The Borrowers (1997 film)
Encyclopedia
The Borrowers is a 1997 film based on the children's novel of the same name
by author
Mary Norton
. In 1998 it was nominated for the title of Best British Film in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
(BAFTA) awards, but lost to Gary Oldman
's Nil by Mouth
. The film also picked up another two nominations and one win in awards.
The Clocks get wind of this when Arrietty wanders off and is trapped by Peter, who is actually astonished to discover the Borrowers and offers his help in moving them to their new house. Pod reluctantly agrees, but during the journey, Arrietty and Peagreen fall out of the moving truck and make their way back to the old house, where they find the new house on a map. However, Potter turns up and finds the will hidden in a safe inside the wall (Mrs Allabaster had stated that she did not trust banks and preferred to keep the will in the house, something Potter conveniently omitted from his clients), but as he tries to burn it, Arrietty and Peagreen steal the will, determined to save the house. Potter, seeing the Clocks' underground home, calls the local exterminator, Jeff, but they manage to escape, with Jeff accidentally burning Potter's face and mustache off, with expanding foam
, in the process. Potter and Jeff give chase by having Jeff's bloodhound
, Mr Smelly (also the bloodhound likes to eat cheese
which makes him sick to his belly and making him fart
), sniff Peagreen's jacket and follow the scent to a milk factory. Along the way, they occasionally bump into a local policeman, Officer Steady, who questions their actions. Peagreen ends up trapped in an empty milk bottle and taken into the factory with Arrietty unable to save him, but another Borrower, Spud Spiller (an "Outie", for he lives outside), shows up and offers help. Together they manage to make their way through the factory and locate Peagreen and force their way past Potter, dousing him in a shower of liquid cheese in the process.
Meanwhile, Pod and his wife, Homily, discover that their children are missing, and with Peter's help, track them to the milk factory. Pod rescues Peagreen from drowning in a milk bottle just as Arrietty and Spiller reunite with them. Potter catches them, takes the will and ties them to the cheese machine, intending to drown them in the liquid cheese. Spiller cheeks Potter to the point that Potter dumps him in another machine, apparently killing him. Just before the cheese can hit, Peter arrives and turns the machine off. Peter and the Borrowers, this time with Jeff's help, follow Potter to City Hall to stop him arranging the demolition. He is briefly stalled thanks to the stubborn receptionist giving him maze-like directions to the demolition office in response to his rude behaviour. When he finally reaches the door, he finds himself trapped inside the storeroom instead, were the Clocks tie his hands to his face with sellotape. In his rage, Potter almost sucks the Clocks into a vacuum cleaner when an army of Borrowers unexpectedly turns up to save the Clocks and tie Potter up with wire. As it turns out, Spiller survived the machine at the factory and summoned the army to aid the Clocks. Pod delivers a compelling speech to Potter on the Borrowers' behalf, and they disappear as soon as they hear the door open. Peter, Jeff and officer Steady enter, and Peter presents Steady with the will, proving Potter's deceit. Potter, however, has by now gone insane with anger and stress and cannot stop rambling about the Borrowers (actually what Pod told him about them). Potter is arrested while the Lenders move back into their house. Peter is now friends with the Clocks and regularly gives them food from a loose floorboard in his room.
A post-credits scene shows Potter trying to describe the Borrowers to Steady while being questioned at the police station. Steady and the others merely laugh their heads off at him and he is indicted. The film closes with Potter's mugshot being taken while the policemen laugh at him.
has described the film as "A spirited screen version of the Mary Norton stories about the tiny folk who live under the floorboards, and off human scraps. Jim Broadbent
and Celia Imrie
are a joy as the parents of little Arrietty..."
Roger Ebert
in his review described the film, in the wake of numerous television adaptations, as a "big-screen, big-budget version with special effects so amusing it's like Toy Story
has come to life...the charm comes in the way The Borrowers makes its world look like a timeless story book. If the action and the physical humor are designed to appeal to kids, the look of the film will impress adults who know what to look for."
The Borrowers
The Borrowers, published in 1952, is the first in a series of children's fantasy novels by English author Mary Norton. The novel and its sequels are about tiny people who live in people's homes and "borrow" things to survive while keeping their existence unknown...
by author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Mary Norton
Mary Norton (author)
Mary Norton, née Pearson, was an English children's author. Her books include The Borrowers series.-Background:...
. In 1998 it was nominated for the title of Best British Film in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
(BAFTA) awards, but lost to Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
's Nil by Mouth
Nil by Mouth (film)
Nil by Mouth is a 1997 British drama film portraying a family of characters living in South East London. It was Gary Oldman's debut as a writer and director; the film was produced by Douglas Urbanski and Luc Besson. It stars Ray Winstone as Raymond, the abusive husband of Valerie...
. The film also picked up another two nominations and one win in awards.
Plot
The movie starts with young Pete Lender setting up traps around his house. His parents ask him to explain his actions, and he tells them that things in their house are being stolen. Indeed, once they are gone, a trio of tiny humans ("Borrowers," as they call themselves), Pod Clock, Arrietty Clock and Peagreen Clock make their way through the kitchen to "borrow" the radio's battery. Arrietty, while treating herself with some ice cream in the freezer, is accidentally shut inside just as the Lenders return. Pod manages to rescue Arrietty, but jams the ice cube tube in the process and is forced to leave one of his gadgets behind, which is found by Mr Lender. Meanwhile, the Lenders are facing their own problems: the will of Mrs Lender's aunt, Mrs Allabaster, is the only proof that the house is rightfully the Lenders, yet it is missing, and their lawyer, Ocious P. Potter cannot find it, and has already made plans to demolish their house in order to build condominiums on the land. They have until Saturday to move.The Clocks get wind of this when Arrietty wanders off and is trapped by Peter, who is actually astonished to discover the Borrowers and offers his help in moving them to their new house. Pod reluctantly agrees, but during the journey, Arrietty and Peagreen fall out of the moving truck and make their way back to the old house, where they find the new house on a map. However, Potter turns up and finds the will hidden in a safe inside the wall (Mrs Allabaster had stated that she did not trust banks and preferred to keep the will in the house, something Potter conveniently omitted from his clients), but as he tries to burn it, Arrietty and Peagreen steal the will, determined to save the house. Potter, seeing the Clocks' underground home, calls the local exterminator, Jeff, but they manage to escape, with Jeff accidentally burning Potter's face and mustache off, with expanding foam
Spray foams (insulation)
Spray foam insulation is an alternative to traditional building insulation such as fiberglass. A two-component mixture comes together at the tip of a gun, and forms an expanding foam that is sprayed onto roof tiles,concrete slabs, into wall cavities, or through holes drilled in into a cavity of a...
, in the process. Potter and Jeff give chase by having Jeff's bloodhound
Bloodhound
The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...
, Mr Smelly (also the bloodhound likes to eat cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
which makes him sick to his belly and making him fart
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
), sniff Peagreen's jacket and follow the scent to a milk factory. Along the way, they occasionally bump into a local policeman, Officer Steady, who questions their actions. Peagreen ends up trapped in an empty milk bottle and taken into the factory with Arrietty unable to save him, but another Borrower, Spud Spiller (an "Outie", for he lives outside), shows up and offers help. Together they manage to make their way through the factory and locate Peagreen and force their way past Potter, dousing him in a shower of liquid cheese in the process.
Meanwhile, Pod and his wife, Homily, discover that their children are missing, and with Peter's help, track them to the milk factory. Pod rescues Peagreen from drowning in a milk bottle just as Arrietty and Spiller reunite with them. Potter catches them, takes the will and ties them to the cheese machine, intending to drown them in the liquid cheese. Spiller cheeks Potter to the point that Potter dumps him in another machine, apparently killing him. Just before the cheese can hit, Peter arrives and turns the machine off. Peter and the Borrowers, this time with Jeff's help, follow Potter to City Hall to stop him arranging the demolition. He is briefly stalled thanks to the stubborn receptionist giving him maze-like directions to the demolition office in response to his rude behaviour. When he finally reaches the door, he finds himself trapped inside the storeroom instead, were the Clocks tie his hands to his face with sellotape. In his rage, Potter almost sucks the Clocks into a vacuum cleaner when an army of Borrowers unexpectedly turns up to save the Clocks and tie Potter up with wire. As it turns out, Spiller survived the machine at the factory and summoned the army to aid the Clocks. Pod delivers a compelling speech to Potter on the Borrowers' behalf, and they disappear as soon as they hear the door open. Peter, Jeff and officer Steady enter, and Peter presents Steady with the will, proving Potter's deceit. Potter, however, has by now gone insane with anger and stress and cannot stop rambling about the Borrowers (actually what Pod told him about them). Potter is arrested while the Lenders move back into their house. Peter is now friends with the Clocks and regularly gives them food from a loose floorboard in his room.
A post-credits scene shows Potter trying to describe the Borrowers to Steady while being questioned at the police station. Steady and the others merely laugh their heads off at him and he is indicted. The film closes with Potter's mugshot being taken while the policemen laugh at him.
Reception
The film received generally positive reviews upon its release. The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
has described the film as "A spirited screen version of the Mary Norton stories about the tiny folk who live under the floorboards, and off human scraps. Jim Broadbent
Jim Broadbent
James "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
and Celia Imrie
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
are a joy as the parents of little Arrietty..."
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
in his review described the film, in the wake of numerous television adaptations, as a "big-screen, big-budget version with special effects so amusing it's like Toy Story
Toy Story
Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen...
has come to life...the charm comes in the way The Borrowers makes its world look like a timeless story book. If the action and the physical humor are designed to appeal to kids, the look of the film will impress adults who know what to look for."
Cast
- John GoodmanJohn GoodmanJohn Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
- Ocious P. Potter - Jim BroadbentJim BroadbentJames "Jim" Broadbent is an English theatre, film, and television actor. He is known for his roles in Iris, Moulin Rouge!, Topsy-Turvy, Hot Fuzz, and Bridget Jones' Diary...
- Pod Clock - Mark WilliamsMark Williams (actor)Mark Williams is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter and presenter. He is best known as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show The Fast Show, as well as for his role as Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter films....
- Exterminator Jeff - Celia ImrieCelia ImrieCelia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
- Homily Clock - Flora NewbiginFlora NewbiginFlora Newbigin is an actress best known for her debut role as Arrietty Clock in the 1997 film version of Mary Norton's The Borrowers, for which she was nominated for Young Artist Award...
- Arrietty Clock - Hugh LaurieHugh LaurieJames Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE , better known as Hugh Laurie , is an English actor, voice artist, comedian, writer, musician, recording artist, and director...
- Officer Oliver Steady - Ruby WaxRuby WaxRuby Wax is a BAFTA nominated American comedian who made a career in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s.-Early life:...
- Town Hall Clerk - Bradley PierceBradley PierceBradley Michael Pierce is a former American voice-over artist and character actor with numerous roles and bit parts in television, movies, direct-to-video animation, advertising, and video games.-Career:...
- Pete Lender - Tom FeltonTom FeltonThomas Andrew "Tom" Felton is an English actor and musician. He is best known for playing the role of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, the movie adaptations of the best-selling Harry Potter fantasy novels by author J. K...
- Peagreen Clock - Raymond PickardRaymond PickardRaymond Pickard is an English actor, born 31 July 1982 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He currently lives in Leeds, West Yorkshire.-Filmography:He has most notably acted in The Borrowers in 1997 alongside Tom Felton, Hugh Laurie, and John Goodman....
- Spud Spiller - Aden GillettAden GillettJohn Aden Gillett is a British actor best known for playing the role of Jack Maddox on the popular BBC series The House of Eliott....
- Joe Lender - Bob Goody - Minty Branch