The Astonishing Adventures of Alfred – A Short Film Review
The Astonishing Adventures of Alfred is a fun short that can be enjoyed and appreciated by anyone who grew up on the novels of Enid Blyton.
What’s it all About?
An adult-themed parody of a traditional British children’s TV show, set in the 1950’s and styled as an Enid Blyton-esque mystery. It follows an adventurous young schoolboy, portrayed by a combination of an adult man and a child body double, who comes into possession of a magical magnifying glass.
My Opinion
Growing up, for me, Enid Blyton was still a bit of a big deal. Secret Seven, Famous Five and so many others of Blyton’s back catalog of well remembered classics took pride of place on my bookcase as a child. So when this film dropped into my inbox it immediately took my interest.
Watching this short it’s clear where the inspiration has come from. It’s as though this has jumped straight of the pages of a Blyton novel. The village setting, the 1950’s era characters and language all seem so familiar to me. Anyone not familiar with the works of the author may struggle relating to this concept, but those people must be few and far between.
What immediately sticks out to me is how well done this short is. It is polished and presented to a very high standard. Everyone involved seems to have been really invested in the making of this film.
The number one thing that makes this successful is it’s comedy. This was a really funny short. The writing was fantastic, the delivery and timing was first class, and the physical comedy was well thought out and put together. In particular the dialogue, which has its tongue firmly in its cheek, is so witty, there is not one wasted line. Rory Cargill, who also wrote the short has to be commended for his efforts. He has crafted an excellent short film from beginning to end.
Director Joe Pearson and cinematographer Joshua Black also deserve a pat on the back. The short is visually pleasing and fun to watch. Some great camera work captures the illusion of Alfred being a small child using some interesting angles that really work.
This short utilizes every second of its runtime, there is not a wasted moment and everything has a purpose. Whether it is setting something up for a later scene, developing characters or forwarding the plot it is all meaningful and thought out. Even in the opening scenes we are greeted with a newspaper advertisement outside a shop highlighting a cat burglar on the loose which plays into the plot later in the film.
I really enjoyed the way the main character was used in an almost Gerry Anderson kind of way, leaning more towards the Harry Enfield sketches ‘Harry and Lulu’. Any close-up shots of Alfred were played by a fully grown adult, Rory Cargill, and shots that are not close up are played by Henri Charles, who is a child. Yes this is a pretty noticeable thing, but it is all part of the fun of the film. Top marks to Sasha Prebble on makeup who made Rory jump straight from the cover of a Blyton book.
The score accompanying the short is such a great piece of music, so fitting of the style and presentation. The music was down to Tom Rose and he has knocked it out of the park. It is perfect. It does a great job of setting the scene, creating the feel and atmosphere of a film and it cannot be underestimated how important this is for a successful short.
One thing that really took me by surprise was in the final moments of the short we are treated to a bit of gore, albeit in a comedy kind of way, nevertheless this was a big surprise, and a little shocking at first as I was not expecting this at all. It did feel slightly out of place or at least take me out of the short for a few moments as it it came as a big shock and really unexpected, and anyone a little queasy to blood may want to close their eyes for a few moments.
Notable Performances
Rory Cargill plays Alfred (on close-up shots). Rory gives us a fantastic performance. His enthusiasm shines as he bounces from scene to scene with all the pomp and circumstance of the character. I think it is pretty clear that Rory is enjoying every single second of playing this character.
Johnny Mindlin plays Alfred’s father. Johnny has all the bravado of a 1950’s father delivering his bold lines with confidence no matter how crazy the situation. Another fine performance.
J.P. Turner plays Father Dawson. Turner has to be commended for playing this character straight. He really comes into his own in the second half of the film when we get to see his comedic side.
The Verdict
This short was so refreshing to watch. The film as a whole was polished to a high standard and above all else, it ticks the number one box in comedy, it was funny. It looks as though there may be more Adventures from Alfred in the future and I will be looking forward to watching them. Highly recommended.
