The Borrowers (2011)

“It was one of them! It was right there. I'm sure of it...” — Mrs. Driver

The holidays have always been a nostalgic time for many. Memories of childhood, family, and togetherness are practically written into most Western holiday traditions, and that can often create a sense of sadness and longing – a feeling that naturally makes one want to get away from the humdrum realities of the world and escape to somewhere, anywhere different.

Perhaps that feeling, that desire to escape, is rooted in the myths and parables we construct these holidays around – often set long ago in faraway lands – or maybe it’s in the tales we tell and songs we sing this time of year. These stories and songs always seem to take place elsewhere, transporting us to destinations eternally blanketed in snow and good cheer. Is it any wonder we long to go there, wherever that is?

It’s in that “elsewhere” that The Borrowers begins. A sullen young lad is lost in thought, face pressed against the glass of shop window, admiring an elaborate Christmas display. Enthralled by this beautiful miniature world full of toys and model planes, tiny trinkets, and wintry vignettes, the boy soon snaps back to reality and trundles off with a sigh, returning to his seemingly ordinary life in the city. The models and dioramas, meticulously designed and assembled by Clemens Wirth, wonderfully hint at the small-scale adventure to come, while a downtempo rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Icelandic singer Hafdís Huld lends the film’s opening sequence a sense of melancholy. It’s Christmastime though, which means there’s magic in the air – or in this case under the floorboards.

Based on Mary Norton's 1952 children's book of the same name, this 2011 version of The Borrowers filmed for the BBC is actually the sixth screen adaptation of the source material. Better known perhaps are the 1997 feature film starring John Goodman and Studio Ghibli's acclaimed 2010 animated film The Secret World of Arrietty. The versions are many, but the story is always the same. The Borrowers is the tale of two very different families: the “borrowers”, a family of teeny-weeny people who secretly live inside the walls of a London home, and the “beans” – human beings – a family of regular-sized folks who own the house, the youngest of whom is James (Charlie Hiscock), the boy at the shop window. It seems his fascination with the itty-bitty world of that Christmas diorama will soon come in handy.

The Borrowers is a particularly whimsical and innocent piece escapism, and a welcome reminder, especially around the holidays, that good things often come in small packages.

A discussion with title designer and macro photographer CLEMENS WIRTH.

Hi Clemens! We last spoke with you in 2011 about the Herbst title sequence. Is it true that you actually got the job on The Borrowers because of that Art of the Title feature?

Yeah, that’s right! I connected with Tom Harper, the director of the film, because of of Art of the Title. I think he was going through your site searching for some Christmas and model building-style title sequences, and he found the Herbst title sequence. That’s why he got in touch with me and made this happen.…

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from Art of the Title http://ift.tt/2of0sQp