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Adapted from the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name, Hogfather was a huge ratings hit for Sky One last Christmas and is due on again this year. Having never read any of the disc world novels, I really didn't know quite what to expect from this. When I read however that David Jason ... Read review
Based on Terry Pratchett's worldwide best selling fantasy book Hogfather is set on the ... more
semi-medieval but strangely familiar Discworld. And the Hogfather (you know the jolly fat man) who delivers presents to the kiddies at Christmas at the midwinter f...
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In Discworld, it is the night before Hogswatch and the hogfather (that jolly fat man who ... more
brings presents to the kiddies) is missing...But if the presents aren't delivered the sun will not rise tomorrow morning. So another supernatural entity, who also ...
Based on Terry Pratchett's worldwide best selling fantasy book Hogfather is set on the ... more
semi-medieval but strangely familiar Discworld. It's the night before Hogswatch usually a time of joy on Discworld but there are suspicious goings-on and the criminal underworld is abuzz. The beloved Hogfather - the jolly bearer of glee and pork-related gifts for children everywhere - has vanished! Suddenly Discworld's entire mythical system is under threat. The fate of this magical time rests in the hands of a very motley group: A band of wizards headed up by a mystical university president named Mustrum Ridcully; a loyal manservant who goes by the of Albert; a level headed governess called Susan Sto Helit; and her grandfather who happens to be - Death. Plans must be made trolls must be fought fairies must be rescued and Death must take up the reins at the helm of the Hogfather's abandoned sleigh if the Hogfather and possibly more importantly the holiday is to be saved.
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Family - Director: Chris Taylor, Barry Purves, Jackie Cockle - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Richard Pearson, Michael Hordern, David Jason, Peter Sallis
Production Year: 1979 - Family - Original Language: English - Classification: Exempt - Starring: Jon Pertwee, Geoffrey Bayldon, Una Stubbs, Mike Berry, Charlotte Coleman, Jeremy Austin, Megs Jenkins, Norman Bird
Advantages: A beautiful to film to settle down to at Christmas Disadvantages: The CGI was a little too obvious at times.
...novel of the same name, Hogfather was a huge ratings hit for Sky One last Christmas and is due on again this year. Having never read any of the disc world novels, I really didn't know quite what to expect from this. When I read however that David Jason was starring in it and being a huge fan of his, I decided to give it ago and I was not to be disappointed!
Put together on a limited budget, this made for TV adaptation is just as good ... ...personally the best parts of the film were the scenes between Death and his sidekick Alfred (David Jason). There's one scene where Albert is trying to convince Death that he needs to put more life into his ho ho ho , and that scene amongst many others had me in stitches.
Michelle Dockery who plays Susan puts in a very credible performance as a young woman trying to live a 'normal' life as a governess, but at the same time knows that she can't ... more
The night before the big day itself, the jolly fat fellow disappears as he is delivering the presents to all the children in the world. Lack of presents however will be the least of their worries, as his absence threatens the end of the world ….. Discworld that is. That jolly fat fellow is not Father Christmas who we know, but the Hogsfather which is their equivalent. This Hogswatch foul play is at foot, as somebody wants him dead. Recruited for the task is one very strange Mr Teatime (pronounced 'Tee-ah-tah-may' ), and so the fate of the discworld lies in the hands of Death, his servant and his reluctant granddaughter Susan who just wants a normal life.
Adapted from the Terry Pratchett novel of the same name, Hogfather was a huge ratings hit for Sky One last Christmas and is due on again this year. Having never read any of the disc world novels, I really didn't know quite what to expect from this. When I read however that David Jason was starring in it and being a huge fan of his, I decided to give it ago and I was not to be disappointed!
Put together on a limited budget, this made for TV adaptation is just as good as it's its Hollywood counterparts, if not better. For me personally the best parts of the film were the scenes between Death and his sidekick Alfred (David Jason). There's one scene where Albert is trying to convince Death that he needs to put more life into his ho ho ho , and that scene amongst many others had me in stitches. Michelle Dockery who plays Susan puts in a very credible performance as a young woman trying to live a 'normal' life as a governess, but at the same time knows that she can't sit back and do nothing. The scenes between Susan and her grandfather (Death) were very amusing but equally very touching as they were trying to get to reacquaint themselves with each other. Marc Warren on the whole put in a very convincing performance as the twisted childlike Mr Teatime, although I felt it was a little overdone at times.
With so many films these days skimping on the story and relying on overblown CGI to make it a success, it was a joy to watch something that blended the two nicely. Full credit must go to relative newcomer Vadim Jean who directed this, as there really is very little to find fault with. Many people have complained that the film was far too long, and at just over 3 hrs you can understand why. The problem was that the film needed to appeal to the fans of the book, but at the same time present it to people such as myself who had no idea what the Disc World was all about. As it was, there were times that the film was chugging along at a slow pace, but at no time did it become boring and lose my interest.
Visually the film is stunning in parts; in particular the cold but majestic looking castle is very well done. In some scenes the CGI is a little too obvious at times, such as Alfred and Death flying through the air on the sleigh spring to mind as one example. Luckily these lapses in what is overall a very polished and believable production are few and far between.
Just like in the book, belief is the reoccurring theme throughout the film. I believe that it's important, vital if you will that children and indeed adults believe in something. The idea is that when you're a child you believe in the tooth fairy and such like, and as you get older you believe in bigger things such as justice. Everybody needs hope in their lives, and basically this film is trying to say that you should always as hope as that keeps you alive. Christmas time is as we all know when many people get into a lot of debt, as children desire the 'must have' toys of the moment. With wanting tears many families give in and go way over the top with what they buy. This film as well as encouraging hope, does a great job of getting over the fact that you don't have to spend loads of money in order to have a good time. We should all be grateful for what we have got such as our family, and any presents are a bonus.
The film does contain some moderate violence hence the PG rating, and having watched it twice now I would be quite happy for most children to watch this. Throughout the film some of the characters meet their maker, but there is no gore involved and very little violence so these scenes aren't likely to give anybody nightmares.
Overall I can not recommend this film highly enough, and even though I'm not a huge fan of this film genre I'm very glad I gave it a chance.
Released in 2006
Available new and used from £7 at Amazon
8pm Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Sky One
All that's left for me to say now is HO HO HO and Happy Hogswatch!
Advantages: Excellent adaptation, well cast and thoroughly enjoyable Disadvantages: Feature is split into two parts, cannot be watched as a full 3-hour film
...that if you haven't read Hogfather (or any of the Discworld books) then you're missing a treat. I won't go off at a tangent about how great the books are, but I'll say that if you haven't read Hogfather then you may miss out on a few things in this TV adaptation. For the Discworld newcomer, everything is explained adequately but it really is something best viewed after reading the books.
For established readers there are a number of in-jokes and ... ...a pork pie for the Hogfather and turnips for the four pigs that pull his sleigh. Yes, pigs.
But something is wrong. The Hogfather is missing and Death has taken on the role. His granddaughter Susan is aghast to find Death coming down the chimney with presents and takes off to find out just what has happened to the Hogfather and why people have stopped believing in him. Susan, Death and Albert must bring back belief in the Hogfather before it's too ...
law3 09.01.2008 (11.01.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hogfather (DVD)
...that Pratchett magic. The Hogfather first came out as a two part drama, (each part approximately one and a half hours long), on Sky One over the Christmas period of 2006. I watched it with glee, seeing the magical story come to life before my eyes; finally something to do justice to the great Terry Pratchett who is arguably the best comic-fantasy author of all time. The story of the Hogfather is all the about the magical Discworld holiday, Hogswatch. ... ...Tee-Er-Tar-May), wants to “kill” the Hogfather and other anthropomorphic personifications of human belief, (think the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy etc), by making people not believe. Little does Teatime know that greater powers than he want the same thing. Neither of them count on an unlikely hero saving the day! As I said this “film” was commissioned by Sky One and they certainly threw plenty of money at it. The sets are magnificent depicting the Discworld, ...
donnabroom 04.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Hogfather (DVD)
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Quick review of Hogfather (DVD)
This 2 part mini series is one of the best in recent years. the story is centered around the Terry Pratchett book where this world called Discworld celebrate their own Christmas called Hogwatch. Their Father Christmas (Hogfather) is only alive due to belief. when this belief dwindles a few hiccups happen along the way.
This is really a spellbinding adaption and with an excellent cast and strong story you can't go wrong. I encourage anyone who loves a good fantasy novel to watch this. You can tell exactly why Terry Pratchett is so good. ...
carouselsky 12.12.2007
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hogfather (DVD)
Advantages: Brillain Special Effects. Great Story. Disadvantages: Limmited Special Features.
The Hogfarther was skyones 1st Terry Prattchett adaptation and as i saw it on TV at its 1st showing i decided i must buy this. and so i did. The special features are lacking but the Show itself is amazing, I didnt read the book but after i saw this i started with all the Discworld novels and getting me to read is quite difficult.
As a DVD however i thorght it was deffinity lacking in the Special Features and the fact that its not avalable in High ... ...that. the fact that Skyone has already made another Discworld TV Movie The Colour of Magic should tell you how much of a success this was and if your intrested in the Discworld its deffinity worth a look in. If you have read the book im unsure about how it compares so a further look it is required. ...
nicksproud 15.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Hogfather (DVD)
Advantages: A great adaptation of a great book Disadvantages: If you're not into fantasy, then you might find it tough going
I love Terry Pratchett, and Hogfather is one of my favourite of his books. So I was a little nervous before watching this film, but there was no need. It portrayed the book brilliantly, just as I would have imagined many of the characters and scenes, and I wondered why this didn't come out at the cinema. Ian Richardson is a brilliant "voice of death", and who could have found a better Albert than Sir David Jason?
£6 Million was spent on this film, ... ...some of the blockbusters, they complement the rest of the film brilliantly.
If you don't know the story, one year at the winter festival of Hogswatch, the Hogfather, who delivers presents to children, can't be found, so Death of all people takes on his job for the night. However, there is something more mysterious going on to account for the Hogfather's disappearance, and Death, his granddaughter Susan and his trusty manservant Albert must find ...
ba_ba_bush 29.05.2007
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Advantages: A very entertaining and funny programme. Disadvantages: May not appeal to everybody as it is Fantasy/Discworld.
manservant, Albert. (one of the little helpers, official, got the pointy green hat and everything)
DEATH's granddaughter Susan Sto Heilit is trying to live a normal life as a governess, though she does have some of the family attributes (being able to see bogymen, stepping outside of time and riding Binky, DEATH's white horse) Susan has had an education and is very angry about DEATH acting as the Hogfather. In fact Death goes so far as to tell her not to get involved.
So naturally, Susan is going to get involved in the mystery. With the dubious assistance of: - The Wizards of The Unseen University and The "Oh God" of hangovers, Susan and DEATH set out to rescue the Hogfather and ensure that the Sun will return.
I do hope that I have not given too much away. Those who have already read the book or watched the original Sky One production ...
The inhabitants of Discworld celebrate a form of Christmas called Hogswatch, where the Hogfather travels in a hog-drawn sleigh, delivering presents to children. When the Hogfather mysteriously disappears, it’s up to Death to dress up as The Hogfather and deliver the presents...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Release date
23/04/2007
No of Discs
2
Catalogue No
3587001000
Barcode
5039036031752
Author
Terry Pratchett
Languages
Main Language
English
Subtitle Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Making of Hogfather, Deleted scenes, Podcasts, Stills gallery, TV spot, Interactive menu
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Professional reviews
Review
...weird and wonderful (The Sun, 20/03/2007)
DVD Description
In this live-action adaptation of the Terry Pratchett book of the same name, the inhabitants of Discworld celebrate a form of Christmas called Hogswatch, where the Hogfather travels in a hog-drawn sleigh, delivering presents to children. In this world, the fabric of reality is predominantly dependent on the power of belief. So, when the Hogfather mysteriously disappears, Death dons a red coat and false beard and sets about delivering all the presents before the children of Discworld notice that anything is amiss. Of course, he cannot do it all alone, and enlists the help of his trusty servant Albert (David Jason, ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES). Meanwhile, Death’s granddaughter Susan (Michelle Dockery, CONSENT) searches for the Hogfather before belief in him disappears, leading to the destruction of Discworld. This adaptation of THE HOGFATHER is the first time a live-action version of a book by the hugely successful author Terry Pratchett has been made and it manages to be an entertaining Christmas family tale. With a sizeable budget and a charismatic performance by David Jason, THE HOGFATHER brings Discworld fully to life.
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