Customer Reviews

Hamilton Mattress

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Hamilton Mattress is brought to life by a very talented team of British artists and animators, including the great Barry Purves. Don't expect Wallace and Gromit (after all, it's made by different talent with different styles and different ideas), but this thirty minute made-for-TV special about an Aardvark on the search for something more in his life has enough flash and feel-good fun to spare. Certainly not his finest film overall, but watching a work by Mr. Purves is always a rare pleasure. The commentary track and documentaries are nicely done and informative as well.

If you're looking for more films by Barry Purves on DVD, check out his remarkable operatic short, Rigoletto, on the Operavox compilation. If you're unfamiliar with Barry Purves, check out his demo reel at www.acmefilmworks.com. I think you'll agree, you're witnessing the work of a master!

One of the most frustrating things in popular culture is when you find an idea that's genius and original, yet strangely unfulfilled. It's the type of feeling you get from watching Enter The Dragon or, more poiniently, reading Kublai Khan (from The Complete Poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge). 'Hamilton Mattress' fits almost exactly in this category.

The idea, ethos, design and animation are unique although the plot somehow doesn't gel correctly. If this one half hour episode was scripted by Nick Park or had been serialised, then it would fit in the realms of Wallace & Gromit and would have been 'fleshed out'.

As it is, this film is worth watching although it would have been better if it had been developed further, or if its qualities had been used elsewhere. It is suggested in the extras that more 'Hamilton Mattress''s may be filmed. Since it was done in 2001 I doubt it will be, but still - heres hoping!