ETHEL & ERNEST is the latest screen adaptation of a Raymond Briggs graphic novel, following on from the age-old classics like THE SNOWMAN and FATHER Christmas. While this outing can't hold a candle to the best of the Briggs productions, it's well worth a look for fans of the author. The interesting thing about ETHEL & ERNEST is that it's a true story, an autobiographical account of the lives of Briggs's parents in the middle part of the 20th century.
The story is kept deliberately small scale and charts everyday life in a realistic way. I liked the way that it's deliberately set in a single house for the most part, but in this house we witness the great events of the 20th century play out, mostly thanks to the newspapers and wireless. The characters of the married couple are kept very realistic and down to earth, and I suppose that's what counts. I didn't care for the casting of Broadbent or Blethyn in the roles: these are two overexposed actors whose voices are so recognisable that they spoil the effect; unknown voice actors would have been much better. The animation of the characters is also very modern, although the backgrounds are excellently detailed.
The story is kept deliberately small scale and charts everyday life in a realistic way. I liked the way that it's deliberately set in a single house for the most part, but in this house we witness the great events of the 20th century play out, mostly thanks to the newspapers and wireless. The characters of the married couple are kept very realistic and down to earth, and I suppose that's what counts. I didn't care for the casting of Broadbent or Blethyn in the roles: these are two overexposed actors whose voices are so recognisable that they spoil the effect; unknown voice actors would have been much better. The animation of the characters is also very modern, although the backgrounds are excellently detailed.