Ethel & Ernest
 Cover to 1999 Hardcover edition | |
| Author | Raymond Briggs |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Raymond Briggs |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Graphic Novel Biography |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
Publication date | 7 October 1998 |
| Publication place | England |
| Media type | Hardback |
| ISBN | 0-224-06039-2 |
| OCLC | 41620728 |
Ethel and Ernest (subtitled "A True Story") is a graphic novel and animated film by English author and illustrator Raymond Briggs. It tells the story of the lives of Briggs' parents from their first meeting in 1928 to their deaths in 1971.
Story
The story is simply a progression through the lives of the titular couple, from their courtship in the late 1920s to their deaths in the early 70s. Ethel is a lady's maid with middle-class aspirations and firm notions of respectable English behaviour; she becomes a housewife when she marries. Ernest, five years younger, is an easygoing milkman with socialist ideals and an enthusiastic interest in modern progress and technology. They live with their only child, Raymond, in a London suburb, through the Great Depression, World War II, the advent of television and other events. The book richly illustrates London working class life and concerns, during some of the most momentous social and political developments of the 20th century.[1]
Awards
Ethel and Ernest won the "Best Illustrated Book Of The Year" at the 1999 British Book Awards.[2]
Film adaptation
 | This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. (December 2016) |
TVCartoons Ltd, the animation company who made the film of Raymond Briggs' The Snowman, made a feature-length film of Ethel and Ernest. A 90-minute animatic (a filmed storyboard) was presented at "Cartoon Movie" in Lyon, France, on 6 March 2009. Veteran UK animation producer John Coates (TVC) and Camilla Deakin (Lupus Films Ltd) produced the film, with Robbie Little (Little Film Company) and Raymond Briggs as executive producers. On 16 September 2012, John Coates died, aged 84. Camilla Deakin and Lupus Films Ltd took over as the producer and production company on the Ethel and Ernest film.[3]
Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent provided the voices for a BBC animated adaptation of the book.[4]
A feature length version of Ethel and Ernest was released in UK cinemas on 28 October 2016. It had its world premiere on 15 October 2016 at the Curzon Mayfair cinema as part of the London Film Festival. Production companies: Ethel & Ernest Productions; Lupus Films; Cloth Cat Animation; Mélusine Productions. Directed by Roger Mainwood. Producer Camilla Deakin (Lupus Films).[5]
References
- ^ Publishers Weekly: Non-fiction book review - Ethel and Ernest
- ^ British Book Awards - previous winners Archived 5 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ethel and Ernest Movie Blog: A blog about the making of Ethel and Ernest the animated feature film.
- ^ "Jim Broadbent and Brenda Blethyn adapt Raymond Briggs book for BBC - BBC News". bbc.co.uk. 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ Ethel & Ernest at IMDb
.JPG){kind=small} | This article about a biographical or autobiographical book is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This UK comics–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |