The Hippopotamus Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Hippopotamus Blu-ray Movie Review

Not a sequel to The Lobster.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 19, 2017

Stephen Fry has become one of the more recognizable and beloved British comedic actors of his generation courtesy of such well known offerings as Jeeves and Wooster, as well as such “real life” entries like Stephen Fry in America. While many of Fry’s legion of fans are probably already aware of the following fact, the general public may not be aware that Fry has also had a long and successful writing career, documenting his struggles with bipolar disorder in Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive, but also venturing into the fictional arena with a number of novels including the semi-autobiographical The Liar and what one would hope is not a semi- autobiographical piece, The Hippopotamus. The Hippopotamus first appeared way back in 1994, and the fact that it took over two decades for it to be adapted into a film may be one indication of perhaps insurmountable hurdles screenwriters Tom Hodgson and Blanche McIntyre faced when attempting to matriculate Fry’s epistolary, interior monologues into something that a typical movie audience could understand and appreciate. As director John Jencks mentions in one of the supplements included on this new Blu-ray, he had been “living” with the novel for well over a decade, wanting to transform it into a movie, but even he realized that some serious shearing of Fry’s huge cast of characters and (especially) verbose writing style would need to happen in order for the film to have any chance of making sense (let alone money). The Hippopotamus ends up being an interesting experiment, one which deals with a number of weighty issues like whether there are really miracles or where Art comes from, but it’s perhaps too inherently odd to ever resonate very strongly, despite a wonderfully engaging performance by Roger Allam as a curmudgeonly once famous poet named Ted Wallace who, in the wake of a poetic writing block, has seen his fortunes wane to the point that he’s been forced to become a critic (ahem). The film begins with Ted, obviously soused out of his mind, attending an execrable performance of Titus (Adronicus). Wallace sits disbelievingly, openly guzzling whiskey, as a young and barely dressed cast of muscle men attempt to make it through Shakespeare’s dense language, ultimately resulting in Wallace actually engaging in a fist fight with one cast member who doesn’t especially appreciate Wallace’s outright heckling. That fracas leads to Wallace being let go from his newspaper reviewing position, something that doesn’t seem to overly concern the scowling elder.

Wallace’s sudden unemployment turns out to be a good thing, at least according to his goddaughter Jane Swann (Emily Berrington), who tracks him down at the local watering hole (where else would you expect to find him?), ultimately convincing him to take on a “project” for her that will end up paying him more money than he’s probably seen in years (or maybe his entire life). Jane is weirdly circumspect about what exactly this “project” entails, other than that it requires Wallace to travel to the country estate of a family that Wallace has had some uncomfortable dealings with in the past, to (as Jane puts it) “see what needs to be seen”. Jane reveals she’s supposedly dying of terminal leukemia, but hints that events at the country manor have convinced her she’s been granted a reprieve. She also reminds Wallace that he has a relatively easy entré into the home, despite his past interactions with the family, due to the fact that he is (also) the godfather of the adolescent boy living there, David (Tommy Knight).

The estate is owned by Lord Michael (Matthew Modine) and Lady Anne (Fiona Shaw) Logan, parents not just to David but to his older brother Simon (Dean Ridge). Wallace has had intermittent contact with the family through the years, mostly via letters from David, but also evidently with Anne, whom Wallace regularly calls “my love”. Things are a good deal more tense with Michael, due to a long ago incident involving Michael’s sister Rebecca (Geraldine Somerville), with whom Wallace had an affair. Wallace is greeted with excitedly open arms by David, and a more reserved but appreciative response from Anne, while Michael is distant and dismissive. But Wallace is still confused as to what exactly Jane wants him to be “seeing”, and a lot of the early part of the film simply has Wallace trudging through the scenic grounds of the estate, while having expectedly curt interchanges with some other guests, including his evident longtime nemesis, theater director Oliver Mills (Tim McInnerny).

A sick horse suddenly brings a number of elements into focus, though Wallace still feels like he’s a virtual Poirot having been called in to investigate a nonexistent crime. Suffice it to say that there are rumors of faith healing swirling around the Logan household, all focused on David. This peculiar plot conceit gets into some potentially treacherous and even perhaps off putting content when David’s teen hormones also enter the fray. There’s one scene in particular which may actually shock some viewers, as it’s at least somewhat more graphic than it probably needs to be, all in the service of supposed comedy (a supposition which is at least questionable, given the context).

The Hippopotamus alludes to several fascinating ideas, but the presentation here is haphazard at best (to cite just one example: Mills just kind of appears out of the mist, with no introduction). The film seems to want to be a hybrid of a Gosford Park type mystery with a riposte filled comedy reminiscent of the intellectualism of Noel Coward, but that may simply be an untenable combination from any number of standpoints. Allam is absolutely wonderful as Wallace, chewing the scenery with delight, and the supporting cast is similarly excellent, even when the writing doesn’t always give them proper support (two tangential characters, supposedly connected to the ailing horse, are similarly not introduced properly and then left completely undeveloped). The film builds to a rather interesting set of revelations where Wallace’s perhaps inherent skepticism shatters any belief in miracles, while the erstwhile poet himself is suddenly unexpectedly inspired to write again.

The Hippopotamus Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Hippopotamus is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lightyear Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Somewhat amazingly, the IMDb actually lists the Arri Alexa for this shoot (Arri cameras can be seen quite easily in some of the featurettes included as supplements), and this has a solid and at times quite scenic looking transfer that boasts generally excellent detail levels and an often nicely burnished palette. The film segues fairly readily between interior and outdoor environments, and consistent contrast helps to keep detail levels high. There are some appealing shots of the Logan estate that offer excellent fine detail levels in things like blades of grass, while also offering nice depth of field. Close-ups offer chances to engage in activities like counting the pores on Allam's face.

The Hippopotamus Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While The Hippopotamus includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, the disc is authored to default to the Dolby Digital 5.1 track that's also included, so audiophiles should check their displays or receivers to make sure they're on the lossless track. While not overly immersive, it does provide quite a bit of surround activity in the many outdoor scenes, where elements like birdsong or the rustling of breezes waft through the side and rear channels. Dialogue and Allam's ubiquitous voiceover are typically front and center and always well prioritized.

The Hippopotamus Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Hippopotamus — From Book to Screen (1080p; 7:27) has some fun interviews but content wise isn't that different from the following featurette.


• British Comedy Special (1080p; 7:06) is seemingly culled from the same set of interviews seen in the previous piece.


• Behind the Scenes (1080p; 9:10) is the third of three basically interchangeable EPKs, though this also contains good interviews and has some fun footage of scenes being shot.


• Q & A with Stephen Fry (1080p; 34:17) is from something called the Hay Festival, and actually also includes Roger Allam, John Jencks and McIntyre.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:26)


• Interviews look like they come from the sessions utilized above and include:

  Roger Allam (1080p; 5:20)

  Fiona Shaw (1080p; 5:12)

  Matthew Modine (1080p; 3:55)

The Hippopotamus Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In a way The Hippopotamus seemed to be trying to get at some of the epochal questions that pop up in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with the same sort of cheeky humor, but much as with that cinematic adaptation, my hunch is this may be one case where the book, if not better, at least provides more context and development. There are a number of really fascinating concepts at play in The Hippopotamus, and they may be enough to sway some cautious viewers over who are otherwise a little shocked at some of the details that accrue vis a vis David's supposed faith healing. The cast is top notch, and if the movie doesn't always hit the bullseye, they make it continually entertaining to watch. With caveats noted, Recommended.