Print

Mail

wiki links

'Charlotte's Web' brings home the filmic bacon

By A. O. Scott
NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, NEW YORK
Friday, Jan 26, 2007, Page 16

PHOTO COURTESY OF UIP

"It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both." So ends Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White, not only one of the most beloved children's books, but as close to perfect as any book I can think of. The arrival of a new movie version — to update the junky-looking but serviceable cartoon musical from 1973, with a voice cast that included Debbie Reynolds and Paul Lynde — is cause for anxiety as well as eagerness. On the one hand, it's hard to ruin such fine material. On the other hand, even the smallest misjudgment might feel like a desecration. And what combination of digital imagery and traditional camera work could match the eloquence of Garth Williams's pen-and-ink illustrations?

But these apprehensions are no reason to blame filmmakers for trying, or to withhold praise when they succeed. Gary Winick's film, from a script credited to Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick, may not be perfect, but it honors its source and captures the key elements — the humor and good sense, as well as the sheer narrative exuberance — that have made White's book a classic.

Film Notes: Charlotte's Web Directed by Gary Winick Starring: Julia Roberts (voice of Charlotte), Dakota Fanning (Fern), Steve Buscemi (voice of Templeton), John Cleese (voice of Samuel), Oprah Winfrey (voice of Gussy), Cedric the Entertainer (voice of Golly), Robert Redford (voice of Ike), Kathy Bates (voice of Bitsy), Reba McEntire (voice of Betsy) Running time: 113 minutes. Taiwan release: Today

Charlotte's Web is a sneakily sophisticated fable. White certainly appreciated the joys of life on the farm (while evading some of its bloodier aspects), but the book is really about the benevolent, even miraculous power of celebrity. It is, most simply, the story of a spider, Charlotte A. Cavatica, who saves the life of a pig named Wilbur by making him famous.

It is perhaps fitting, then, that in the movie, Wilbur (voiced by Dominic Scott Kay) should hang out in a VIP barn, inhabited by the likes of John Cleese (as a sheep), Oprah Winfrey and Cedric the Entertainer (as geese) and Robert Redford (as a horse). Charlotte's lines are spoken by the biggest star of all, Julia Roberts, whose voice is as precise and melodious as a well-tuned piano. Roberts clearly understands that what makes Charlotte such an unforgettable character is not only her generosity, but also an intellectual rigor that stops just short of pedantry and a slightly starchy sense of her own dignity. In Wilbur's eyes, she is the ideal grown-up: a mentor, teacher and protector whose love has no stickiness or strings attached.

Dakota Fanning, on the verge of outgrowing such roles, is Fern, who rescues Wilbur, the runt of the litter, from her father's ax. When the little pig grows too big to be a house pet, he moves to the farm run by Fern's uncle (Gary Basaraba) and aunt (Siobhan Fallon), who provide some human comic relief.

Winick captures the various moods of White's clear, sprightly prose: the wry, sometimes uproarious humor, the keenly observed characters, and the unapologetic and entirely appropriate moments of high sentiment. Like the book, the film is grounded in the rhythms of the natural world, observing the progress of the seasons and, in its understated and tremendously moving conclusion, illuminating the cycle of life, death and reproduction that governs any good story. The only serious flaw in Charlotte's Web is that Danny Elfman's musical score, which is perfectly adequate if not terribly imaginative, plays under the action loudly and virtually without interruption, robbing the picture of a sense of rustic tranquility that would ground its antic flights.

But otherwise the movie is a delight: never coarse, rarely preachy and less concerned with proving its own cleverness than with paying tribute to the wisdom of White's book. I am tempted to plagiarize the immortal words of its heroine: Charlotte's Web is humble, and also terrific.
This story has been viewed 1152 times.