MovieChat Forums > Gulliver's Travels (1996) Discussion > Underrated piece of art!

Underrated piece of art!

posted 18 years ago by RedSoxCoder
13 replies | jump to latest

I've had the chance to see this movie twice on tv without interruptions and both times everyone who watched it with me was amazed! The production sometimes appears a little low budget perhaps, but Danson is just keeping people at the edge of their seats! I guess this shows what kind of education Danson has had - he's certainly not your average comedy actor, although because of Cheers and Becker people might think so.
What really amazed me is how the movie builds up towards this last half hour in which everything makes sense.

In a way this reminds me of a similar movie, The Madness of Kind Richard, in which the main character is said to be insane too - but during the movie you realize that he is perhaps the most sane and wise person of all.

Anyway, I've enjoyed reading the original book in school - but I have to say that almost always only the first part has been animated, filmed, told or acted just because it appeals to children (the big guy among small people). This is so ridiculous.

This movie seems to be the first time ever that Swift's book has been filmed in a way that it captures the whole point of the story - and in a way which makes it still a relevant story to listen to.
Great stuff, one of my favorite movies of all time! 9/10

[–] xylonian-1 18 years ago

Yes I agree, I did think this was amazing....The acting was great (IMO) and well, I do love satire.....

"The most detestable habit of Lilliputian minds is to suppose that others are equally petty."

[–] Lion711 18 years ago

yeah i agree.

[–] stuntedvampire 18 years ago

I don't think I could disagree more. Most of the acting left me unconvinced, especially the main character.

[–] farawaytree 18 years ago

Wonderful acting, particularly from Danson, and an all round terrific production. My whole family ejoyed it immensely.

[–] tasneemuddin 15 years ago

I absolutely loved it, i remember at the time it was almost a wonder to watch as i was only about 7 years old.

6.9, are you kidding me!

[–] pokrishka 14 years ago

It's an amazing movie and should be somewhere around 8.0. And if you take into consideration that it's a TV film with "Hallmark" trade mark you can sure give it 9 for being nearly impossibly good.

[–] NukeLuke 18 years ago

I agree. The shifting between the past and present story arcs was well done. I can't believe the movie was made over a decade ago.. I enjoyed watching it then, and still do =)

[–] Hancock_the_Superb 17 years ago

We started watching it in English Lit. at school, but then the class ended. However, I liked what I saw of it so much that I took it home for my own viewing.

Danson was excellent - his shifting from the crazed Gulliver to the more rational, measured one towards the end is magnificent acting. And the supporting cast was a real treat - Mary Steenburgen, James and Edward Fox, Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Geraldine Chaplin, Kristin Scott Thomas, Warwick Davis, John Gielgud, Richard Wilson, Ned Beatty - who else could you ask for? The visuals were spectacular and the story flowed extremely well.

"You're takin' advantage of your cloth, Father!"
"That's what it's for."

[–] ContinentalOp 15 years ago

It was pretty good and is infact my favourite adaptation of the novel for the simpy reason that it doesn't just focus on Liliput and Brobdingnag but also Laputa and the Houyhnhnms.

"Namu-myoho-renge-kyo"

[–] Sunnydws 14 years ago

I think it's borderline brilliant. There is some fine acting from everyone, but particularly Danson. The way he obsessively goes through the story is so convincing. I love the scene where he's just standing out in the rain, yelling at the horses, "Is that it then? Am I just another yahoo?" Or the part where he's struggling with withdrawal from the laudanum. Great stuff...Very versatile performance.

And the writing is equally brilliant. The way the stories intertwine and how it leads up to the final act in the hospital's "court room". Truly excellent. I thought maybe if they had saved the revelation of the sheep for the very end, it might have made a more thrilling ending. For the majority of the film, the audience knows Gulliver is telling the truth because of his son's discovery of the sheep. If they had hidden that from the audience and had the boy only discovered the sheep by the end of the film, it would have made for a good debate as to whether or not he was crazy. Of course, this changes the intent of the original novel, but I loved how he seems so eccentric and obsessive that they think he's crazy. Great twist on the original story.

[–] smck_82uk 14 years ago

Not seen this in YEARS gonn have to download it or buy it :)

They think we're the demons now - Prue Halliwell ~ All Hell Breaks Loose ~ Charmed

[–] TemporaryOne-1 14 years ago

Agreed, just watched this again for the third time this year, the entire production, the acting (Ted Danson, brilliant; I never liked him, but I changed my mind after watching Gulliver's Travelers), cinematography, costumes, lighting, lavish and luscious set designs, editing, soundtrack, smooth special effects, the faithful adherence to the novella (with some brilliant improvement and redaction), the ingenuity of weaving the trial throughout his adventures, the little sheep, talking horses, Cubist dreamscapes, Portuguese castles, all of it, utterly meticulous, flawless, dazzling, exquisite.

10/10, and deserves a Criterion release.

[–] 14 years ago

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