Something to watch tonight: Wednesday 5 March

Hook (Spielberg, 1991)

Firstly, an apology. The editor-in-chief has pointed out to me that the link to FoxNews I posted in yesterday’s newsletter takes you to tides of toxic sludge and a palate cleanser is required. Here is a picture of our cat, Arthur.

I’ve mentioned before here that, in an attempt to wrangle some structure around my chaotic viewing habits, I have a few projects on the go.

Firstly, there is the countdown of the Sight & Sound Fifty Greatest Films list (currently at #31). Then, watching an episode a week of Mad Men and reading the equivalent episode recap in Matt Zoller Seitz’s book Mad Men Carousel. Also on Sunday evenings I’m now watching a single episode of that famous fairytale The West Wing (and reading a chapter of Mellisa Fitzgerald and Mary McCarthy’s book What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to the West Wing) and an episode each week of the famous historical documentary series The World at War (available as a remastered Blu-ray in a box set from ViaVision).

When I remember, I’m also working my way through the complete Steven Spielberg (thanks to a couple of box sets and reasonably thorough availability on digital). Last night I rewatched Hook for the first time since it came out in 1991, a film that I didn’t remember all that fondly and that was probably causing a bit of a blockage, if I’m honest.

Robin Williams plays Peter Banning, unconvincing as a workaholic dad – the film seems confused about whether he is a lawyer or an accountant, perhaps both.

Banning is an orphan, raised by “Granny” Wendy (Maggie Smith aged up!) who dedicated her life to finding homes for the “lost” children of London’s Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital (not actually an orphanage).

Wendy is the original Wendy of J.M. Barrie’s famous story, Peter Pan or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up. Despite a fear of flying, Peter and his family travel to London to present Wendy with an award but while there the fiendish Captain Hook (Dustin Hoffman) kidnaps his children, hoping to tempt Peter Pan (for it is he) back to Neverland for one final battle.

Thanks to fairy Tinkerbell (Julia Roberts), Peter remembers who he is/was, the Lost Boys have their leader again and Peter’s children see their father as a hero rather than just another of Spielberg’s deadbeat dads.

Thanks to Spielberg’s typically exuberant direction, the film just about escapes the straitjacket of its story conceit but it does seem to owe an awful lot to other films, rather than being truly original: the gangster splurge of Parker’s Bugsy Malone for example, or Hoffman channelling the great Terry-Thomas rather than discovering a character of his own.

Attempts to shoehorn in current fads like skateboarding (Stacy Peralta is a consultant), “portable” phones and cameos from fading rock stars Jimmy Buffett, David Crosby and Phil Collins, seem a bit desperate, but the heart of the story and Spielberg’s skills are too good for it to sink.

In my notes I say, “this desperately wants to be a musical” and it turns out that was the original plan but Spielberg and maestro John Williams lost their nerve at the last minute.

Minor Spielberg but still enjoyable.

Incidentally, did you know that the only exception to the usual copyright expiry periods applies to Peter Pan? Barrie donated the copyright to the Great Ormond Street Hospital and an act of parliament had to be passed confirming that it lasts in perpetuity. Even Disney can’t take control of it – it’s still all for the sick kids at GOSH.

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Where to watch Hook