BY JUSTINA REYNOLDS
Corfe Castle was lit up in orange for another year, as the UKโs favourite marmalade-obsessed bear made his anticipated appearance for Cinema Under the Stars. Even though it felt like a storm was brewing with the intense rain and wind of the weekend, the outer bailey of the castle was packed with families taking along their excited kids to sit down and watch Paddington 2 at one of Purbeckโs most beautiful sites.
Before that, a short film called You Are Also Us was presented. This film is in the process of a worldwide tour, and due to its support from the National Trust, the audience got to be a part of that tour. The film showed an immersive dance across landmarks in the UK, exploring the feelings of invisibility and the need to belong to a community. It was beautifully choreographed and full of emotions, so that even if you didnโt fully comprehend what was being told through dance, you could still appreciate the work that was put into it.
Before the film began, guest speaker John Sorapure, the second unit director of Paddington 2 and Paddington in Peru, took his time answering the audienceโs questions and delved into the behind the scenes of the film. For film lovers in the audience, this special appearance was incredibly interesting, showing slides of floor plans and production work used to make the film what it is. It gave us an insight into the making of the film, which made the audience appreciate it more as it began.
Every Paddington film has the same kind of fun in it: Paddington is clumsy, but so loveable that nobody minds if he broke the bathtub and filled the house with water or got put in prisonโฆthe latter being exactly what happens in this second instalment.
When trying to find a present for his Aunt Lucy, Paddington is accused of stealing a pop-up book from Jim Broadbentโs antique store (which he intended on buying with money he got from working at a barbershop), and he gets put in prison while the Brown family (which includes famous British faces such as Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Julie Walters) fight for his innocence. But Paddington is somehow unbreakable and builds an unlikely friendship with Brendan Gleesonโs intimidating chef to survive his sentence.
The plot sounds quite insane when you write it all out, and if you include the story of Hugh Grantโs charming yet evil villain, it just gets weirder. But the weirdness works, and the film brings a chorus of laughter in nearly every scene. No one can get enough of the adventures of Paddington, especially the lovable version that Ben Whishaw brings to the character with his excellent voice acting, and it feels like Paddington could have a new film every year, and no one would complain.
The cast is stacked, with the aforementioned Grant, Gleeson and Hawkins as well returning antagonist of Paddington (2014) Peter Capaldi, but it never feels overcrowded; they all fit in perfectly in this fictionalised version of London where everyone is okay with a talking bear walking around. They all bring something new to the film and make it feel truly British, which is exactly what you want in a Paddington movie.
Itโs silly in the best way possible, and thatโs what makes it such a perfect family film. Following this film, Paddington heads to his home country in his newest film Paddington in Peru (see review here), and the world continues itching for more of the lovable bear and his absurd, crazy and unpredictable life with the Brown family.
Thanks to Bradley Toms for capturing the event on this short reel.
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