All the Little Animals (1998)

Bobby Platt is a mentally slow young man who escapes an abusive, hateful stepfather who has killed his pets one by one. To save himself, Bobby runs away and meets a strange old man who ... See full summary »

Director:

Jeremy Thomas

Writers:

Eski Thomas (screenplay), Walker Hamilton (book)

Stars:

John Hurt, Christian Bale, Daniel Benzali

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Hurt	...	Mr. Summers
Christian Bale	...	Bobby Platt
Daniel Benzali	...	Bernard 'The Fat' De Winter
James Faulkner	...	Mr. Stuart Whiteside
John O'Toole	...	Lorry Driver
Amanda Boyle	...	Des
Amy Robbins	...	Valerie Ann Platt, Bobby's Mother
John Higgins	...	Dean
Kaye Griffiths	...	Lepidopterist
Sevilla Delofski	...	Janet, De Winter's Secretary
Helen Kluger	...	Icecream Vendor
Shane Barks	...	Young Bobby
Sjoerd Broeks	...	Mark
Elizabeth Earl	...	Child in Van
Andrew Dixon	...	Philip

Storyline

Bobby Platt is a mentally slow young man who escapes an abusive, hateful stepfather who has killed his pets one by one. To save himself, Bobby runs away and meets a strange old man who wanders the highways to bury roadkill animals. Bobby becomes the old man's apprentice and learns to see the world of nature in a strange idyllic way. But soon the shadow of his stepfather catches up to him and Bobby's world explodes into a grotesque nightmare.

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Plot Keywords:

pet | nature | escape | based on novel | roadkill | 

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Taglines:

Of All the Animals, The Cruelest is Man.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Reeves, whose Witchfinder General (1968) was a critical success, had planned to film this in 1969, with Arthur Lowe starring.

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Goofs

There is more cheese in the second quick shot of the mice eating cheese, than in the first.

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Quotes

Bobby Platt: It's funny. I can see my old self quite clearly. Remembering how I felt is much, much harder. Sometimes feelings come back to me when I'm digging, or in a dream. But mostly he's gone, that earlier me, who could hardly do anything, or even think anything. I mean I could read a bit, I could write a bit. I could talk... but I hardly ever did.

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Connections

Referenced in That's Our Mad Dog: Dennis Hopper Interviewed by Phillipe Mora (2009)

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Soundtracks

Going Away and It Doesn't Matter
A Composition from The Penguin Cafe
Written by Simon Jeffes
Performed by Geoffrey Richardson, Ian Maidman and Steve Fletcher

User Reviews

Great film for those who have compassion.

My son and I really liked this film. If you are into shoot 'em up, no thinking or feeling required movies, then this one is not for you. For those who like animals and like to see the little guy win once in awhile, this is a great film. The stepfather, DeWinter, is a typical "nothing matters but money" type person and his unfortunate stepson, Bobby, gets caught in the line of his ruthless fire. As fate would have it, Bobby meets an eccentric and oddly lovable old fellow, Mr. Summers, who is into giving the poor creatures who have been flattened on the road a decent burial and a little compassion for what their little life once was. I know in this steam roller over everything that isn't human world that we live in, a lot of people aren't concerned in the slightest with what befalls those who are not so fortunate as them, particularly when it's a non-human unfortunate. But I found it very refreshing that someone took the time to write a book and do a film about the "underdogs" of life on this planet. I found myself cheering Bobby on when he finally finds his backbone and deals with his stepfather appropriately. For those who love animals and maybe even detest the cruelty that some people just feel they have to exhibit towards the helpless, this is a one in a million movie where the little guys win.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 July 1999 (UK)

Also Known As:

All the Little Animals

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,888, 5 September 1999

Gross USA:

$26,558

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,558

Company Credits

Production Co:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC), BBC Films, British Screen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1