The movie adaptation of Stephen Fry’s 1994 novel The Hippopotamus now has a trailer – boasting a sufficiently pissed Roger Allam in the titular role of the Hippo himself – a once successful poet turned fired alcoholic theatre-reviewer.
The Hippo, Ted Wallace (Allam), is paid handsomely to investigate a series of unexplained miracle healings at the manor of his friends Lord and Lady Logan.
Hopefully the problematic trivialisation of alcoholism in the trailer is just bad editing, and the film itself will echo the elegant approach taken in the novel upon which it is based. If so, this promises to be an excellent Sunday-afternoon-with-a-cup-of-tea film.
The Hippopotamus is out May!