Wednesday 5 September 2012

Brave Words

This summer’s cinema outing for us was to see…

brave horse

Pixar’s latest animation – they spent two years working on getting her hair right, apparently! Plot – without spoilers – Merida is a Scottish princess [voiced by Kelly Macdonald] living with Dad [Billy Connolly – who else!] Mum [Emma Thompson] and three wild triplet younger brothers.

brave family

Mum despairs of ever teaching her huntin’, shootin’, fishin’ gal to be a Proper Princess. Merida despairs of the appalling choice of gormless suitors who line up to win her hand in marriage.

brave archery

The story concerns the tapestry that is family life – how our lives interweave with one another, and what actions can bind, and which can rend our relationships. How ‘pride’ has a good, and a bad side, and what it truly means to be brave.

Brave-tapestry

Yes is is a love story – but not in the conventional Disney sense.

Technically, I thought the film brilliant- the textures, the details, the lighting, the music, the voices, the glorious Scottish scenery…

Plotwise, I thought it was very clever, and thought-provoking. If you are a mother who has experienced an adolescent daughter, you will understand! Bob and I really enjoyed it. I hope the other ten people dotted around the virtually empty cinema with us did too!

[there’s another more comprehensive, well written review here]

Other comments – I loved Pixar’s pre-main-feature offering – La Luna

laluna-thumb_0

That was a sweet little piece! Before the two films we had the usual run of trailers and advertisements. I thought this one was brilliant.

116000 launched May 2012

My heart aches for those families where relationships have fallen apart – and I hope this new phone number gets used. Lots.

5 comments:

  1. I'm glad you liked it - the boys and I did, too!

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  2. Havent seen Brave yet - it was the talk of Disney and released in the States when we were there in June so I must go soon! thanks for sharing the poem with me yesterday - my Son enjoyed his first day (such a relief!) - todays its my youngests turn (first day at Junior school) - its all go here! Hope your day went ok yesterday.

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  3. Haven't yet seen it - we'll probably watch it on DVD.

    I love the word "gormless". :)

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    1. Is it not a fabulous word? It means "lacking in intelligence, and the will and vitality to correct the deficiency" and dates back at least 300 years. I use it often [chiefly about men, I confess!] 'That bloke is totally without gorm' I will say to Bob]

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