Hogfather
by Vadim Jean
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: David Jason, Joss Ackland, Neil Pearson, Stephen Marcus, Tony RobinsonDirector: Vadim Jean
Brand: Genius
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 189 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-03-04
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 80604
Studio: Genius Products (TVN)
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- AC-3; Color; Dolby; DVD; NTSC; Widescreen
Movie Reviews of Hogfather
Movie Review: Twas the night before Hogswatch
Summary: 5 Stars
Twas the night before Hogwatch, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring... because the only person stirring was Death in a Hogsfather costume.
And fortunately the BBC's first live-action adventure in Terry Pratchett's Discworld is a brilliant affair -- faithful, hilarious, and full of intricate plotting and gutsplitting satire. It also manages to mingle the unsentimental observations about human nature with a feel-good message -- not an easy thing to do, especially in a Christmas-related movie.
On the night before Hogswatch, the Auditors enlist the Assassins' Guild for a very special job: "delete" the Hogfather. For this, Lord Downey calls on the psychotically childlike Mr. Teatime (Marc Warren), who has already figured out ways to kill the Hogfather, Soulcake Duck, and even Death. Soon Death (Ian Richardson) finds that the Hogfather has vanished --and takes on the Hogfather's duties for the night, much to the disgust of his granddaughter Susan (Michelle Dockery).
But realizing that something is very seriously wrong with the world, Susan begins investigating the origins of the Hogfather, and the terrible reasons that he has vanished. Mr. Teatime and a locksmith, wizard and trio of thieves have infiltrated the Tooth Fairy's castle and have somehow contrived to erase the Hogfather. And the wizards -- after opening a lethal bathroom for the bombastic Ridcully (Joss Ackland) -- learn that strange creatures are coming into existence, such as the Verruca Gnome and the Eater of Socks (not to mention Bilious, the Oh God of Hangovers).
Now Susan must somehow find a way to bring back the Hogfather -- or else despite all Death's best efforts ("And what do you want, small human?") the world will lose much more than a jolly fat anthropomorphic personification.
Watching "The Hogfather," it's pretty obvious that the people involved loved the the original book It's extremely faithful to the original Terry Pratchett novel (including in-jokes and cameos) and has the same offbeat weirdness ("TO THE LAUNDRY!"). And while the four main subplots seem scattered and sometimes unclear, as the movie goes on they intertwine tightly and suddenly become very relevant to one another.
And since this is based on a Pratchett book, we're graced with some cynical views on humanity and the nature of belief -- and occasionally touching moments, like Death rescuing a little match girl. There's even a bittersweet edge near the end when Susan confronts the core of the Tooth Fairy's castle, and finds something very unexpected there.
But along the way, we're treated to plenty of hilarious dialogue ("Have you been a good l... a good n... a good individual?"), wildly bizarre slapstick moments (Ridcully scalding himself with Old Faithful) and in-jokes (the inventions of Bloody Stupid Johnson). Barely a scene goes by without something to laugh at, whether it's Teatime's hysterically sick behavior or Death's attempts at yuletide jollity (including a list of things to do at each house, ending with a halfhearted "ho ho ho").
The brilliant comedy hits a high note when Death invades a shopping mall so he can have the children tell him what they want ("And be good. This is part of the arrangement." "All right!" "Then we have a contract"), much to the dismay of the store owner ("He's sitting in his grotto, bold as brass... GIVING AWAY PRESENTS!"
Dockery makes a magnificent Susan -- a little chilly, very strong-willed and determined to be as normal as possible. Warren is a delightfully creepy Teatime with his mismatched eyes and childish voice, and the late Ian Richardson was simply great as Death, whether he's being benevolent or sinister ("Have you been naughty... OR NICE?"). In fact all the actors do a brilliant job -- the wizards, the thieves, and the weird little kids that Susan babysits.
"The Hogfather" is a Christmas movie with a Discworld edge -- meaning it's funny and unique, but also riddled with deeper messages and sharp satire. Definitely a must-see during the holidays.
Summary of Hogfather
Hogfather is the magical, menacing, wicked, and witty family story unlike anything else you could ever imagine. From the imagination of best-selling author Terry Pratchett comes Hogfather. It?s the holiday of Hogswatch, the night when kids anticipate presents from the beloved Hogfather. But someone wants the Hogfather out of the way. Now it?s up to the most unlikely of heroes to get the holiday back on track. Just in time for the Easter season, Hogfather is a cross between Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter that?s sure to be a family favorite you?ll be watching for years and years to come.Based on a fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, The Hogfather is an extraordinary satire-adventure set in the mythical realm of Discworld, a kind of parallel-universe version of Earth. Discworld?s alternative to Santa Claus is the Hogfather, who also chases around in a sled delivering gifts to children (on a Christmas-like night known as Hogwatch), but who looks like, well, a wild hog and is pulled through the skies not by reindeer but a bunch of grunting porkers with long, dangerous teeth. Just as the Hogfather is about to complete his annual mission to leave toys for kids under their Hogwatch trees, a specter makes a deal with a professional assassin to kill the jolly old fellow. The job is farmed out to a psychotic monster named Teatime (Marc Warren), who sets about trying to get to the Hogfather through, of all things, the Tooth Fairy. While danger stalks these immortal characters, Death (Ian Richardson) himself takes the Hogfather?s place on his magical rounds, with comic consequences. Meanwhile, a governess named Susan (Michelle Dockery), possessor of a strange secret and awesome powers, determines that the Hogfather is in danger. She sets about trying to find him and discovers Teatime?s plot, while a cluster of clumsy wizards (led by Joss Ackland) try to make sense of what has happened and what they can do about it. It?s hard to explain the charm and wit of The Hogfather, which is full of quirky, ironic humor, except to say that it?s easy to fall in love with this British television special and its dark delights. (Some a bit too dark for younger viewers.) The cast includes a very funny Tony Robinson of Black Adder. --Tom Keogh
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