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In an interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' in April 2001, Bob Godfrey explained how the film came about:<blockquote>I'd been reading a book about Brunel so I asked British Lion, who backed ''Kama Sutra'' [''Kama Sutra Rides Again'', his Academy Award nominated 1971 animated short], 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.<ref name="2001_interview">{{Cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2001/apr/20/culture.features2|title=One man and his wobbly dog|accessdate=2013-03-02|work=The Guardian|location=London|first=Nick|last=Smurthwaite|date=2001-04-20}}</ref></blockquote>
In an interview with ''[[The Guardian]]'' in April 2001, Bob Godfrey explained how the film came about:<blockquote>I'd been reading a book about Brunel so I asked British Lion, who backed ''Kama Sutra'' [''Kama Sutra Rides Again'', his Academy Award nominated 1971 animated short], 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.<ref name="2001_interview">{{Cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2001/apr/20/culture.features2|title=One man and his wobbly dog|accessdate=2013-03-02|work=The Guardian|location=London|first=Nick|last=Smurthwaite|date=2001-04-20}}</ref></blockquote>


''Great'' is not available on DVD or Blu-ray. The official website of Bob Godfrey has stated that this is due to the film's copyright status.<ref name="great_faq">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bobgodfreyfilms.com/faq/ |title=FAQ - The Bob Godfrey Collection |accessdate=2014-02-05 |work=Bobgodfreyfilms.com |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522021612/https://www.bobgodfreyfilms.com/faq/ |archivedate=22 May 2013 }}</ref>
''Great'' will be available to buy on Blu-Ray/DVD and Digital HD download from March 2017.<ref name="great_faq">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bobgodfreyfilms.com/faq/ |title=FAQ - The Bob Godfrey Collection |accessdate=2014-02-05 |work=Bobgodfreyfilms.com |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522021612/https://www.bobgodfreyfilms.com/faq/ |archivedate=22 May 2013 }}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 16:13, 9 December 2016

Great
Title card of the film
Directed byBob Godfrey
Starring
Music byJonathan P. Hodge
Distributed byBritish Lion Films
Release date
  • 1975 (1975)
Running time
28 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

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 won the Academy Award for 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 [Kama Sutra Rides Again, his Academy Award nominated 1971 animated short], 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 will be available to buy on Blu-Ray/DVD and Digital HD download from March 2017.[6]

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. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)