Review of Paddington (2014)
I
grew up reading Michael Bond’s Paddington
Bear books and watching the 1970s BBC series.
BBC series from 1975
As
a child, my room was decorated top-to-toe with Paddington memorabilia and at
fourteen, when I started a Latin GCSE, one of my favourite teachers bought me Ursus Nomine Paddington (A Bear Called Paddington translated into
Latin) to inspire and motivate my study of language. So when I discovered that my
favourite childhood books had been adapted I felt both excitement and
trepidation. But all my worries regarding fidelity to the text and not
destroying my much loved memories of my furry, ursine best friend disappeared
within seconds of the film starting. Some of my concerns had dissolved when I
learned that Ben Whishaw was voicing Paddington. I’ve loved watching Ben Whishaw since I saw
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by accident many years ago.
Ben Whishaw in Perfume:
The Story of a Murderer (2006)
I
particularly loved the now-cancelled BBC series The Hour (2011) starring Ben
Whishaw and, another one of my favourite actors, Romola Garai. The fact that he
was going to be providing the voice for my favourite immigrant from Deepest,
Darkest Peru immediately raised my expectations of the film. My diffused fears
weren’t wrong. Within seconds of the film opening, Whishaw’s soft, soothing
voice looked like it belonged inside the marmalade sandwich munching mammal.
The introduction of Paddington’s aunt and uncle and the explorer who taught
them English and kick-started their love of marmalade, although a move away
from the original story, was poignant and provoked much sympathy from the
audience when Paddington was forced to leave the jungle in search of his new
home. The evacuation aspect of the original novel (1958), i.e., Paddington
waiting at the train station with his suitcase and a label around his neck reading
‘Please Look After This Bear’, would have been very affecting for the parents
reading the book to their children given that the evacuation of children into
the countryside from the towns and cities during the war had only taken place
roughly fifteen years prior. It was particularly interesting to see that this
aspect was highlighted rather than brushed over in the film. The antiques shop
owner, Mr Gruber, who helps Mrs Brown and Paddington as they attempt to find
the explorer who invited Paddington’s aunt and uncle to London, is a refugee
from Hitler’s Germany and his reminiscence of arriving in London is beautifully
filmed as well as touchingly sad. The Telegraph’s
reviewer Robbie Collin suggests that this was a nod to Bond’s original, and
whilst this is almost definitely the case (see review here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11239741/Paddington-review-a-total-delight.html
), it’s also important to note the large number of refugees living in Britain
today and how relevant Paddington’s story is to them.
Another
interesting element is the nod towards animal testing and cruelty with Nicole
Kidman’s portrayal of the embittered Millicent Clyde working at the Natural
History Museum as a taxidermist stuffing and preparing exotic animals for
display. This almost Frankenstein-esque element of the film, Paddington being
pursued through a snow storm by a scientist clad in laboratory whites eager to
dissect him, modernizes the story as much as the contemporary setting and
costume. The film definitely proves that Paddington is a story with many
universal elements, the most important of which is acceptance. This is shown at
all sorts of levels in Paul King’s adaptation, whether it’s Mr Brown’s
acceptance of the fact that living a full life is a life full of risks (he is a
paranoid, overprotective risk assessor in the film version), Mrs Brown’s
acceptance that her children are growing up, or the whole family’s acceptance
of Paddington as a new member of their family. Finally, this is definitely a
film to watch with your adaptation hat on, but don’t be surprised if you find a
marmalade sandwich underneath it! The joy is contagious!
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