Babe review – tale of the talking sheep-pig a charming relic of its time
Thirty years ago, a non-Disney talking-animal adventure became a big movie talking point. Babe, adapted from Dick King-Smith's children's book The Sheep-Pig, features an adorable piglet who is rescued from a brutally realistic-looking agribusiness breeding shed as his mum and siblings are taken off to be slaughtered; it is then rehomed in a quaintly old-fashioned farm with lots of different animals, situated in an uncanny-valley landscape of rolling green hills which looks like Olde England but where everyone speaks in an American accent. The lead human is grumpy cap-wearing Farmer Hoggett, played by James Cromwell, later to be hard-faced Captain Dudley Smith in LA Confidential and Prince Philip in Stephen Frears' film The Queen. The little piglet does his best to fit in and finds his destiny when it looks as if he could be a very talented sheep-herder.
But this is not animation, nor is it precisely live-action. The movie got a (justified) best visual effects Oscar for its mix of animatronics and real animals, modifying their appearance and behaviour onscreen and using CGI for their mouths. It was a startling novelty which was very much of its time. Yet Babe and its innovations didn't really lead to anything else; they were almost a standalone phenomenon, soon superseded in mainstream family-movie terms by the digital animation of Pixar and Disney's continuing live-action productions.
Babe is a strange film, for me. The digitally confected moving mouths superimposed on the faces of largely real animals do not convey emotions and moods in the way even a crude animation might; the rest of the animal's face remains inscrutable and unreadable, and the animals have neither the charm of unadorned reality nor the thoroughgoing ingenuity of animation. And the story itself is a kind of weird anti-Orwell farmyard tale in which the slaughter of animals is a reality central to Babe's identity crisis, but which is otherwise not part of the film's world; nor is there much zip to the script. But, shot by the late Andrew Lesnie, cinematographer on the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films, it always looks good.
Babe is in UK cinemas from 11 April.
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The Herald Scotland
13 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
'Thrilling and exhilarating': Scottish debut album from 1990 sparkles
It disclosed that a new remaster of The Same Sky, the much-lauded 1990 debut album by the band to which she gave her name, was in the hands of Seabass Vinyl, a vinyl pressing plant in East Lothian. Horse hopes to have copies by June 21, ahead of the launch that night of The Same Sky 35 tour, which kicks off at Paisley Arts Centre. The Same Sky, which was released on EMI/Capitol in June 1990, just as Glasgow's reign as City of Culture was coming to an end, is widely seen as one of the most assured, and soulful, Scottish debuts of recent decades. With lyrics written by the guitarist Angela McAlinden and sung by the powerfully expressive vocalist that is Horse, it reached number 44 in the UK charts. One un-named American journalist is said to have described it as 'the best debut album for years'. Horse, as a solo artist, has since gone on to release, on her own Randan label, several solo albums, the most recent of which is The Road Less Travelled. She was first to bring an orchestra to the Barrowland venue in 1995 – the Scottish Chamber Orchestra – and has collaborated with Lynn Ferguson to turn her true-life stories into Careful, a well-received, one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe, which was named after one of the stand-out tracks on The Same Sky. In 2016, interviewed by the Australian magazine, LOTL, Horse was asked for the secret of her longevity. Her answer was revealing. 'Making The Same Sky was thrilling and exhilarating — a real life-changer', she said. 'I've never, ever lost that sense when making music. It brings me great joy. I understand, with hindsight, that from teenage years to now, my music has developed from within me by way of osmosis and absolute heart, not head. It has quite literally saved me. It has been my solace and comfort, a companion and a great healer. 'My idea of success and longevity has completely and utterly changed over the years that I have been making music', she added. 'Because I put so much of myself into my music, it's obvious why I would take it personally when commercial 'success', or rather, the widely held view of what success is, may have eluded me. However, I reached a place personally and professionally, long ago of being happy with my success. The great sense of achievement and pleasure from still making music and having a true and positive impact on people is incredible. I feel very lucky'. Horse was born in Newport on Tay, in Fife, and grew up in Lanark. She once explained to the Los Angeles Times, 'I hated my birth name, don't ask me what it is. I grew up thinking it was a punishment, so when I was about 14, I changed it to Horse. Almost overnight I became a new person'. In interviews she spoke of having a terrible time growing up, being attacked and bullied because she was gay in a small town, and, eventually, forcing her to leave. Music, and writing her own stories, proved to be her salvation. 'Writing songs in my little back bedroom was a way to close the door on all of that and escape to another world,' Horse told Billy Sloan a few years ago. 'It became a means of taking care of myself and also releasing lots of unhappiness, anger and tension. What began to happen was a kind of osmosis, almost. My emotions became the root of the songs, which makes them all quite heartfelt.' In the Eighties, she met Angela McAlinden, and they began working on songs together, and over the years other musicians joined them. Horse, who wrote the melodies, and Angela, who composed the lyrics, made a formidable team. A tape made by the band came to the attention of the producers on The Tube, a wildly popular TV music show at the time. 'We were really just thrown on', Horse told The National, the Herald's sister paper, in 2022. The band guested on the show in March 1987. 'The soundcheck was the camera check – and there were cameras everywhere! My mouth was so dry and I could hardly sing. However, in those days there was no social media or way of contacting the show other than phoning in and they told us that the switchboard had been jammed with people asking about 'that' band. "At that point we had no management, and we really weren't equipped to 'go'. It was such a lost opportunity but what a great experience for us. A mass audience of over five million meant when we were back in Scotland people did start to look and point at me in the street. Not for bad reasons either'. Read more After more demo tapes being sent to publishers and labels a publishing deal was finally secured with the giant EMI. Sally Perryman organised a showcase in Glasgow for the top record labels at what was then the Third Eye Centre (now the CCA), and from this they signed to Capitol. The two women began crafting the 10 songs that would appear on the album. The production was in the hands of Pete Smith, for whom the band first showcased the album's songs in a gig at Paisley Arts Centre – the very place where the Same Sky 35 tour begins in a fortnight's time. The recording of the album was, however, interrupted by an unforeseeable development; realising that something was amiss with her voice, Horse consulted a doctor, then a specialist, who told that she had a node on her left vocal cord. The singer wanted to delay an operation until after the album was finished, but the specialist recommended otherwise. The operation took place, and she had to remain silent for 10 days. The recording of her vocals was put back for two months; in the meantime, the band continued to put down the tracks. The 10 songs on The Same Sky have so many highlights, as signalled by the opening, soaring one-two of …And She Smiled, and The Speed of the Beat of My Heart. Careful, the poignant closing track, was recorded with a 12-piece string section and arranged by Audrey Riley. It was the ultimate single from the album, it would later be covered, solo and with an acoustic guitar, by Will Young. Horse is in superb voice throughout, and the emotional impact of Angela's lyrics can't be overstated. One track, Sweet Thing, expresses a sense of longing, and also gives rise to the album title: 'Can our hearts synchronise, my baby? / Miles of distance come between us like years/ Covered by the same sky but so separately…' It also happens to be Pete Smith's favourite track on the record. He's especially proud of the build-up into the chorus, as he told Davie Scott on the latter's BBC Radio Scotland Classic Scottish Albums series in 2022. 'Sometimes you get something eighty per cent right, sometimes you get things fifty per cent right. I got that a hundred per cent right'. Horse, in subsequent interviews, spoke of her lasting pride in the record, noting with pride that a lot of people had said it remained their favourite albums of the Nineties. But there is perhaps a sense that greater success might have been yielded by The Same Sky. There were several time-consuming issues with the record label, Capitol UK, and frustrations with the way that Horse herself was marketed. 'We were never part of any clique', she reflected as she discussed the album with Davie Scott. 'We were never part of the Glasgow crowd, like Postcard [Records], but we were around at the same time as Hue and Cry, Deacon Blue, [the Pearlfishers], H20 – a really successful seam of Scottish artists – but we always just never seemed to pass Go and collect £200. 'For me, with hindsight, some of it was to do with two women being at the front of the band – particularly myself, being gay, being lesbian, and very obviously lesbian, because I was very androgynous … so I think we didn't tick the boxes that lots of other people ticked, and something that could have been incredibly powerful in terms of media, or just a real marketable brand thing, was Marmite. Ultimately, I just wanted our music to be heard". Read more On the Record It took another three years before the follow-up album, the equally fine God's Home Movie was released on MCA/Universal, in November 1993, and peaked at 42 in the British charts. Speaking to the Evening Times in August 1993, Horse said: 'We've always been very optimistic about our music and knew that sooner or later we'd be able to put problems into the past. Playing live during the last couple of years has been great for us. Despite the fact that we couldn't solve the record-company hassles, we knew there were a lot of fans out there who hadn't forgotten about us. They really kept us going and made us doubly determined to succeed.'' The Herald's David Belcher predicted at the time: 'It would seem that Horse McDonald, the woman, and Horse, the band, are on the verge of becoming Horse, the big-time pop phenomenon'. It didn't quite work out like that, unfortunately, and the band eventually broke up. But Horse has continued to successfully release her own music since 1999. The most recent album was The Road Less Travelled in 2024. The Same Sky 35 anniversary tour, and the 2025 remaster, will add lustre to the reputation of an excellent debut album. * For full dates of the Same Sky 35 tour, see
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
What links jellyfish, golden tortoise beetle and sea angel? The Saturday quiz
1 What 1883 event is said to be the loudest sound in human history?2 Rikishi take part in which sport?3 What film links Gaynor, Garland and Gaga?4 Who made the 'I am prepared to die' speech at the Rivonia trial?5 What term for quiz facts derives from a place where three roads meet?6 Comprising 121 countries, what is the NAM?7 What type of tropical bird is an aracari?8 Which singer's stage name is based on her old MSN Messenger username?What links: 9 Village opposite Padstow; town between Stoke and Stafford; Colorado college town?10 1964; 1970; 1974; 1979; 1997; 2010; 2024?11 Robert Prevost (14); Gioacchino Pecci (13); Annibale della Genga (12)?12 MLK assassin; 39th president; voice of Vader?13 Thorburn; Doherty; Robertson; Brecel; Zhao?14 Barreleye fish; ghost shrimp; glass frog; golden tortoise beetle; jellyfish; sea angel?15 Mirabel, Encanto; Sadness, Inside Out; Doc, Snow White; Geppetto, Pinocchio? 1 Eruption of Krakatoa.2 Sumo wrestling.3 A Star is Born.4 Nelson Mandela.5 Trivia (from Latin trivium).6 Non-Aligned Movement.7 Toucan.8 Charli xcx.9 Rock; Stone; Boulder.10 UK changes of government.11 Pope Leos.12 James Earl: Ray; Carter; Jones.13 Non-UK world snooker champions.14 Transparent animals.15 Disney/Pixar characters who wear glasses.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Katie Piper says aging is a bereavement, but why do women fear growing older
Death comes for us all, but what does it say about us as a society when we view our aging bodies as a kind of early death? This week, presenter Katie Piper told audiences at Hay Festival that 'aging is like a bereavement,' as she promoted her new book Still Beautiful: On Age, Beauty and Owning Your Space. There is much to be commended for this book: not least in the celebration of the aging process, which is not granted to everyone. Growing older is a privilege. Katie explained that: "Women age out of the male gaze. I was ripped from the male gaze at 24. I didn't just become invisible. I became a target for people saying derogatory things." Katie added: "Sometimes we know we're losing somebody or something, and it's slow, it's gradual, and when it's ageing, we look down at our hands, we see they look different. We catch ourselves in the shop window, and everything's changed." While Katie's experiences may differ from most, there is a broader concern here. Why do women fear growing older? The spectre of the older woman feels almost cartoonish, I immediately think of Madam Mim in Disney's Sword in the Stone or the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella. Then there's the Bridget Jones's Diary where body weight and calorie intake was counted ad nauseum. Both the Disney cartoons and Bridget Jones show what is it like to exist beyond the male gaze, and it wasn't favourable. Horrifyingly, these unhinged, unkempt women were rolled out in movies consumed by young girls. These cultural moments that show the pains of being undesirable have grown tendrils, seeping into our collective fears. In recent years, there has been a staggering increase in Botox - with teenagers turning to the muscle relaxant to promote a more youthful look despite them being the very definition of young. High street clinics have popped up all over the country, offering 3 for 2 on areas of the face and Christmas deals. It's nothing short of dystopian. These frozen facial muscles are the very muscles that let us express anger and joy! Giving up the ability to express ourselves is a frightening development. For a period of time, there were movements that eradicated body-hair shame and celebrated bodies of all shapes and sizes for being unique and wonderful. And Pamela Anderson and Alicia Keys ditched make-up heavy red carpet looks. It felt liberating. But, if Katie's comments speak to anything it is that women are still shackled to the male gaze. Why does feeling undesirable to men cause not only feelings of being unworthy, but worse: as if we are not alive at all? It is vacuous to weigh a woman's worth by her appearance. But to tackle the issue at hand here, let's start with sentience first. Aging women are not warm corpses waiting to be buried. Growing older is not a kind of death. When did we start hating ourselves so much that we view aging as akin to being dead? There is nothing to be feared about 'aging out of the male gaze'. Nobody should be situating their worth in relation to the desire of others. Learning to love ourselves regardless of our appearance is a central tenet of living a happy life. But why are people, like Piper, viewing the aging process in this way? Possibly as it can come with restrictive employment opportunities, perhaps. As actresses such as Anne Hathaway and Emma Thompson have spoken out about not being cast in roles due to their age. In fact, Backstage reported that people over 40 acting in leading role is 21% for women while for men it is 34%. There is much to be angry about that women lose out on opportunities in the workplace as they age. Let's try and stay off the Botox so we can convey some of that fury. Helen Coffey at the Independent agreed with Piper, saying: 'Most of us are in the denial stage of grief' about aging. But also added: 'When we prize youth as the only thing worth having, we devalue the much more worthwhile gifts of wisdom and experience. When we strive to stay the same, we deny the much more rewarding path of evolution and growth.' It's time to stop unduly celebrating youth for youth's sake. A wrinkle on the forehead should not be a bump in the career, and it absolutely must not be read as a 'bereavement'. It is okay to feel unsteady that life is changing. That is natural. But we must begin to celebrate women's aging bodies, wrinkles, greys and all.
