Ethel & Ernest (film)
Ethel & Ernest is a British animated biographical film directed by Roger Mainwood. The film is based on the graphic memoir of the same name written by Raymond Briggs, and follows Briggs' parents, Ethel and Ernest, through their period of marriage from the 1920s to their deaths in the 1970s. It was broadcast on television on BBC One on 28 December 2016.[2]
| Ethel & Ernest | |
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 Poster | |
| Directed by | Roger Mainwood |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Roger Mainwood |
| Based on | Ethel & Ernest by Raymond Briggs |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Carl Davis |
| Edited by | Richard Overall |
Production company |
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| Distributed by | BBC Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
The film details the marriage of Ethel and Ernest Briggs from the 1920s to the 1970s, as they live through extraordinary events occurring in that period.
Cast
- Jim Broadbent as Ernest Briggs[3]
- Brenda Blethyn as Ethel Briggs[3]
- Luke Treadaway as Raymond Briggs[3]
- Harry Collett as young Raymond Briggs[3]
- Roger Allam as Doctor Trotter[3]
- Pam Ferris as Mrs. Bennett / Aunty Betty[3]
- Virginia McKenna as Lady Foxworthy[3]
- Peter Wight as Detective Sergeant Burnley[3]
- June Brown as Ernest's Step Mother[3]
- Simon Day as Alf[3]
Production
The film was originally to be produced by John Coates, notable for producing The Snowman. When Coates died in 2012, Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding (Lupus Films) were then hired to help complete the film.[4] The voice cast for the film was revealed on 3 August 2015.[5] The film was made of 67,680 hand-drawn individual frames.[6]
Release
The film made its official debut in the 60th BFI London Film Festival. The film made its theatrical premiere in the U.S. at the Nuart Landmark Theatre in Santa Monica, California, on 15 December 2017.[6]
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an average rating of 97%, based on 30 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Gentle, poignant, and vividly animated, Ethel & Ernest is a warm character study with an evocative sense of time and place."[7] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 72 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[8]
References
- https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1725969/?ref_=bo_se_r_1
- Smith, Reiss (28 December 2016). "What time is Ethel and Ernest on? Cast, plot and trailer for new Raymond Briggs film". Express. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- "A Feature Adaptation of Raymond Briggs' 'Ethel and Ernest' Is In the Works". Cartoon Brew. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- "This hand-drawn animated film of Raymond Briggs' Ethel and Ernest looks just lovely". Digital Arts Online. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- "Voice Cast Announced for 'Ethel & Ernest' Feature". Animation World Network. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- McLean, Tom (13 December 2017). "'Ethel & Ernest' Makes U.S. Theatrical Debut". Animation World Network. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- "ETHEL & ERNEST (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- "Ethel & Ernest Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 February 2018.