My Family and Other Animals

It is a pity that this was made for television only, as it would have been an excellent movie release.

It is an excellent adaptation of the book (of the same name) by Gerald Durrell, and accounts the youthful exploits of the extremely talented Durrell family during their stay in Corfu after their father's death. The story is told through the eyes of the 12 year old budding Zoologist Gerrald Durrell in the backdrop to the outbreak of the second world war.

The characters are well portrayed and realistic, and the script manages to keep in the light-hearted humour and comedy from the book. Altogether a highly recommended movie for all the family.

I was amazed by the sheer beauty of the images in this made-for-TV movie. The views are breathtaking. Everything looks simply wonderful: the island, the sea, the villas ('our' family moves to a new house whenever they feel the need arise), the locals and an interesting flock of visitors, and of course the abundant wildlife on Corfu.

The story is quite funny sometimes, and at one point even moving, the acting is very good and the direction and editing are spot on. What matters is that non of it gets in the way of what this movie tries to accomplish.

My Family And Other Animals is about the beauty of nature, as seen by a boy. After watching it, you can understand why someone like him would spend his life studying that subject. This movie feels like a breath of fresh air, bringing the viewer back to the days when such a thing existed. Every boy (or girl) should be able to spend his youth this way.

The movie is truly a delight to watch. It's full of warmth and humour. It reminds me how wonderful it is to connect to nature, a thing hard to achieve in this modern age of technology and fast-paced life. The scenery is just so beautiful, the characters interesting and lovable, the acting smooth and convincing, the soundtrack I find quite quirky but amusing, and the animals absolutely cute! Imelda Staunton is superb as usual, while Eugene Simon is very good as the inquisitive Gerald. Despite the fact that this movie is not a very dramatic one (no violence, no real romance nor suspense), it is engaging and entertaining. A must-see.

A favourite story of mine for very many years this translation into a TV movie is sensitively and accurately adapted, much of the dialogue is exactly as Gerald Durrell wrote it. If only the TV writers, producers, directors would do as well with so many other sadly failing efforts! The actors in this are very well chosen and give faithful and often understated performances. In particular the lad playing Gerald is very good indeed, but I only single him out from a splendid ensemble effort because of his youth. If I had to make a criticism it would be that the character of Spiro was somewhat more restrained than I had envisaged from the book. All in all, a little gem. It was screened by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday 8th. April 2007.

Remember the days when watching television with your family was wholesome, clean, and even entertaining. I love Imelda Staunton in this role as the mother of family who vacation in Greece. Her beloved son becomes more like P.T. Barnum by taking care of so many creatures. It's told from his point of view before World War II during a family vacation on a Greece Island. It's the kind of film that the whole family can watch and laugh at some of the moments. It's not too serious or too lighthearted. IT's just fine for an hour an half of clean, fun and family style entertainment that a whole family can gather around the set and watch together. It doesn't have vulgarity, sex, or violence to ruin it. It's not that kind of film. I was watching this film in London where I learned that Imelda Staunton was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) which suits her perfectly. The scenery is spectacular and the writing could have been a little better but it works just fine for me. I love the acting but I can't remember the other actors' names.