Great (Isambard Kingdom Brunel)

Absolutely wonderful short animated mini-musical about the life, career and works of the redoubtable British engineer and inventor, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Unforgettable songs (I saw it years ago and can still sing nearly all of them!--ranging from 50's style rock to wistful ballads to up-tempo show-tunes; none of which, sadly, are given actual titles in the credits), delightful (and bawdy!) comedy, combined with thorough and loving research for a memorable portrait of one of the Industrial Revolution's most remarkable figures. It deserves particular applause for appropriate use of rotoscoped footage to depict the inaugural day of the Great Western Railway--for a minute I almost wondered if they'd somehow found real film of the event, the effect is that convincing. That this film continues to be unavailable is simply a crime.

IMPORTANT NOTE to anyone reading the review (posted 2005) by Judy Renee Pope: I sadly report that Judy passed away in 2007. Please, do not email her asking for a copy of Great; no one is reading her email anymore except me, and I do not know where her copy of the film is. I much regret this, as it seems to have been one of the very few copies anywhere, but I can't help with your requests. Sorry.

Exactly why an Academy Award winning film of this caliber should be so sorely neglected and unavailable all these years I can't say, but this is one of the few times animation (of varying techniques), music, archive photos, and history have come together into something truly Great. Reminiscent of some of Terry Gilliam's animation for Monty Python's Flying Circus, but yet uniquely it's own beast. I whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone, providing you can find a way to see it. If you're looking for a copy, write me =).

"Oh; it's a ship..."

As you can see from other reviews of this little masterpiece, "Great - IKB" is a splendid piece of work that is shamefully neglected.

I first knew of the film when I heard the song "It's A Big One" played on the radio when it was released in 1975. I was looking forward to seeing this film about Brunel (already a hero of mine and now 2nd Greatest Briton of All Time, folks!). I never heard any more about it and began to wonder if I'd just dreamt it.

Then in the 1980's Channel 4 broadcast it one Saturday afternoon. Of course I watched it and was amazed at the number of animation styles and the sophisticated humour that was packed into a short film. For example, the film starts with a run-down of Victorian heroes in the style of a football team: 'Boots' Wellington, 'Flash' Gordon, 'Knockers' Nightingale and 'Little Willie' Gladstone on the touchline with his black bag. You need to know your history to appreciate this stuff. There are even references to the size of Prince Albert's manhood (when Queen Victoria said in her diary that "Albert's beauty is most striking" she wasn't writing about his haircut).

When the film was shown again a few years later I set up my cassette player and recorded the soundtrack, just to make sure I could play it whenever I wanted. A good job I did as to my knowledge it has never been shown again and is not available commercially.

I often wonder if a series of these was planned and didn't come off? I think it was produced by British Lion which went bust in the mid-70's. This might explain why "Great - IKB" was a one-off and the lack of a video/DVD distribution deal.

Delightful animated musical biography of IKB. Showed up on a public television academy award winners program before I owned a VCR and I have been looking for a copy ever since. It is a wonderful view of the great engineering age in Britain. I second the previous submission that I wish I had a copy.

This is a marvelous short subject on the life of the Victorian inventor Izembard Kingdom Brunel. Charming, witty and full of affection for its subject, Great is a delight. I wish I owned a copy.