My Family And Other Animals [DVD][1987]

This is a delightful series, based on fact, of course. The more I watch it, the more I rate it alongside "La Gloire de mon Père" and "Le Château de ma Mère", for, like the films of Marcel Pagnol's boyhood, it so magnificently evokes a time long gone. And it provides so many smiles and laughs, and perhaps some tears.The landscapes of the island of Corfu are more green and luscious than those of Pagnol's Provence, but both provide beautiful backdrops for the activities of somewhat eccentric families and the childhood of exploratory boys. "My Family" has the additional glory of rocky coastlines and glorious seascapes, not to be missed.Yes, I know, the Durrell family were well off financially, and this story is not at all typical of families in the 1930s. But what's wrong with enjoying the idiosyncrasies of a good humoured and delightfully dysfunctional middle class family?Brian Blessed is excellent as the Greek taxi driver, Spiro, who takes them under his wing. There are just two occasions when we hear the full power of his famous stentorian voice. Hannah Gordon gives an understated but insightful portrayal of the somewhat scatty mother. I'm not sure whether or not I prefer her to Imelda Staunton's portrayal in the other, shorter filmed version of the story. Darren Redmayne is very good as the boy Gerald, although I suspected in a couple of sequences that he needed just a little more coaching in the delivery of his lines. There are, however, some beautifully observed exchanges, such as those between him and the naturalist, Theodore, who takes him under his wing for a while. As another reviewer has implied, you'll quietly smile every time you hear someone say: "As you know..."These exchanges are sometimes the skilful work of the screenwriter in adapting the original wording of Gerald Durrell's book. Some characters and sequences have been omitted, and others expanded, with no loss to the delightful tale.And let's not forget the maggenpies, the dancing pigeon, the pregnant mantis, and the scorpions.The background music is lovely, too. It is in some ways reminiscent of the well known music used in "Picnic at Hanging Rock, though without the quivering menace.The whole thing is enhanced by remarkable footage from the BBC Natural History Unit.Anyone who has, like me, worked with gifted children will find a lot more of interest in this series, too.

lovely story, well written, and well performed by all actors, especially the young man who portrayed Gerrald Durrel

This BBC series from 30 years ago is a refreshing antidote to the recent ITV series, wonderful though that was in its way. Hannah Gordon is adorable as batty but well-meaning Mother, and Brian Blessed is the ideal larger-than-life casting for Spiro (no love-interest there). The minor characters and story-lines tend to be somewhat cartoonish and/or surreal in their presentation, but the family members are all excellent -- nice to see a young Anthony Calf as Larry (though the actors playing him all seem to be tall, whereas Lawrence Durrell was famously short in stature). The series sticks remarkably closely to Gerald Durrell's book, and it's great to have a lot of genuine closely observed 'nature photography', as that was of course what Gerald was chiefly interested in. The Corfu scenery and photography are achingly beautiful, and Darryl Runswick's wistful score is a nice touch. Sheer delight, essential viewing for all Durrell fans.

The scenery of Corfu is superb, that never fails to suduce, the nature shots and the border collie are superb.It must be very difficult for a crew to descend and capture the ambiance far from London and their habitutudes.I am sure a lot of people will find this film very amusing. We are still only on episode 4, I shall continue to watch to the end really for the scenery and good photography. I am devoted to the book.

I saw this with my kids when it was first shown on TV, and having enjoyed "The Durrels", decided to revisit it, not expecting too much. However I was pleasantly surprised. I had recently read the Corfu Trilogy and now realised that the majority of this series is taken faithfully from those books (though not necessarily in the right order) whereas "The Durrels" contains a lot of new invented stuff.The actors are closer in appearance to the actual Durrel family photographs in the books, if not as glamorous as in the new series; even Brian Blessed - in low volume mode - is very believable as Spiro.Naturally, the picture quality is not as impressive as the modern version - it is in 4:3 format low definition, but that is an artefact of the age in which it was made. The inserted Natural History Unit bits were a bit artificial, looking like a bit from a nature programme had just been dropped in at random, whereas nowadays these scenes are part of the normal storyline.Don't let that put you off though, this is a warm cosy family friendly series that will amuse and entertain you, and make you want to visit Corfu. Just the thing for the dark winter months.

I too had been hoping for this release, having read several of Gerald Durrell's books and also having been most disappointed by the recent release, with Imelda Staunton. This is so beautifully filmed (no wonder the BBC Natural Hisory Unit were involved) that my memory of it as a sun-filled oasis before a hard week at work was not disappointed, as 20 year-old memories so often are. The performances of every family member, and those closely associated with them, were memorable. Surely Brian Blessed was born to play Spiro? Hannah Gordon is an excellent Mother: warm but slightly eccentric, tossing a whole scorpion (mercifully dead) into one of her culinary inventions. I am resisting singling out the rest of the family for praise but a mention must go to young Gerry, played by Darren Redmayne: a most convincing Gerry, obsessed by nature, together with his mentor Theo (who I think of every time I say "as you know..."). Do watch it, whether you remember the original or not!

Very good adaptation of Gerald Durrell’s book. The photography is very good and the characters are just like in the book. It was a pleasure to watch!

Ich lese die Bücher von Gerald Durrell immer noch gern, und die Serie hatte ich noch nie gesehen. Freue mich, dass ich die Serie nun gekauft habe.

Actores buenos que han reflejado bien las intenciones del autor de los libros. No hay assasinatos ni sexo ni violencia. Parecia de otro tiempo mas tranquilo...

Imaginez une famille anglaise ringarde et insupportable en vacances à CORFOU dans les années 30. La family est composée de personnages insignifiants excepté le petit garçon, curieux de tout et notamment de ces other animals (insectes, tortues et autres). Les grecs sont montrés pratiquement façon époque coloniale à la limite du racisme (insupportable SPIRO) et les turcs, n'en parlons pas ! De plus, la musique est absolument abominable. En un mot, n'achetez pas ce DVD qui ne présente strictement aucun intérêt !!!

とても面白い本で大好きでしたが、ドラマ化されていたと知り早速購入して見ました。のどかで素敵な風景と一家に起る面白いハプニング。こんな風にどこかの島で暮してみたいです！