All Creatures Great & Small [VHS]
This television film based on the autobiographical novels of country veterinarian James Herriot predates the popular British TV series of the same name by several years. Shot on location in the picturesque Yorkshire countryside, it is utterly charming and features quite an illustrious cast. Academy Award-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins is terrific as the dedicated, exasperating Dr. Siegfried Farnon, who takes young Herriot, fresh out of a London veterinary college, on as his assistant.  Herriot is appealingly played by Simon Ward (perhaps best known as the Duke of Buckingham inThe Three Musketeers).  The movie opens as Herriot arrives for an interview with Farnon.  Dressed in his spotless Saville Row suit, Herriot is immediately swept along on a "horse call" and finds himself treating a messy injury.  This is the life that Herriot always dreamed of!  Like the series, the movie is a must for animal lovers.  (Yes, Mrs. Pumphrey is here with her pampered lap dog, Tricky Woo.)  It's also delightfully romantic, as it follows the courtship between Herriot and his bride-to-be, Helen (lovely Lisa Harrow).  Droll British humor and authentic period detail cap off a thoroughly satisfying production.--Laura Mirsky