Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1975
Great (1975 film)
Buy Great (1975 film) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Great' is a British 28-minute animated short film released in 1975, telling a humorous version of the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was directed by Bob Godfrey, produced by Grantstern Films and distributed by British Lion.
'Great' won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 48th Academy Awards in March 1976. 'Great' was the first British animated film to win an Academy Award, and also won the BAFTA award for Best Animated Film in 1976.
Background
The film recounts the life and works of the 19th century British civil engineer and architect Isambard Kingdom Brunel in a way that is affectionate while often tongue-in-cheek. The narrator, voiced by Harry Fowler, explains the triumphs and setbacks of Brunel's career, comparing him to Archimedes, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Richard Briers provides the voice of Brunel. There are numerous songs in the film, including "Get a big top hat if you want to get ahead".
Production
'Great' is primarily an animated film, although it is mixed media, combining some live action sequences with the animation.
In an interview with 'The Guardian' in April 2001, Bob Godfrey explained how the film came about:
I'd been reading a book about Brunel so I asked British Lion, who backed 'Kama Sutra' ['Rides Again'], if I could have some money to make a half-hour cartoon about a Victorian engineer. Yes, they said, here's 20,000. They thought the sun shone out of my arse at the time. They'd have given me money to animate a toilet if I'd asked them.
Availability
'Great' has not been released on home video formats such as VHS or DVD with the official website of The Bob Godfrey Collection stating that this was due to the film's copyright status. The film was made available as a digital download in January 2017.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy4nhVslcq0 Bob Godfrey's Great - trailer by The Bob Godfrey Collection on YouTube]
References
Buy Great (1975 film) now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1975