The Borrowers (1973 film)
A tiny family borrows from the big world above.
The Borrowers is a 1973 Hallmark Hall of Fame television special adapted from Mary Norton's first novel in her Borrowers series. The film, starring Eddie Albert, Tammy Grimes, and Judith Anderson, was directed by Walter C. Miller and won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming. It is now in the public domain.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Family; Fantasy
- Based on
- The Borrowers, Mary Norton
- Writer
- Jay Presson Allen
- Director
- Walter C. Miller
- Starring
- Eddie Albert
- Tammy Grimes
- Judith Anderson
- Music
- Rod McKuen
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In a 19th-century English manor, the bedridden matriarch Sophy, fortified with wine, is attended by a strict housekeeper and an elderly groundskeeper. Unbeknownst to them, the few-centimeters-tall Clock family of borrowers lives under the floorboards, surviving on items lifted by father Pod. Sophy, aware of Pod, dismisses him as a delusion due to her alcoholism. His actions, including releasing a ferret under the floor, force the borrowers to flee into the countryside. The family is eventually saved by a friendship between the borrowers' daughter Arrietty and the boy, who becomes their ally.
Awards and reception
At the 1974 Emmy Awards, the special won Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming and was nominated for Outstanding Children's Special, as well as for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming for performer Judith Anderson, costume designer Juul Haalmeyer, and director Walter C. Miller. Reviewers generally found the movie a good message for its intended young audience but mediocre for adult tastes. One critic noted the teleplay's delightful path and the values represented by Pod compared to the normal-sized grown-ups. Another reviewer found Eddie Albert's performance too broad and was unimpressed with the script and acting overall, calling it watchable but lacking.
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