Books are magic. In a way, they're more magical than films. When a child picks
up a book he's carried away into another world, empowered by his own
imagination. In 1955 the American author Crockett Johnson wrote a book called
"Harold and the Purple Crayon". It was about a boy who lived in a world where
everything he drew became real. Despite his Godlike powers, Harold was lonely,
so he drew animals to be his friends, Porcupine and Moose. However, Harold
wasn't completely alone. He heard the voice of Crockett Johnson speaking to
him. He considered him to be his father, which was partially true.
Rather than being an adaptation of the book, the film takes place on a meta
level. One day Crockett stops speaking to him, so Harold decides to travel to the
real world to find his father. As if the outside world is any more real than Harold's
world. That's a question for philosophers to discuss. It's a strange new
world, much bigger than he expected. Most wonderful of all, he now has a
three-dimensional body. At first Harold travels with Moose, but he's later
joined by Porcupine, both of whom have acquired human bodies.
The film is hilarious, most of the humour stemming from Harold's childish
naivety. Zachary Levi carries the title character with his spotless comic
timing. The other characters, though also funny, are overshadowed by his
performance.
I'm surprised to hear that the film has received poor reviews. I can't fault
it. It was made as a children's film, and I find that it succeeds within the
parameters of children's films.
After seeing the film I want to buy the book. For my grandson.
That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Tick the box "Notify me" to receive notification of replies.