A surgeon lost at
sea survives as a giant among the tiny Lilliputians, and a pet among
the Brobdignagians. Then a mishap leaves him in the dysfunctional
courts of the flying island of Laputa, from which he escapes, only to
face the terrors and temptations of a necromancer and the immortal
Strulbrugs. Finally, he reaches safety and peace in the utopia of the
Houynhnhnms, a race of horses who have domesticated men. His journey
ends where the story begins, with the trials of returning to England.
“Gulliver's
Travels” is a notable example of a work of literature so
ubiquitously known and frequently and diversely adapted that it is
not difficult to approach as folklore. Most treatments (3 Worlds
of Gulliver, by the team of producer Charles Schneer and effects
man Ray Harryhausen being among the most notable) deal only with
Gulliver's adventures in Lilliput and/or Brobdignag, and are oriented
toward children. The 1996 made-for-television adaptation stands out
just for covering the further adventures. It distinguishes itself for
high production values (including effects that are charmingly “old
school” for the 1990s) and an excellent cast. Ted Danson is very
effective as Gulliver, conveying the simplicity of the title
character, while providing many fine touches, particularly as
Gulliver narrates his own story to the people of 18th-century
England. The script remains reasonably faithful to the source
material (with the episode of the Strulbrugs being the most
conspicuous exception), if sometimes more delicate than Jonathan
Swift's original and emphatically not “kid-friendly”
tales. What is perhaps most commendable about the production is that
it conveys not just the humor and satire of Swift, but a quality of
seriousness and even sadness at human nature, and what may be the
most timeless moral of the story: that the most difficult part of a
journey may be coming home.
David N. Brown
Mesa, Arizona
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