Great (1975 film)

Great is a 28-minute animated film released in 1975, telling a humorous version of the life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It was directed by Bob Godfrey, produced by Grantstern Films and distributed by British Lion.

Great
Title card of the film
Directed byBob Godfrey
Produced byRon Inkpen (un-credited)
Written byColin Pearson (un-credited), Bob Godfrey, Richard Taylor, Joe McGrath, Robin Smyth, Paul Weisser
Starring
Narrated byHarry Fowler
Music byJonathan P. Hodge
Edited byTony Fish, Peter Hearn
Distributed byBritish Lion Films, The Bob Godfrey Collection (2016-)
Release date
  • 17 March 1975 (17 March 1975)
Running time
28 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Great won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 48th Academy Awards in March 1976.[1] Great was the first British animated film to win an Academy Award, and also won the BAFTA award for Best Animated Film in 1976.[2][3]

Background

The film recounts the life and works of the 19th century British civil engineer and architect Isambard Kingdom Brunel in a way that is affectionate while often tongue-in-cheek. The narrator, voiced by Harry Fowler, explains the triumphs and setbacks of Brunel's career, comparing him to Archimedes, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Richard Briers provides the voice of Brunel. There are numerous songs in the film, including "Get a big top hat if you want to get ahead". Great is primarily an animated film, although it is mixed media, combining some live action sequences with the animation.[4]

In an interview with The Guardian in April 2001, Bob Godfrey explained how the film came about:

I'd been reading a book about Brunel so I asked British Lion, who backed Kama Sutra [Rides Again], if I could have some money to make a half-hour cartoon about a Victorian engineer. Yes, they said, here's £20,000. They thought the sun shone out of my arse at the time. They'd have given me money to animate a toilet if I'd asked them.[5]

Great was not released on home video formats such as VHS or DVD with the official website of The Bob Godfrey Collection stating that this was due to the film's copyright status.[6] The film was made available as a digital download in January 2017.[7]

References
  1. "The 48th Academy Awards (1976) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  2. Goldsmith, Belinda (22 February 2013). "Britain's first Oscar-winning animator Bob Godfrey dies at 91". Reuters. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  3. "BAFTA Awards 1976". IMDb. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  4. Vine, Richard (23 February 2013). "Bob Godfrey – a career in clips". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  5. Smurthwaite, Nick (20 April 2001). "One man and his wobbly dog". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  6. "FAQ - The Bob Godfrey Collection". Bobgodfreyfilms.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  7. Bob Godfrey's Great - trailer by The Bob Godfrey Collection on YouTube
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