My Family & Other Animals (WGBH)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: D Telefilm: C+
Based on Gerald Durrell’s book, a story with a title like My
Family & Other Animals, you could think it was about someone who hates
their family and might even be some kind of serial killer and/or animal
torturer. Fortunately, this is an
installment of Masterpiece Theater far from the gutter, focused instead
on a family visiting Corfu, Greece just before WWII breaks out.
This gives young 12-year-old Gerald a chance to explore
his world, the world and that includes nature, something his family seems to
have a phobia of as compared to his fearlessness in getting his hands
dirty. He also wants to keep animals,
but that sometimes is just too much for even the most animal-loving family
member. The result is a piece that has
some humor and entertainment value, but is not spectacularly amazing, though
Imelda Stanton is good as the moral center of a pretty good group of persons.
The letterboxed 1.78 X 1 image is color poor, soft and a
disappointment throughout. The Dolby
Digital 2.0 sound is compressed stereo and lacks separation. The combination lacks rewatchability. There are no extras either.
- Nicholas Sheffo
