THE BORROWERS and an Ode to Ms. Swanson

THE BORROWERS (Blu-ray)

1997 / 87 min

Alliance Entertainment

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Maybe you’re one of those who recall the one book from your childhood that sparked an interest in reading. For me, it was Mary Norton’s novel, The Borrowers, the story of the tiny Clock Family, who dwell within the walls of a large house and live by ‘borrowing’ various things from the owners. I think it was in fourth or fifth grade that my teacher, Ms. Swanson, would take some time each day to read a chapter or two to the class. 

Normally, story time was the opportunity to doodle, peel Elmer’s glue off my fingers or simply stare slackjawed at the ceiling. But as read by Ms. Swanson (she obviously loved the book herself), I found myself getting sucked into the story. Then I got sick for two weeks, so not-only was I missing school (no big deal), I was missing out on the Clock family’s activities (surprisingly, a very big deal). But my mother came through, bringing home a copy of The Borrowers for me to read at home. Though I’d never willingly cracked open a book in my entire life, I quickly found the chapter where Ms Swanson left off and devoured the rest of the story. Suddenly, books were cool, and could be read for no other reason than pure enjoyment. So wherever you are, Ms, Swanson, thanks!

Being a classic, The Borrowers has been adapted for film and television several times over the years, the first being a made-for-TV movie starring Eddie Albert, which I seem to remember being pretty faithful to the story, but was visually kinda lame (this was in the dark ages of TV special effects). Still, it was neat watching a show based on a story I was already familiar with (allowing me my first opportunity to boast that time-honored claim, “The book was better”).

"Did you seriously just ask where we keep the sugar?"

Fast-forward a few decades and I’m married to Francie with a two-year old daughter. I hadn’t given The Borrowers another thought since the early 70s, but when a big-budget adaptation came out in 1997, I was kind of excited to see it (even though my personal taste in entertainment generally leaned toward the dark stuff). This was also when Francie, too, revealed she read and loved the book as a kid. So without the kid in-tow (two years is still too young to drag a toddler to a theater), Francie and I set-out to revisit a bit of our childhood. And I think we were the only ones in the theater without kids.

My recollection of the novel was hazy at-best, but the movie was a lot of fun…charming, colorful and visually striking. I don’t recall anything about an evil lawyer, Ocious P. Potter (John Goodman), being part of the original narrative (maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t), nor all the Home Alone-inspired elements, but I found the story engaging. The Borrowers themselves, led by patriarch Pod Clock (Jim Broadbent), are wonderfully realized characters, ultimately making the movie more than just kid-friendly eye candy (as do a few bodily function gags that were definitely not part of Norton’s original story). I left the theater thinking the film was a fine, respectful adaptation.

Revisiting The Borrowers years later on Blu-ray, the film has held up pretty well, its special effects and overall aesthetic still quite remarkable for a 30 year old film. As usual for Alliance Entertainment’s ongoing Retro VHS series, the video and audio transfer is decent, though nothing spectacular. And like other films in the series, the only “bonus” is the VHS-styled slipcover. I could never get my own kids interested in this one, though they did inadvertently enjoy the same story through Studio Ghibli’s adaptation, Arrietty. But as someone once inspired by Ms. Swanson’s vivid reading of the book, I'm partial to this version.