazell is determined to own the land on which their caravan stands anyway he can. When William is snared by a man-trap Danny devises a plot that will see the obnoxious Victor Hazell off. Based on the story by Roald Dahl.

Customer Reviews

Irons on Irons
The ultimate Father and Son duo are brought to life and Robbie Coultrane as Mr. Hazel is superb too. Buy it!

Long Overdue......
At long last this classic has been released on DVD.
The cast is outstanding, the story quite charming and the scenery breathtaking.
Well worth waiting for.
Buy this one!!!!

Made for 1989 television, 4:3 ratio is all you need
This is a wonderfully-realised television version of Roald Dahl's novel. It evokes a golden age of pastoral 1950s England as Dahl does in his book. The chemistry here between real-life father and son Jeremy and Samuel Irons rings true, and Robbie Coltrane's performance creates a suitably vulgar, nasty and stupid Victor Hazell for the viewer to hate.

I would suggest that the admittedly upsetting bloodsport scenes at the film's opening are an essential part of underlining the stupidity and cruelty of men like Hazell and what they like to do for fun, which was surely one of Dahl's key points for comment in the original novel. These scenes are not enough to take away from the film's appropriateness or enjoyability for a family audience, which scores highly indeed.

Regarding Judy Lewis' comment on the aspect ratio of this transfer, the Internet Movie Database lists the original aspect ratio for this film as 1.33:1 (or 4:3). This was a made-for-television film in 1989, so 4:3 would have indeed been the original aspect ratio for this film, and no widescreen edition could therefore exist without severe cropping. This means you are missing nothing of the film with this transfer.