If you haven't heard already, actor Peter Sallis died last week. I've never seen The Last of the Summer Wine, but most of my generation will know him for his voice work in Nick Park's Wallace and Gromit - Four short films and a feature-length movie following the wacky adventures of the eccentric inventor Wallace and his silent but intelligent dog Gromit.
I've been watching the original shorts for as long as I can remember, with their stop-motion animation, surreal stories, subtle movie references, and Wallace's bizarre contraptions combined with his love of cheese - especially Wensleydale.
The plasticine duo's debut was in 1989's A Grand Day Out, in which a bank holiday cheese shortage prompts Wallace to build a rocket so they can head to the moon - because everyone knows the moon is made of cheese. While there, they are confronted by a coin-operated robot who wants to go skiing. Apparently this was Nick Park's thesis, and it wasn't finished when Aardman Studios picked it up. Sallis accepted £50 for the voice role, and was quite surprised when he received a call six years later to say the film was finished.
Anyway, the short was so successful that it warranted a follow-up with The Wrong Trousers in 1993 - Wallace is having financial problems after buying Gromit a pair of automated "techno-trousers", and lets out a spare room. Their lodger is a silent and menacing penguin who proceeds to drive Gromit out, intending to utilise the techno-trousers and his landlord for a nefarious scheme.
Following on, we have 1995's A Close Shave. The duo have established a window-cleaning service, and Wallace becomes attracted to the wool-shop owner Wendolene, who may be a suspect in a sheep-rustling scheme that's plaguing the town.
As stated above, I saw these shorts many times growing up, and they still hold up to this day - although I think The Wrong Trousers is the best one by far. They're all funny, sometimes poignant, and even quite dark at times. What's not to like?
It was a rare treat to hear that they would be returning in 2005's The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. This Hammer Horror tribute has the pair running a humane pest control business in the run-up to the annual vegetable growing competition. Unfortunately, Wallace's latest experiment unleashes the title monster on the town's allotments. The film also featured a larger cast, including Helena Bonham-Carter as Wallace's love interest Lady Tottington, and Ralph Fiennes as her big game-hunting suitor Victor Quartermaine. Stand-up comedian Peter Kay also has a role as the local police officer. I saw this one in the cinema when it came out, and I did laugh a lot. It's still great, but probably not one for new audiences to start with.
And last but not least, there was 2008's A Matter of Loaf and Death, where the pair are now bakers, and Wallace becomes romantically involved with a former bread mascot and Gromit investigates a cereal...sorry, serial killer who is targeting bakers. I only saw this recently, and they really go over the top with the bread puns. But the characters are still great and there's plenty to laugh at.
If you fancy a nostalgia trip, the shorts are available on Amazon Instant Video if you're a Prime member, while the film can be found on Netflix.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a nice bit of cheese.
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