Paul Hecht

Peter Sander

Oscar Wilde

Gerald Potterton

Murray Shostak

Christine Larocque

Ron Goodwin

Animation

The Selfish Giant

Potterton Productions

Canada

CinemaSerf

If you're a Cornish ogre, then next time someone comes to visit you, make sure it's not a giant who wants to stay for seven years! Finally taking the hint that it might be time to go home, the giant returns to find his castle garden a playground for the local urchins. He's not impressed, and makes it clear that it's his own exclusive pasture. The kids can play elsewhere! To make sure, he dismantles some of his castle and builds a great wall around it (this bit is accompanied by a rather jolly Peter, Paul and Mary style of ditty warning of the dangers of walling himself in). Task complete, the children now had nowhere to play but neither did the giant. His enclosed garden was abandoned by nature and left barren save for visits from frost, snow, hail (in a suit of armour) and the north wind who's characterisations adored and adorned the place! Hemmed in and literally cold as ice, he began to see the error of his ways as incessant inclement weather remained. Cold, hungry and with the elements pretty much reducing his lodgings to rubble with no sign of spring he began to despair! Will he ever feel the warmth of the sun again? Is there still time for him to repent? I loved this animation as a child and it's still a potent and engaging warning to those who would be selfish and uncaring. I'm not so sure Oscar Wilde would have loved loads of weans messing about in his garden, but this is a fine story of redemption that like his "Little Prince" has a story within it's story.

English