Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #199305 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-11-14
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Colour, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 91 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Claude Whatham's 1974 film All Creatures Great and Small is a modest and charming cornucopia of nostalgia, cuddly calves, romance and acerbic-yet-warm-hearted Yorkshire folk. It's based of course on James Herriot's phenomenally popular tales of a vet's life in the Dales and spawned a long-running BBC series with a different cast. Here, we have a fresh-faced Simon Ward as James, joining Siegfried Farnon's small town practice. As the benignly despotic Farnon, a pre-Hannibal Lecter Anthony Hopkins already exudes plenty of brooding charisma. Lisa Harrow, fetching in 1930s slacks, is Helen, the farmer's daughter who catches James' eye.

Their adventures with the local animal populace in the incredibly beautiful pre-Second World War Dales run the gamut, from arms up cows' bottoms to tender birthing scenes, over-indulged pooches, horses with torsions and one moment which will strike a poignant note with pet owners of all ages. It's taught and witty thanks to distinguished dramatist Hugh Whitemore's delightful script and as comforting as a warm blanket, a stodgy tea and a roaring fire on a winter's evening.

On the DVD: with no extras apart from the chapter list, this is a basic package. Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic aspect ratio and a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, it's easy viewing, offering more than adequate picture and sound quality. --Piers Ford

Customer Reviews

All Creatures Great & Small
This film is one of the very best adaptations available. Having justwatched this version again Anthony Hopkins and Simon Ward lead a perfectcast, Hopkins portraying the character in the same fiery manor as RobertHardy in the long running TV series, Simon Ward's portrayal, shows how thelead role should have been portrayed in the TV series. Both portrayalsreflect the books precisely.
A delightful tale, thoughfully portraid, in my mind makes this the bestversion available.
A film to relieve all tensions!
Andrew

Characterful but humourless
This is an early dramatisation of some of the Herriot stories and is carefully done in terms of atmosphere not least because of the magnificent location filming and specially composed music. What does let this film down however is the lack of humour which so characterised the books and both the John Alderton film and the TV series. This gentle humour is so central both to the stories and the community shown in them that it is conspicuous by its absence. None the less this is an enjoyable film that is worth seeing.