IMDb RATING
6.4/10
4.5K
YOUR RATING
Disgraced poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend's country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles.Disgraced poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend's country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles.Disgraced poet Ted Wallace is summoned to his friend's country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles.
- Awards
- 1 nomination total
Featured reviews
This is a thoroughly enjoyable film. Surfing Netflix for something decent to watch when I chanced upon The Hippopotomus, having not heard of it. What a nice surprise! Delightfully funny and tender, without being soppy. The narrative was pure Frye wit...brilliant...smart and so funny. So nice to not be bored by stupid slapstick, but laugh out loud at the fab script. I just loved this film.
A clapped out poet brings his powers of perception to an English country house acclaimed for its miraculous cures, and finds more than he bargained for ...
Lovely doff of the cap to English detective fiction, although it finds much humour in declining to avert its gaze from the nonsense of the convention. The theme of miracle cures is important, so the one scene of emotion toward the end matters a lot - I didn't feel it, maybe because the moment of death was never addressed thematically. Hey - it's a country estate, built on the deaths of others.
The pace and humour are good, and the hero is perfectly smashed and detached. The weakness is in the supporting characters - not the performances, but their drama and the necessity of their presence. No great turns or lines, and I guess that's down to the original writing.
Music and sets are gorgeous, editing keeps it clipping along.
Overall: Insightful and entertaining, not so dramatic.
Lovely doff of the cap to English detective fiction, although it finds much humour in declining to avert its gaze from the nonsense of the convention. The theme of miracle cures is important, so the one scene of emotion toward the end matters a lot - I didn't feel it, maybe because the moment of death was never addressed thematically. Hey - it's a country estate, built on the deaths of others.
The pace and humour are good, and the hero is perfectly smashed and detached. The weakness is in the supporting characters - not the performances, but their drama and the necessity of their presence. No great turns or lines, and I guess that's down to the original writing.
Music and sets are gorgeous, editing keeps it clipping along.
Overall: Insightful and entertaining, not so dramatic.
This is a beautifully well made, extraordinary well acted movie. I would argue it's quite a high brow watch, but then you should be expecting that.
There isn't exactly a plot of sorts, other than someone is hired to solve a series of mysteries, other than that it just seems to be a series of random occurrences.
The visuals are really nice, great location work, and an incredible setting.
The characters are larger than life let's say, the best element for me was the acting of the ever wonderful Roger Allam.
It feels very disjointed in parts, but overall it's definitely worth your time, the dialogue is wonderful at times.
Worth seeing, 7/10.
There isn't exactly a plot of sorts, other than someone is hired to solve a series of mysteries, other than that it just seems to be a series of random occurrences.
The visuals are really nice, great location work, and an incredible setting.
The characters are larger than life let's say, the best element for me was the acting of the ever wonderful Roger Allam.
It feels very disjointed in parts, but overall it's definitely worth your time, the dialogue is wonderful at times.
Worth seeing, 7/10.
Don't expect a hilarious comedy or so because it isn't but there are some funny moments, especially by the spoken words. You can clearly hear Stephen Fry speaking through Ted Wallace, a waterfall of words, sometimes harsh and sometimes funny. Ted Wallace did a good job playing his character, a lost soul that drinks way too much, investigating what could be a miracle curer. The rest of the cast all contributed in their way to the story. A story that might not be for everybody, like the reviews and ratings clearly shows, but if now and then you like the complexity of the English language instead of the usual stuff you might enjoy this movie. It's worth watching once in my opinion.
I was worried I might be disappointed by this movie because of the negative reviews, but that worry was ill-founded. I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish and thought it well-found the balance between absurdity, pathos and grit.
I could hear the literary voice of Stephen Fry throughout, especially in the outpourings of the protagonist. The words sizzled and danced and revealed a certain realistic sensitivity.
I am not associated in any way with anyone involved in the film.
I could hear the literary voice of Stephen Fry throughout, especially in the outpourings of the protagonist. The words sizzled and danced and revealed a certain realistic sensitivity.
I am not associated in any way with anyone involved in the film.
Did you know
- TriviaRoger Allam and Sir John Standing appeared in V for Vendetta (2005) and Game of Thrones (2011). The former also featured Stephen Fry, who wrote the novel upon which this film was based.
- Quotes
Rebecca Logan: My God, look at the state of you.
Ted Wallace: If you're here, Rebecca, who's ruling over Narnia?
- ConnectionsReferenced in Origins Podcast: Stephen Fry - The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss (2019)
- SoundtracksTasty Numbness
Written by Antonio Sanchez and Dario Boente
Performed by Antonio Sanchez and Dario Boente
Piano by Dario Boente
© Published by Greedy Silence Music* & Dario Boente Music (ASCAP)
-Administered by Kobalt Music Publishing Limited
- How long is The Hippopotamus?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $273,588
- Runtime
- 1h 29m(89 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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