Customer Reviews

The Phoenix and the Carpet

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the British BBC adaptation of The Phoenix and the carpet (from 1997). The book was written by Edith Nesbit in 1904. She wrote 44 books including 'The Railway children (1906)' and 'Five Children and It (1902)'. This adaptation has an all star cast: Miriam Margolyes, Jean Alexander, Christopher Biggins, and David Suchet (phoenix's voice). The story is the sequel to 'Five children and it' and does feature it's Psammead (sand fairy) in a guest role. This series was made well after BBCs '5 children' adaptation so the child actors had to replaced, although as usual for these BBC serials the top notch acting from the kids often upstages the adults. Naturally it's all a bit English Edwardian middle class, but this often works to the story's advantage as it means they can wonder about freely in a gang as children used to do in simpler times (with the probably misguided notion that the older ones are looking after their younger siblings).

Although an excellent adaptation and really enjoyed by my children (boy 9, girl 11), note that this is a 'Disney' offering and so the original 6 episodes at 28 minutes each have been heavily cut and made into a seamless 93 minute movie (still very good). The overall quality of this adaptation is excellent and the special effects are to a high standard for a TV production of the time (certainly more than adequate). Also it's not available as a complete BBC DVD yet so this is at least a lot better than nothing. Personally I would prefer the six episodes to be presented in their entirety with end credits as the episodes are scripted for the cliffhanger, and converting them into a single movie badly affects pace (as seen with the BBC Narnia series in the US). Naturally the BBC's 'Five children and it' DVD is a logical pre-view if you can find it, but it's not essential to the plot (but it is well worth seeing if you have preteen children about). This story is more about adventure and travel than the earlier slightly more moralistic book. There are still 'wishes' to be granted by the carpet though, and the onboard Phoenix adds the wise commentary, largely along the lines of "Actually it would be a really bad idea to do that, oops too late !". Other superb BBC DVD adaptations ideal for preteens are The Shoebox Zoo, The Narnia Chronicles, The Box of delights and The Borrowers (again if you can find them).

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie which was true to the book and the era. I grew up reading E. Nesbitt's series and was so please to see "The Phoenix and the Carpet' made into a movie.

2 young brothers and 2 sisters in Edwardian England are getting in trouble out of boredom and ruin their nursery by setting off fireworks inside. This cause a replacement carpet to be placed in the nursery, with a special egg hidden inside. The carpet and the egg are magic, and lead to many adventures. While the kids do have a knack for getting in trouble, they do mean well and have good morals. The cook and maid in the show are hilarious. This is a great family film, the costumes and locations look very authentic, and the actors do an admirable job.

I enjoyed this adaptation of the classic E. Nesbit book by the same title. While there are always places where the film deviates from the book, it was not enough to harm the show. Other books by E. Nesbit that are available on film include the very excellent "Five Children and It" starring Freddie Highmore and Tara Fitzgerald. In that version the Jim Henson company made the Sand Fairy. Also availalbe are 2 different versions of the Railway Children"", made about 15 or years apart from each other, but both are well made. Then there is "The Treasure Seekers", which is an adventure story without magic. All are great family safe films for any age.
According to the DVD case, The Phoenix and the Carpet was produced by Miramax Family (owned by Walt Disney). Another reviewer has pointed out that this was actually a BBC production of 6 episodes, and was edited from 168 minutes to 93 minutes to make it a film. If so, it may be a better choice for one sitting as the pace is very good and the story feels complete. It would be nice to own both the episodes and the movie though.