The BFG (film)

Infobox Film
name = The BFG
director = Brian Cosgrove
producer = Brian Cosgrove
Mark Hall
writer = Roald Dahl (book)
John Hambley
starring = David Jason
Amanda Root
music =
cinematography =
editing = Nigel Rutter
distributor = Cosgrove Hall Films
released = December 25, 1989
runtime = 87 min.
language = English
budget =
imdb_id = 0096866

"The BFG" is a 1989 animated movie based on the book by Roald Dahl. It was first shown on Christmas Day 1989 on ITV channels in the UK.

Plot

One night when Sophie cannot sleep during the 'witching hour', she looks out of the window of her dormitory and sees a cloaked giant blowing something into bedroom windows down the street. The giant sees her, and although she tries to hide in her bed, he reaches through the window and carries her away to his home.

Fortunately for Sophie, she has been abducted by the world's only good giant, the Big Friendly Giant (or BFG). Operating in the strictest secrecy, the BFG catches dreams (which manifest themselves in Dream Country as floating semi-fluid sparkler-like objects) and at night, he blows his bottled dreams into the bedrooms of children.

The other, larger giants are not so pleasant; they go out into the world to steal and eat children. There is little else for them to eat where they live. Because the BFG refuses to eat people, he must survive on a revolting vegetable known as a snozzcumber. Luckily he is also able to make a delicious, fizzy drink called frobscottle. It is rather unusual in that the bubbles in the drink travel downwards and therefore cause the drinker to do a loud trumpeting fart instead of burping: this is known as a Whizzpopper.

Sophie and the BFG become friends. Sophie persuades the BFG that something must be done to destroy the evil giants. Together, they develop a plan to get the Queen of England to help them. The BFG mixes a terrible nightmare which will show the Queen what the giants do. They set off for Buckingham Palace and blow the dream into the Queen's bedroom. The BFG then leaves Sophie on the Queen's windowsill and retreats into the palace gardens.

When the Queen awakens, Sophie convinces her that all of her dream was true. Because the dream included the knowledge that Sophie would be there when she woke up, the Queen believes her, and speaks with the BFG. After considerable effort by the palace staff, the BFG is given a lavish breakfast, and the Queen begins work on neutralising the evil giants.

Eventually a huge fleet of RAF Chinook Helicopters follows the BFG to the giants' homeland. While the child-eating giants are asleep, the Army ties them up, hangs them under several helicopters each, and flies them to London, where a special large pit has been constructed from which they will not be able to escape. The only one left is Fleshlumpeater, who inmediately goes after BFG; after a struggle, he is finally subdued with a nightmare BFG caught earlier in the film, and is carried with the rest.

As punishment for their lifetimes of child-eating, the giants are forced to eat snozzcumbers for the rest of their lives, fed to them by the ophanage's previous owner, Miss Clonkers. Afterwards, the Queen offers Sophie a place to stay in her palace along with all the other girls in the orphanage. Contrary to the book's ending, the BFG and Sophie do not stay on Earth. Instead, the BFG asserts his duty to continue making dreams for children. Sophie cannot bear to part with the BFG, so decides to remain with him thereafter.

Cast

External links

*imdb title | id=0096866 | title=The BFG