Skip to main content

Plot

This feature-length dramatization of James Herriot's best-seller was issued by EMI as a big-screen theatrical release in England, but debuted on NBC as a telemovie in the United States, February 4, 1975. It stars Simon Ward as Herriot in his early days as a veterinarian. The story picks up in 1937, with Herriot's first assignment as assistant to eccentric Yorkshire vet Siegfried Farnon (Anthony Hopkins). The film's highlight is the strenuous delivery of a newborn colt; its most poignant moment is the mercy killing of a seriously ill dog. In between "cases," Herriot courts pretty farmer's daughter Helen (Lisa Farrow). The film eventually spawned a television series.
MPAA Rating:
Genre(s):
Drama
Run Time:
92min.
DVD Release Date:
11/14/2000
Director(s):
Claude Whatham
Starring:
Anthony Hopkins , Simon Ward , Lisa Harrow , Brian Stirner
Themes:
Culture Clash,Class Differences,Small-Town Life
Tone:
Bittersweet,Deliberate,Earnest,Heartwarming,Literate,Poignant,Talky
Keywords:
Britain,animal,rurality,slice-of-life,veterinarian
Language:
English