The Borrowers [1997]

Country of Origin: UK / USA
Year of Production: 1997
Running Times: 89 mins
Length: 2446 metres
Format: Technicolor 35mm
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital

[Full Credits]

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment / Working Title Films
Executive Producer: Walt deFaria
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Rachel Talalay
Co-Producers: Liza Chasin, Debra Hayward

SCRIPT
Script: Gavin Scott, John Kamps
Novels: Mary Norton

DIRECTION
Director: Peter Hewitt
2nd Unit Director: John Roberts

PHOTOGRAPHY
Directors of Photography: John Fenner, Trevor Brooker
2nd Unit Director of Photography: Trevor Brooker

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: David Freeman
Additional Editor: Annie Kocur

MUSIC
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams, P.J. Hanke [uncredited]
Song: Desmond Child, Hanson [Weird]
Song Performed By: Hanson [Weird]

SOUND
Sound Mixer: David Stephenson
Boom Operator: Jerry Bates

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Hair / Makeup Designer: Joan Hills
Hair / Makeup: Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou, Susan Parkinson
Costume Designer: Marie France

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Supervisor: Digby Milner

DIGITAL EFFECTS
Digital Effects: The Magic Camera Company; Digital Film Company; Framestore; The Film Factory; Cinesite [uncredited]; The Computer Film Company [uncredited]

VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Effects Supervisor: Peter Chiang
Visual Effects Line Producer: Matthew Plummer

Model Unit
Supervisor: Robert Thomas

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Gemma Jackson
Supervising Art Director: Jim Morahan
Art Director: Andrew Ackland-Snow

LOCATIONS
Locations: Ealing Town Hall, Ealing, London, England, UK; Theale, Berkshire, England, UK
Studio: Shepperton Studios, England, UK
Location Manager: Adam Richards

STUNTS
Stunt Coordinator: Jim Dowdall
Stunts: Danielle De Costa, Ricky Ash, Terry Forrestal, Stuart Stark, Andreas Petrides, Bill Weston, Chris Webb, Curtis Rivers, Del Baker, Frank Henson, Graeme Crowther, Greg Powell, Jamie Edgell, Jonathan Cohen, Joss Gower, Julian Spencer, Laila Emms, Mark Henson, Mark Lisbon, Morgan Johnson, Nick Hobbs, Nrinder Dhudwar, Paul Herbert, Perry Davey, Phil Lonergan, Ray De-Haan, Rob Inch, Robert Patton, Rod Driver, Roy Alon, Tony Smart, Trevor Steedman

CASTING
Casting: Nina Gold

CAST
John Goodman [Ocious P. Potter]
Jim Broadbent [Pod Clock]
Mark Williams [Exterminator Jeff]
Celia Imrie [Homily Clock]
Hugh Laurie [Police Officer Steady]
Ruby Wax [Town Hall clerk]
Bradley Pierce [Pete 'Petey' Lender]
Flora Newbigin [Arrietty 'Ett' Clock]
Tom Felton [Peagreen Clock]
Raymond Pickard [Spud Spiller]
Aden Gillett [Joe Lender]
Doon Mackichan [Victoria Lender]
Andrew Dunford [Dustbunny]
Bob Goody [Minty Branch]
Patrick Monkton [Swag]

The four inch tall Clock family are Borrowers, living undetected beneath the floorboards of the Lender family's home. But the ownership of the house comes into dispute when greedy lawyer Ocious P. Potter steals the will that granted the house to the Lenders and plans to demolish it, making way for a new development. The Clocks have to find to save their home and avoid being revealed to the world.

Argentina
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Brothers

France
Theatrical Distributor: PolyGram Film Distribution

Germany
Theatrical Distributor: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
DVD Distributor: Polygram

Portugal
Theatrical Distributor: Vitoria Filme

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Warner Sogefilms S.A.

Switzerland
Theatrical Distributor: Ascot Elite Entertainment Group

UK
Theatrical Distributor: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

USA
Theatrical Distributor: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Laserdisc Distributor: Image Entertainment [ID 4009 PG]
DVD Distributor: Polygram [440 055 125-2; includes - behind-the-scenes footage on the making of the film]

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Argentina
Rating: Atp

Australia
Rating: PG

Belgium
Rating: KT

Chile
Rating: TE

Finland
Rating: S

France
Rating: U

Germany
Rating: 6

Mexico
Rating: A

Netherlands
Rating: AL

Portugal
Rating: M/6

Singapore
Rating: PG

Spain
Rating: T

Sweden
Rating: 7

Switzerland
Rating: 7

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: PG [for mild peril and some crude humor]

1998
British Academy Awards
Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film [Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Rachel Talalay] - nominated
Best Special Effects [Peter Chiang] - nominated

1999
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA
Golden Reel Award Best Sound Editing - Foreign Feature [Peter Joly (supervising sound editor), Danny Longhurst (dialogue editor), Adrian Rhodes (sound effects editor), William Trent (adr editor), Ian Wilson (foley editor)] - winner

Young Artist Awards, USA
Best Family Feature: Comedy - nominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film: Young Ensemble [Hugh Laurie, Flora Newbigin, Bradley Pierce, Mark Williams] - nominated

1997
December
5: UK - theatrical release
11: Germany - theatrical release

1998
February
6: Switzerland - theatrical release in German speaking region
13: USA - theatrical release
17: Spain - theatrical release
26: Singapore - theatrical release

April
9: Australia - theatrical release
22: Iceland - theatrical release

May
29: Thailand - theatrical release

July
2: New Zealand - theatrical release
9: Netherlands - theatrical release

August
18: USA - DVD release [Polygram [440 055 125-2]]
26: USA - laserdisc release [Image Entertainment [ID 4009 PG]]

September
10: Slovakia - theatrical release
11: Sweden - theatrical release
16: Mexico - theatrical release
28: Denmark - theatrical release

October
7: France - theatrical release
23: Norway - theatrical release
30: Finland - theatrical release

December
Day Unknown: Germany - DVD release [Polygram]
10: Hungary - theatrical release

1999
January
20: UK - television broadcast [on Sky Box Office]
29: Brazil - theatrical release

February
12: Portugal - theatrical release
18: Argentina - theatrical release

April
2: Italy - theatrical release
3: South Korea - theatrical release

June
5: Indonesia - theatrical release

August
1: UK - television broadcast [on Sky Movies]

October
6: France - shown at the Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish and British Film

2000
December
25: UK - television broadcast [on BBC1]

2002
March
29: UK - television broadcast [on BBC1]

June
17: UK - television broadcast [on UK Gold]

The screen's smallest heroes in the year's biggest adventure.

Little People. Big Trouble. Lots of fun.

Lånerne - Danish title
En Fall für d'Borger - Swiss German title
Ein Fall für die Borger - German title
Kätkijät - Finnish title
Le petit monde des Borrowers - French title
Le petit monde des emprunteurs - French Canadian title
Csenö manók - Hungarian title
I rubacchiotti - Italian title
Pequenos Heróis, Grandes Sarilhos - Portugese title
Lånarna - Swedish title

REMAKE OF
The Borrowers [1973]
The Borrowers [1993]

SEE ALSO
The Indian in the Cupboard [1995]
It's a Wonderful Life [1946]

MAGAZINES

British Film and TV Facilities Journal no.9 [Winter 1998] pp.29-33 [UK]
illustrated article

Broadcast 19 December 1997 pp.S21-S22 [UK]
illustrated article, production report

Ciné Live October 1998 p.31 [France]
review [by Olivier Rajchman]

Cinema no.235 [December 1997] pp.82-85 [Germany]
review [by Gunter Goeckenjan]

Empire no.103 [January 1998] p.40 [UK]
illustrated credits, review [by Angie Errigo]

Film Review January 1998 p.16 [UK]
review [by Anwar Brett]

Screen International no.1133 [7 November 1997] p.30 [UK]
credits, review

Sight and Sound vol.7 no.12 [December 1997] pp.39-40 [UK]
illustrated credits, synopsis, review

Total Film January 1998 p.97 [UK]
review [by Dan Rider]

Variety 8 December 1997 p.112 [USA]
illustrated review

NEWSPAPERS

Expresso, Cartaz 13 February 1999 [Portugal]
review [by Manuel Cintra Ferreira]

La Repubblica 8 April 1999 [Italy]
review [by Roberto Nepoti]

Svenska Dagbladet 11 September 1998 [Sweden]
review [Lyckad film om och för de små by Jeanette Gentele]

KEYWORDS

book into film; miniature humans; the borrowers; lawyers; houses; wills; police; dogs; exterminators