Hogfather (2006) (TV)

Director:

Vadim Jean

Writers:

Vadim Jean (adaptation)
Terry Pratchett (novel)

Release Date:

25 November 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Plot:

It's Hogswatch (equivalent to Christmas) on the Discworld and the Hogfather has gone missing, requiring Death to take his place while his granddaughter Susan endeavors to find out what has happened. |

Plot Keywords:

Discworld | Christmas | Death | Monster Under Bed | Weird Laughter

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

David Jason	...	Albert
Marc Warren	...	Teatime
Michelle Dockery	...	Susan / Death of Rats
David Warner	...	Lord Downey
Tony Robinson	...	Vernon Crumley
Nigel Planer	...	Mr. Sideney
Peter Guinness	...	Medium Dave
Stephen Marcus	...	Banjo
Craig Conway	...	Chickenwire
Rhodri Meilir	...	Bilious
Sinead Matthews	...	Violet
Ian Richardson	...	Death / Narrator (voice)
Neil Pearson	...	Quoth (voice)
Nicholas Tennant	...	Corporal Nobbs
Richard Katz	...	Constable Visit

Also Known As:

Terry Pratchett's Hogfather (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

185 min (2 parts) (DVD version) | 189 min (2 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

UK:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Romania

Company:

Mob Film Company, The

Trivia:

Constable Visit's full name is Visit-the-Infidel-with-Explanatory-Pamphlets.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Most of the teeth in the Tooth Fairy's castle are molars with intact roots. But most of the teeth children lose are incisors and canines and the few molars they lose don't have roots attached.

Quotes:

Death: Humans need fantasy to *be* human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.
Susan: With tooth fairies? Hogfathers?
Death: Yes. As practice, you have to start out learning to believe the little lies.
Susan: So we can believe the big ones?
Death: Yes. Justice, mercy, duty. That sort of thing.
Susan: They're not the same at all.
Death: You think so? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder, and sieve it through the finest sieve, and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet, you try to act as if there is some ideal order in the world. As if there is some, some rightness in the universe, by which it may be judged.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Movie Connections: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (#1.4)" (2007)

Perfect to the very last detail!

I've grown up on Discworld. Where do I start with this absolutely perfect adaptation? The spot-on casting - Susan, Death, Albert, Nobby Nobbs, Ponder Stibbons, all brought to life wonderfully. The faithfulness to the story - keeping it at nearly 4 hours to ensure the minimum amount of cutting. The perfect locations - Death's Domain, Unseen University, the Tooth Fairy's castle, all brilliant! I'm so glad Pratchett let them do this, and I can only hope and pray that they continue - let's see The Last Continent, Jingo, Maskerade, Reaper Man, Small Gods!

If I have one tiny, insignificant complaint, it's that we didn't see Ankh-Morpork in all its bustling, grimy glory - no shots of the River Ankh, marketplaces awash with grubby punters and, of course, Cut Me Own Throat Dibbler! But I will say this - Sky One, Vladim Jean and the rest involved did a wonderful job on such a small budget, and gave us a far better and more faithful adaptation than Hollywood could ever have mustered.

Full marks, it really gave me a buzz in the Christmas season. 10/10 for making a Pterry geek very happy indeed! :-)