The Borrowers

Synopsis: The Borrowers are four-inch high "little people" who live under the floorboards. When the owner of the house they live in dies and her evil lawyer Ocious P. Potter wants to destroy the house to build luxury apartments in its place, they start to fight him with the help of the son of house owner, Pete.
Director(s): Peter Hewitt
Production: PolyGram
  Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.
 
IMDB:
5.8
Rotten Tomatoes:
73%
PG
Year:
1997
89 min
1,126 Views


[winding]

[squeaking]

[snap]

ouch!

[sighs]

Pete.

Pete?

Pete?

What exactly are you

trying to catch?

I'm not sure.

Can we leave my fingers

out of it?

I'm sorry, mom, but

there must be a reason

Why we can never find

anything in this house.

There is. It's

called your father.

Mom, I'm serious.

What about the pen

by the phone?

And the Christmas

tree lights, remember?

And the needle and thread

you left on the bed?

Matches, batteries, candles,

safety pins, dental floss?

Ok, ok.

Something is taking

our stuff,

And I'm going to

find out what it is.

All right,

who stole my watch?

Victoria:
It's by the radio.

Where are you guys

going anyway?

Joe:
We have a meeting with

the great Ocious P. Potter.

He's reading

aunt Mary's will.

What's so great

about him?

Victoria:
He's a lawyer.

We have to see him

about the house.

Something wrong?

Probably wants us

to sign some papers.

Nothing

to worry about.

Let's go, Pete. You're going

to be late for school.

Honey...

Can't find

my stupid keys.

Oh, my gosh, Pete,

I'm so sorry. You're right.

Some...Thing

must have taken them.

See? I told you!

[imitating scary music]

oo-oo-oo-oo!

Joe:

Wait a second.

Where's

my briefcase gone?

What

a beautiful day!

Victoria:
Come on, Pete,

get a move on.

[car doors slam]

[sighs]

Ha ha!

[straining]

[blows]

Still got

plenty of time.

Here we go.

[grunts]

No will?

No will?

Horrible, isn't it?

I've been through

your late aunt's files

With a fine legal comb,

And believe me,

it just doesn't exist.

That's impossible.

We were right in this office

When she said she was

leaving the house to us.

Come on! You were sitting

right there!

Sometimes people say

one thing and then...

Turn around and do something

completely different.

Or in your aunt's case, they

turn around and drop dead.

[click]

Joe:
I don't

believe this.

We've got to be able to work

something out here.

I already have.

The world is a train speeding

towards the 21st century,

And I'll be damned

if our little town

Is going to be left

standing at the station.

Ta-dah!

[click]

24 highly expensive

luxury apartments

In the place of one house.

You're demolishing

our house for that?

You like it? You have until

Saturday to move out.

Wh--Saturday?

There must be

something we can do.

Where there's no will...

There's no way.

[mixer whirring]

Stop right there,

Arrietty clock.

What is the first rule

of borrowing?

The first rule of borrowing--

that's a tricky one.

Is it...Have as much fun

as you can?

Arrietty?

The first rule

of borrowing:

A borrower must

never, ever be seen.

You've only told me

a zillion times, dad.

Well, what is the first

thing you do, then?

Check that the coast

is clear.

I did, and it's clear,

so can we go now?

Hold on.

Come on, Peagreen. We have

a very big day ahead of us.

Oh, I hate big days.

Come on, Peagreen.

You hate everything.

That's not true.

I like sweets.

Candy...

Sweets, candy,

ga-ga.

Chocolate,

ice cream, chips.

Oh, shut up.

Doughnuts

with jam.

Arrietty,

come back!

We've got a lot

of borrowing to do,

And I've got to change

this battery.

Today,

Potter's apartments...

Tomorrow...

Pottersville.

[chuckling]

[humming]

Where do you think

you're going?

Dad told us

not to budge.

Stop it,

you little squirt.

Are you going

to help me or not?

Not.

Fine. I'll eat all

the ice cream myself then.

Wait for me, Arrietty!

Don't climb so fast!

Peagreen:
Don't

leave me behind!

[groaning]

I'm getting

too old for this.

If dad catches you,

Arrietty,

I have nothing

to do with this.

This is a big mistake.

Right, ok, here we go.

Arrietty!

What?

I'm going to need a lot

of ice cream, Arrietty.

Stupid little squirt.

Look...

A whole room

full of winter.

Arrietty,

what are you doing?

[chewing] nothing.

What about

the ice cream?

I'm sure it must be

around here somewhere.

Unh! Arrietty! Aah!

I can't hold it!

I can't hold it, Arrietty!

Help!

Dad!

Peagreen:
Dad!

My arm's stuck!

Dad!

Dad!

Dad!

What is it?

What's going on?

What's happened?

She made me do it!

It's not my fault!

Where is she?

In there.

She's in the freezer?

Is that bad?

I don't think it

could get much worse.

[door opens]

It just got worse.

Hold tight.

Here we go.

Dad! Dad!

Don't do it!

We've got to do it!

We did it!

We did it!

Take the battery and

get back to your mother.

Tell her not to worry,

all right?

[shivering]

Oof!

You want some ice

in here?

No, thanks.

Aah!

Aah!

All right?

I'm in big trouble,

right?

Quiet.

[click]

[rumbling]

[creaking]

Whoa!

Come on, Arrietty.

Stop dawdling.

Your mother's going to be

cross enough as it is.

I told him

you weren't ready.

Now look

what's happened!

He did it.

He did it.

He jumped right

off the fridge.

Peagreen, put that marshmallow

down and drink your milk.

But I hate milk.

See! [muttering]

Ah, there you are at last!

I was all in a spin!

Carpet, off.

I was sick with worry!

And where are the borrowings?

Oh, dear, how could you

do this to me?

How could I?

Arrietty's the one who got

herself stuck in the freezer.

What was I

supposed to do,

Leave her there

until she iced over?

I had to run 'round

the whole kitchen.

I burned my toes

on the stove.

I told you they were

too young to go borrowing.

Yes, Arrietty.

Me and dad have had it up

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Gavin Scott

Gavin Duncan Scott (born 1950) is an English novelist, broadcaster and writer of the Emmy-winning mini-series The Mists of Avalon, Small Soldiers, The Borrowers and Legend of Earthsea. He spent ten years making films for British television before becoming a screenwriter, creating more than two hundred documentaries and short films for BBC and the commercial TV, including UK’s prestigious Channel 4. His first assignment in the United States was with George Lucas, developing and scripting The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. His work ranges from family entertainment to comedy, science fiction and historical dramas. Scott wrote Krakatoa, a Titanic-style movie for National Geographic Feature Films, and an eight-hour adaptation of War and Peace for Lux Vida SPA, directed by Robert Dornhelm (Into the West, The Ten Commandments). He created and executive produced a 22-part television series set in the nineteenth century about the origins of the creative ideas of Jules Verne, which was broadcast around the world. In 2006, his children's film Treasure Island Kids: The Battle for Treasure Island, starring Randy Quaid, was released on DVD. Born in Hull, Yorkshire, Gavin emigrated with his family to New Zealand in 1961. At 17 he spent a year as a volunteer teacher in the jungles of Borneo, working with the children of head-hunters, after which he studied history and political science at Victoria University of Wellington, and journalism at the Wellington Polytechnic. He returned to Britain overland across Asia in 1973, traveling through Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Afghanistan and Iran, and worked for Shelter, the British housing charity, before joining the Times Educational Supplement, from which base he also wrote features for The Times. After five years as a reporter and program anchor for BBC Radio, Gavin began in 1980 making films for BBC Television’s Newsnight, covering literary as well as political subjects; among his interviewees, J.B. Priestley, Christopher Isherwood, Iris Murdoch and John Fowles. He then made documentaries on science and culture for series such as Horizon and Man Alive before joining Channel 4 News, for which he made films until 1990. Following the death of Maurice Macmillan in 1984, son of the former British Prime Minister and MP for Surrey South West Harold Macmillan, Gavin Scott was selected and stood as a Liberal here at the Parliamentary Byelection for the Liberal/SDP Alliance and came within 2600 votes of taking the seat from the Conservative candidate Virginia Bottomley who went on to serve in John Major's cabinet. It was during this time that he started writing novels, including Hot Pursuit, about a Russian satellite that crashed in New Zealand, and A Flight of Lies, about the hunt for the bones of Peking Man. He has recently written a Dickensian historical novel set in the nineteenth century, The Adventures of Toby Wey. Gavin is also a sculptor, creating shadow boxes similar to those of Joseph Cornell, using mass-produced toys as his medium. He lives with his family in Santa Monica, California, and recently finished writing the script of Absolutely Anything with Terry Jones. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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