The Three Lives of Thomasina
| The Three Lives of Thomasina | |
|---|---|
Original theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Don Chaffey |
| Produced by |
Walt Disney (uncredited) Associate Producer: Hugh Attwooll |
| Written by |
Robert Westerby Paul Gallico (novel) |
| Starring |
Patrick McGoohan Karen Dotrice Susan Hampshire Matthew Garber |
| Narrated by | Elspeth March |
| Music by | Paul J. Smith |
| Cinematography | Paul Beeson |
| Edited by | Gordon Stone |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
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Release date
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11 December 1963 |
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English Gaelic |
| Box office | $2,250,000 (US/ Canada) |
The Three Lives of Thomasina is a 1963 British fantasy film starring Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire, child actor Matthew Garber and child actress Karen Dotrice in a story about a cat and her influence on a family. The screenplay was written by Robert Westerby and Paul Gallico. It was based upon Gallico's 1957 novel Thomasina, the Cat Who Thought She Was God. The film was directed by Don Chaffey, and shot in Inveraray, Argyll, Scotland, and Pinewood Studios, England. Thomasina has been broadcast on television and released to VHS and DVD.
The story takes place in fictional Inveranoch, Scotland in the year 1912. It centres on Andrew MacDhui (Patrick McGoohan) a coldly scientific, atheist veterinarian, his seven-year-old daughter Mary (Karen Dotrice), and her cat Thomasina (voiced by Elspeth March), who narrates the film. (Thomasina was originally called "Thomas" by her adoptive family. She explains that they amended her name "when they, well, got to know me better.")
Mr. MacDhui is a widower. His wife's death destroyed his belief in God, as well as his empathy for others. He has little sympathy for pets, preferring "useful" animals such as hard-working farm beasts and the blind man Tammas' guide dog, Bruce.
One day Thomasina is chased by dogs in the marketplace. She falls from some boxes and sustains an injury. Mary and her friends find Thomasina the following day. Meanwhile, Mr. MacDhui is operating on Bruce (who had been struck by a car). The doctor is interrupted during the surgery by his daughter, begging him to help her cat. Observing that Thomasina's muscles are stiff, he diagnoses her with tetanus. He orders his assistant Willie Bannock (Wilfrid Brambell) to euthanize Thomasina.
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Wikipedia