The Wind in the Willows

Matt Lucas as a marvellous Toad, Mark Gatiss as a spiky rat, Lee Ingleby as a nervous Mole, and Bob Hoskins as a grumpy old Badger make a classy cast within yet another version of Kenneth Grahame's classic book.

Comparing well with the Python-heavy 1996 version, which got lost in music and a mincemeat factory plot, this has many pluses in its favour - the best of all being the famous 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' chapter covered in full, with all its ethereal magic. Plenty, then, to enthrall children and interest adults who happen to be watching with or without them.

Who doesn't love the storybook Wind in the Willows? Chances are, I still have the book collecting dust somewhere. It was one of my favourites's as a child, and I was excited to see a live action movie version.

Matt Lucas (as Toad) does a fantastic job. It's a heartwarming, delightful film that you will completely enjoy with your family, especially children because of the life lessons taught. Set creation was fantastically done and they stayed as true to the book as possible.

I'm grateful that they didn't use much special effects, and I understand that hard-core book fans might note appreciate the artistic interpretations taken in some instances of this film.

In conclusion, if you are a fan of the book, or if you have children, then I recommend this movie to you.

A friend of mine was kind enough to burn me a DVD from the BBC-TV presentation, and send it to me in America. I was delighted, as I had been looking forward to it for some time and took for granted it would not come to the US.

I was not disappointed. This film is completely wonderful, from the saturated colors of the landscapes to the marvelously witty and creative camera work, to the absolute perfection of the actors in their roles -- each one entirely believable as the creature he was meant to be. Mark Gatiss' Rat was a bit underplayed--it was only on second viewing that I became aware of the subtleties of his performance: the little ratlike twitches of the nose and the occasional baring of the teeth. Bob Hoskins gave a solid, workmanlike performance as Badger, and of course Matt Lucas' Toad fairly stole the show.

But the absolute revelation of the film was Lee Ingleby as Mole. Somehow in watching him I was able to see two presences on screen at the same time: the full-scale human and a tiny shadowy creature of delicacy, timidity and great vulnerability. The humble little Mole, so earnest and willing to please, is of course the center and the heart of the story, and Ingleby brought him to life with extraordinary grace, sensitivity and humor. His parting line, "Perhaps there's room in the world for all sorts of creatures" (paraphrased) is a lesson to be lived by even today.

This is not the "Wind in the Willows" you grew up with. This is live actors in limited make-up, breathing life into the characters through their own talent, rather than through special effects. (Though there are a few of those too, and quite clever ones at that.) As soon as a commercial release of the DVD became available (March 26), I bought it. My first copy was well-worn long before then.

This is not the best version of Kenneth Grahame's wonderful book, but it is a very enjoyable one. It is amusing and charming with memorable, quirky performance and great costume and set design.

The adaptation does look visually pleasing, with colourful costumes and sets and the scenery is beautiful. The camera work was also creative, with interesting angles. The story is still well-constructed, well-paced, fairly true in essence and has many charming interludes particularly the Piper at the Gates of Dawn sequence which was a delight to see.

The writing is also playful and witty, particularly with Toad, and the characters are still their likable selves. The acting is in general very good. Matt Lucas occasionally overdoes it, but he also seems to be enjoying himself. Bob Hoskins is a wonderful badger, while Lee Ingleby is a touching Mole and Mak Gatiss a suitably subdued and subtle Ratty. Mary Walsh is lovely too, Imelda Staunton is very amusing and while the weasels are a slight disappointment they aren't in a lot of it to distract too much.

Overall, a very enjoyable TV adaptation. 8/10 Bethany Cox

A quintessentially British classic, brought back for a new generation.

It's a pleasure to watch a new children's movie without dead parents or body fluid slapstick. The film is surprisingly close to the book, with saturated colours director Talalay seems to have been denied with her TV work.

Most of the casting is superb; standouts are Mark Gatiss as Ratty, Bob Hoskins as growly Badger and Oscar-nominee Imelda Staunton as the Barge Lady, with some surprisingly attractive Romanian weasels and underrated Canadian Mary Walsh as the unattractive bosom-rearranging washerwoman. Little Britain's Matt Lucas is a scenery-chewing disappointment as Toad, driving down the stars from 8 to 7; whenever he's on screen, despite his good music-hall turns with the songs, he jars us back to the 21st century.

Like most great stories, 'Willows' survives beyond its period-piece setting with a moral for young and old. Whether you subscribe to the id/ego/superego trio, or the class structure of the stupid rich Toad, proper Rat and afraid-but-brave homebody Mole, there's more to the tale than Toad's latest toy.

Children younger than 6 likely won't stand more than a few minutes of this, but nostalgic adults will enjoy watching this with school-age children who hopefully will ask for the whole story.