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Bookmark this pageThe Water Babies (1978)
Director: Lionel Jeffries
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Charles Kingsley ended his amazing Victorian tale of chimney-sweep Tom's underwater odyssey with the earnest wish that his child readers learn their lessons and wash themselves in cold water 'like a true Englishman'. Times have obviously changed, and any modern adaptation has to soft-pedal the pious author's whimsical allegories of spiritual and social improvement. Jeffries' film achieves this by plunging into tepid animation when Tom (Pender) plunges into water. But with the allegories submerged, the string of animated adventures involving the smiling band of pure, fearless babies and the gallery of talking (and singing) fish seem just idle amusement, lacking all the driving force of the live-action framework. There's no cute buffoonery in those scenes, which are replete with solid Yorkshire atmosphere, narrative tension, and excellent acting (even from David Tomlinson). It's really two films in one. (Animation directed by Miroslaw Kijowicz.Author: GB
User reviews of this film
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- haleema said...
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Posted on Oct 29 2009 18:15
i think water babies was the best film that i ever watched about the chimney sweeping can you send me a copy of the cd water babies to:
4 castleton avenue
Derby
De23 8DS plzzzzzzz
thank you !!! - Report as inappropriate
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- rachie said...
- Posted on Apr 16 2008 05:42 hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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- mikki said...
- Posted on Apr 16 2008 05:40 i think it is good
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Cast & crew
Director: Lionel Jeffries
Producer: Peter Shaw
Cast: James Mason, Billie Whitelaw, Bernard Cribbins, Joan Greenwood, David Tomlinson, Paul Luty, Tommy Pender, Samantha Gates full cast
Genre(s): Children's
Duration: 92 mins
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