The Selfish Giant (1971)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Peter Sander

Writers:

Peter Sander (writer)
Oscar Wilde (short story)

Release Date:

12 August 1973 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Short

Plot Keywords:

Redemption | Fable | Based On Short Story | Giant | Independent Film

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Paul Hecht	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Aznavour	...	Récitant / Narrator (French version)

Runtime:

26 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:U | Argentina:Unrated

Company:

Potterton Productions

Excellent (and quite faithful) adaptation of an Oscar Wilde children's story.

Oscar Wilde has always fascinated me. A controversial figure, he is arguably the most successfully literary figure, certainly in terms of range, in the English language. He wrote verse, prose, plays with equal skill and success and wrote short stories and novels with the same facility. His work has often been adapted for the screen and usually the adaptations are remarkably faithful to the source material, something Hollywood in particular is not noted for.

The Selfish Giant is Wilde at his best. The story is, like all great children's literature, for young and old alike. At times funny and sad, it touches the audience and stays with you. I read the story first, before seeing this. I generally make allowances for adaptations, particularly to film. Such allowances are unnecessary here. It's beautifully done, with care and an obvious affection for the original. The animation, backgrounds, the music, all works marvelously, but the narration is the key. It is, essentially, Wilde's story converted to voice-over and dialogue. Wonderful! I saw this first not quite thirty years ago, twice, and, when I recently got a copy, recalled virtually every scene in detail. This needs to be re-issued. Well worth tracking down. Most highly recommended.