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The Snowman [DVD] [1982]
 
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The Snowman [DVD] [1982]

DVD ~ Peter Auty
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
Price: £4.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Frequently Bought Together

The Snowman [DVD] [1982] + The Snowman (Picture Puffin) + Father Christmas [DVD]
Total RRP: £16.97
Price For All Three: £12.61

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  • This item: The Snowman [DVD] [1982] DVD ~ Peter Auty

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Snowman (Picture Puffin) by Raymond Briggs

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    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Father Christmas [DVD] DVD ~ Dave Unwin

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Snowman [DVD] [1982]
85% buy the item featured on this page:
The Snowman [DVD] [1982] 4.4 out of 5 stars (36)
£4.99
The Snowman/Father Christmas [DVD] [2005]
11% buy
The Snowman/Father Christmas [DVD] [2005] 4.3 out of 5 stars (20)
£5.00
The Bear [DVD] [1999]
2% buy
The Bear [DVD] [1999] 4.8 out of 5 stars (6)
£3.97
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Product details

  • Actors: Peter Auty, David Bowie, Raymond Briggs
  • Directors: Dianne Jackson
  • Writers: Raymond Briggs
  • Producers: Iain Harvey, John Coates
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Universal Pictures UK
  • DVD Release Date: 3 Nov 2008
  • Run Time: 26 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00061RZXI
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 7,008 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in these categories:

    #35 in  DVD > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Animated
    #100 in  DVD > Comedy > Animated

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Snowman has been a Christmas staple ever since its original release in 1982. Based on Raymond Briggs' classic children's book, the tale of a solitary little boy whose snowman comes to life in the night and takes him on a series of adventures which culminate in a meeting with Father Christmas. It's uncluttered by modern standards and told with a gentle simplicity which renders it utterly poignant.

The Snowman deservedly won awards for its animators. But they had the best material to work with: Briggs' softly absorbing original illustrations which magically combine Christmas fantasy with the stark realities of life and death.

For this new special edition a new audio narration has been provided by Mel Smith which will help to bring it alive for younger children. The rest of us will probably be satisfied with Howard Blake's evocative soundtrack and, at the cynic-damning moment when the snowman takes the boy's hand and they soar into the sky, the tingling strains of "Walking in the Air" sung by Peter Auty, (not Aled Jones who had the chart hit on the strength of a commercial). It's enchanting, from beginning to end.

On the DVD: The Snowman Special Edition is presented in 16:9 aspect radio with a stereo Dolby Digital soundtrack, fusing Raymond Briggs' soft, glowing pastel work with Howard Blake's sympathetic score in 26 minutes of animated perfection. The extras are fascinating: David Bowie's original introduction, demanded by the US producers who needed a celebrity to front the project (he looks ridiculously exotic); and a documentary in which the surviving collaborators and Briggs talk with touching awe about the little bit of magic they created. The commercial might of The Snowman as a marketing brand is also revealed. The lumpen vox-pops are the only irritation. --Piers Ford

Synopsis

Delightfully animated story describing how a young boy's snowman comes to life at midnight. Introduction by David Bowie. Based on the book by Raymond Briggs.

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Customer Reviews

36 Reviews
5 star:
 (28)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars A mutilation of a great classic, 24 Feb 2003
By Michael Russell (Philadelphia, PA, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Raymond Briggs' The Snowman : Special Edition [DVD] [1982] (DVD)
The Snowman is one of my all-time favorite movies. The "Walking on the Air" sequence is the only movie scene that has ever made me cry. So I very eagerly ordered this DVD. To my horror, I discovered that this "Special Edition" is an appalling mutilation of the original. On the plus side, the picture has been lovingly restored, with the colors more vibrant than I had ever seen them. Unfortunately, this DVD is presented in a false letterbox format. I say "false" because the original movie is not widescreen. The creators of this DVD took out their scissors and chopped off the top and bottom of the image to make it appear to be widescreen. In many scenes, the top of the Snowman's head is cropped off, even in the once-magical shot where he first comes to life!

Also, this edition has a new introduction with Father Christmas. The original introduction is gone. The new introduction completely wrecks the mood, and it makes things even worse by having Father Christmas talk over the first few seconds of the actual movie. Also, the first few seconds are seen only in tiny form on Father Christmas' TV set.

I have found out that the creators of the movie have actually authorized this vandalism. I hope they realize what they have done. I will not watch this old favorite again until it is put to rights. And if it never is, then I'll just have my fond memories.

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ice man cometh to melt hearts., 13 Dec 2004
By garyterzza.co.uk (Hertfordshire, UK) - See all my reviews
Can it really be over twenty years since this delicate, captivating animation graced the screens of the fledgling Channel 4? As a voice-over announcer with the station I have introduced The Snowman many times, along with its permutations such as 'the making of' (which I'm glad to see is a bonus programme included here) yet I've never tired of its pastel wintry landscapes and sublime music.
Kids love it, but grown ups will love it even more, especially those of a certain age who yearn for open fires and a simple rural childhood.
As with all Raymond Briggs' stories there is pathos and poignancy, but you're left wanting to watch it again and again and I'm afraid that lump in the throat will remain like a stubborn frost.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Where is the truly original introduction?, 5 May 2008
By nicktgb (Herefordshire, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Raymond Briggs' The Snowman : Special Edition [DVD] [1982] (DVD)
The rubric for this disc describes "David Bowie's original introduction". Not so - the introduction of the original film was truly atmospheric: a lone figure (Raymond Briggs?) walking through a winter landscape with the sky heavy with impending snow. This was later replaced by the appalling tosh by David Bowie and still later by an animated "Father Christmas" introduction. The true original now seems impossible to acquire - a dreadful act of cultural vandalism.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Christmas Magic
Our children loved this when released in the 80's. Recorded it on VHS with the David Bowie intro and so nice to see that intro on this DVD. Read more
Published 8 days ago by A Dad

5.0 out of 5 stars The snowman
Excellent for all ages, bought for the 3 year olds i work with, some of them had never seen it before and were mesmerized, you could hear a pin drop! Read more
Published 26 days ago by Ms. M. J. Clarke

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Favourite
I missed The Snowman first-time around ... and the second and third. But the Christmas I first witnessed the power of this apparently simple story and its lovely hand-drawn... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Dr. M. S. Wood

5.0 out of 5 stars Classics for kids and grown-ups
It is too bad, that I'm not a kid... I would love to watch this animation throught the eyes of a young boy, who still believes in Santa Claus and winter magic. Read more
Published 1 month ago by I. Serpak

5.0 out of 5 stars classic
Just loved it over again, the whole family from kids to grand parents loved it.
Published 1 month ago by Mr. R. H. Oliver

5.0 out of 5 stars The Snowman
This was the first time I have orderd for delivery to USA. I was anxious re delivery and the format of the DVD.
I need not have worried. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. C. J. Bedford

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful animation.
This timeless classic never fails to please and now that my son is nearly 3, I have no better audience to try it out on. He loves every minute of it.
Published 2 months ago by L. Powell

5.0 out of 5 stars A simple question for you all
How do you make a grown man cry?

Show him this DVD!

It's a Christmas classic and ensures that people all around the country have 'something in their... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. M. W. Lawson

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent!
We have watched this video every Christmas for years so i was very pleased to find a copy for my grandson to enjoy and to continue the tradition. Read more
Published 2 months ago by E. Barbara Andres

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a Christmas without The Snowman
I remember this film from my own childhood chistmas'. Every year this was shown on DR, and I think it still is. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jannie Elisabeth Kristensen

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