All Creatures Great and Small (1975)

Absolutely the worst movie.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Although I've seen a good number of eps from the classic TV series since childhood,I for some reason have always missed the chance to see the original big screen version of James Herriot's books. Looking at the flicks being shown over X-Mas/New Year,I noticed a screening of the movie in among animated titles,which led to me going down to the farm.The plot-1937:Recently passing his exams, newly qualified veterinarian James Herriot goes oop North for a job at Siegfried Farnon's practice in Yorkshire. Welcomed into the practice,Herriot soon finds himself getting stuck into taking care of all creatures big and small.View on the film:Filmed "Oop Yorkshire" director Claude Whatham & cinematographer Peter Suschitzky breath in the rural air with a misty atmosphere putting the viewer down on the farm. Allowing the viewer to see the hard work that vets do in a (mostly ) matter of fact manner, Whatham wonderfully brushes up the late 30's setting,lit by the cosy lack of modern machines which give the movie a fairy tale way of life. Threaded from two of Herriot's books,the screenplay by Hugh Whitemore flips the pages at a rapid pace. Whilst this stops the film from feeling dry,it also causes for there to be no feeling of a real friendship growing between the vets,due to any tantalisingly small moments being quickly skipped over. Joined by the charming Simon Ward as Herriot, Anthony Hopkins steals every scene he is in as the pipe smoking Farnon,thanks to Hopkins giving Farnon an excellent manner at home with the simple things in life,as the vets help all creatures,great and small.

The movie is nice, not world class, but shows you a splendid young Anthony Hopkins as Sigfried Farnon.This movie never reaches the level of the series (which were started after, because of(?) this movie) It was a bit too hasty, no real depth in the characters, most things you have to deduct from conversation. The real Herriot lovers are waiting for the explosions of Sigfried, especially if you ever saw Anthony Hopkins in action, but he is surprisingly sedate almost throughout this movie. I would recommend the books, and the series, but this is an enjoyable movie non the less.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, at great surprise. I would not recommend it to fans of the action genre but everyone else should take a look, especially animal lovers, don't think for a second you need to have read Herriot's book. The actors themselves provide all the entertainment with their dialogue (except the bits with the animals and farmers). It is actually an emotional film and makes you involved with the characters. A word of warning, since it covers a significant amount of time without making it that clear don't leave the room. I haven't made this film sound as good as it is but believe me it's great. Simon Ward and Brian Stirner are very good as James Herriot and Tristan respectively but Anthony Hopkins steals every scene he's in (as always) as Siegfried, who constantly confuses Herriot by changing what he said the night before and manages to insult all the women. The scene where he is chatting up his girlfriend is a classic example of how NVC can be better than actually saying something. So long as you know what you are expecting this film is excellent.A great British classic, watch it.

This was a light-hearted, sometimes moving, quaint little period piece. Based explicitly on Herriot's surprise bestselling autobiography of the same name, All Creatures Great and Small is a wholesome family film. The book is a collection of stories about Herriot's beginning years as an assistant vet, and the movie is basically the same. Very pure, and very enjoyable. I recommend it for families, and especially for animal-loving families. This movie won't change your life, but it will entertain you. (Watch for a great performance by a younger Anthony Hopkins, who plays the quirky Veterinary Surgeon that Harriot goes to work for)