PADDINGTON

UK, 2014, 95 minutes, Colour.

Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, voice of Ben Whishaw, Nicole Kidman, Julie Waters,Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent, Matt Lucas, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Matt King, Geoffrey Palmer.
Directed by Paul King.

What a happy and delightful film experience! It all seems just right.

Within a few minutes we are in ‘darkest Peru’, sharing The Explorer’s experience in being saved in the forests by a bear, making the acquaintance of the bear and engaged in conversation with him and his wife and nephew. We immediately accept this – so that there is no trouble throughout the whole film when humans seem to take it for granted that Paddington could speak and engage in ordinary human activities. Although, when he is lost, and the police are given a description including that he is a bear, the London bobby does remark that there is very little to go on!

While Paddington (who has not yet received this name) lives happily with his uncle and aunt (voiced by Imelda Staunton and Michael Gambon), all indulging their acquired love of marmalade, there is a terrible earthquake, destroying their home, and uncle, which means that Paddington’s aunt thinks that it is time for him to go to London where The Explorer had told them they would always be welcome.

Paddington makes his way to England, gets out of the Port of London and waits, after being rudely chosen by the crowds, at Paddington Station, his tag around his neck, waiting for a kind family to find him and welcome him into their home. As the Brown family pass by, father is not particularly attracted by the bear, but mother is delighted. Their daughter, Judy, takes after father with cool disdain, whereas Jonathan, their son, immediately takes a liking to him. And, for what the family could call him, what better than the station that they were at, Paddington?

It is to the great credit of Ben Whishaw that Paddington’s voice is so believable, very pleasant, always polite, even when he gets into a mess. And he fits right in to the family, and gets used to London, West London particularly, as mother and Paddington go to the Portobello Road to try to find out information about the red hat that The Explorer had given the uncle (and Paddington imitates his uncle by always having a marmalade sandwich under the hat in case of an emergency).

The film has a wonderful British cast, led by Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins as Mr and Mrs Brown who fit the roles perfectly.

Mother and Paddington go to the shop run by Mr Gruber (Jim Broadbent). Paddington become something of a hero because he mistakenly thinks that a thief has dropped his own wallet, pursues him in an exciting chase through the streets, and is the cause of the thief dropping all his stolen wallets right in front of the police. Even Judy, at school, is impressed by the students’ acclamation of Paddington, finds that she likes him and can claim him.

There is a very enjoyable episode when Paddington and father go to the Natural History Museum trying to find out who The Explorer really was. The museum is museum-like in its use of those chutes which used to whiz items through in the old department stores. But, not achieving any success, father has to dress as the cleaning lady to get them through security, although delayed by the guard who casts a kind of amorous eye over the lady!

There is a villain. She is Millicent, the granddaughter of The Explorer, who has malevolent motivations for tracking down Paddington, including getting the next-door neighbour, Mr Curry (Peter Capaldi) to help her entrap Paddington, including being let down from the roof, like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, to the theme from Mission Impossible! Nicole Kidman clearly enjoys herself as the villain, crafty, imperious, no holds barred.

There is a great deal of farcical and slapstick comedy which fits right in, as well as quite an amount of verbal humour, lots of humorous asides. The initial impression of the British is that they are not welcoming at all and poor Paddington wonders what will happen to him, especially when he writes letters home to his aunt Lucy in ‘darkest Peru’.

While saying it is a nice film, this does not mean that it is a kind of sweet little film. No, it is a strong comedy, a good blend of sentiment and action, which children will enjoy and, indeed, their parents will be very happy to have seen it.

It will resonate strongly with those of British heritage, or those who have absorbed British culture – and it offers in every invitation for everyone to appreciate this very British entertainment.

1. The popularity of Paddington Bear? The books, the children, for adults? Enjoyment?

2. The opening in ‘darkest Peru’, the jungle, the bears, the explorer, his being saved by the bears, their home, the nest in the trees? The revelation that they could speak? The hat given as a gift? Uncle and aunt and the memories of the explorer? His words of welcome to London? The earthquake, the destruction of the house, uncle killed? Paddington going to the port and the boat to England, supported by his aunt?

3. The London settings, the landmarks, the suburbs, the police officers, the Museum?

4. The range of popular songs, Lionel Richie’s Hello? The theme from Mission Impossible…?

5. The screenplay making the situation plausible, the visit of the explorer, his film and its later being discovered, the bears speaking, their love for marmalade, but not soap? The invitation to visit London? The uncle and aunt, their characters, their voices, the civilised lifestyle? The hat with a sandwich for emergencies? The filmmaking as plausible for Paddington to go to London?

6. Paddington and his aunt, getting ready for the boat, the bottles of marmalade, stowing away? Arrival in England, smuggled out of the Port of London? Paddington station, waiting for someone to offer him home, his tag?

7. The Brown family at the station, Father in his pomposity and ignoring Paddington, Mother and her effusion and liking of Paddington? Judy and her disdain? Jonathan and his friendly, reactions? Father feeding Paddington, mess, the taxi and going home?

8. The introduction of slapstick comedy, the cleaning of the ears, the episode with the toilet, shower and bath? Paddington making a mess?

9. Mrs Bird, living in, tying everything, the visuals of the sailor sailors and everything should be ship-shape? Her role in the household, looking after everyone, cleaning up? Shrewd?

10. Breakfast, the beginning of the day, Mary and the promise to go to the Museum to search for The Explorer? Dad and his severity? Judy going to school?

11. Mr Curry, his appearance, looking out of the window, talking, friendship with the Browns? Going to the phone box, finding Millicent, setting up the spy system, his phone call, coded names, Paddington alone in the house, Millicent going to the house, getting up on the roof, being lowered down, her devices to get Paddington? His disappearing?

12. The Geographical Society? The elderly members? The office, the old-fashioned containers and their coming through tubes, the sandwich getting stuck? The Explorer’s details deleted? Father, getting dressed as the tea lady and cleaner, the disguise, the attentions of the security guard, his attraction, the chatter? Paddington getting the information in the office, finding material about The Explorer? Leaving, their being chased, the security guard?

13. The hat, taking it to the antiques dealer, his getting his words mixed up, his background of migration from Europe? The thief, Paddington seeing the fall in wallet, chasing the thief with it, going to action, the chase, the police, Paddington as hero, the article in the paper? Judy and the children seeing him?
Accepting him as a hero, helping him?

14. The flashbacks explaining mother and father, going to the hospital, the hippie clothes and style, Judy’s birth, changing and becoming more respectable, the big car?

15. Millicent, sinister, tough, the dart guns, putting out security? The taxi, interrogating the driver, and in him up and torturing him? The meeting with Mr Curry, their discussions, his attraction, her using him? To give information about Paddington? His finding Millicent in the phone box? Phoning her at her office, her arrival, going to the roof, attached, being lowered down? Her failing to find Paddington? Her efforts and the flashbacks to the Geographical Society, this deletion of The Explorers records, but the family finding the old film? Her determination?

16. The call to Mr Brown, his recognising Mr Curry’s voice, everybody going to the Museum, mother and her investigations into the sewers for her story, Judy remembering, travelling through? Mrs Bird, her drinking with the security guard, the confrontation? Her drinking and distracting him? Mr Brown as a hero – and mother drawing his face into her anonymous picture? Lights off, lights on? Everybody having to flee? The Brown family, the lift shaft, going up to the roof, Millicent and Paddington on the roof, her threats, father trying to save Paddington? Mrs Bird arriving and hitting Millicent with the roof? Paddington distracting Millicent with the back story about the sandwich - and all the pigeons converging?

17. Millicent, the gun, on the roof, her threats, Julie Waters hitting Millicent?

18. Paddington as a character, learning, polite, greeting people, there are ignoring him, his being comfortable with the family, adapting, making a mess and repenting? Writing letters home to Aunt Lucy to describe what happened? His heroism, the danger, his response, accepting situations and using his commonsense?

19. The impact of the visual humour? The wordplay and delighted the verbal humour? And better language? And the satire on the Brits?

20. The film is a fable, has an allegory about how humans treat each other?