Trying to remember a PBS movie/play from my childhood

[Aragorn]

My memory is fuzzy but I remember eagerly watching it whenever it came on. It might've actually been made before my childhood but I associate it with that time period because that's when I first saw it. I want to say it was a British production and it either could've been a TV movie, TV mini-series or a filmed play, but again I've forgotten virtually everything about it.

There was a magic box or some similar device that allowed these children to fly or shrink. But instead of calling it flying, they called it "swift." That's really the only specific detail I remember.

 

[The Lensman]

What decade were you a kid?

 

[GNDN18]

That sounds like a movie I saw at the theatre between c. 1972 and c. 1976. I have only a dim memory of it myself, but I think the English dialogue was dubbed. I wouldn’t even know where to start looking.

 

[cosmic mouse]

Box of Delights? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Box_of_Delights_(TV_series)

 

[Aragorn]

Yes! It is The Box of Delights! Thanks. I'm guessing if I watch it now it won't be as good as I thought it was.

 

[The Lensman]

Yes! It is The Box of Delights! Thanks. I'm guessing if I watch it now it won't be as good as I thought it was.

Probably. Thankfully, I didn't watch it as a kid, so I get to discover it now. Just watched the first episode and I really enjoyed it! It was like watching a half remembered dream of British tv from my childhood, sometimes from something in syndication, but usually PBS. There's a certain essence that it captured perfectly, from the era, setting and presentation. My biggest dilemma is do I finish watching it now? Or wait until Christmas season, when cold weather is here, and it would fit more appropriately? It seems like something to watch on a cold, dreary afternoon going into evening.

At any rate, I'm glad I checked this thread as I found something new and enjoyable to watch!
Cheers!

 

[cosmic mouse]

Yes! It is The Box of Delights! Thanks. I'm guessing if I watch it now it won't be as good as I thought it was.

Glad I could help. I've never seen it actually. .. just did a key word search in Google and it fit the description .

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

The series won four TV awards.

The BBC TV production of The Box of Delights won three British Academy of Film & Television Arts awards (BAFTAs) and a Royal Television Society award: The serial was nominated for five BAFTAs - for best Children's Programme, Video Cameraman, Graphics, Video Lighting and VTR Editor; and won three - for best Children's Programme, VTR Editor and Video Lighting. The Royal Television Society award was won for Technique, for Robin Lobb and the BBC Special Effects team.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Box_of_Delights_(TV_series)
It was followed by the three Chronicles of Narnia series, which were also praised but didn't win as many awards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(TV_serial)#Awards
I never bothered to watch any of them as they were children's TV. I probably missed out.

 

[Admiral2]

The series won four TV awards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Box_of_Delights_(TV_series)
It was followed by the three Chronicles of Narnia series, which were also praised but didn't win as many awards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(TV_serial)#Awards
I never bothered to watch any of them as they were children's TV. I probably missed out.

Actually, I saw the Narnia series on PBS and loved them. I remember them more fondly than the more modern feature films, though that's probably nostalgia talking.

I never saw the box of Delights, though. Maybe i'll check it out.

 

[The Lensman]

While watching this, it struck me that I knew two of the voices, both from the excellent BBC audio production of Lord Of The Rings. The police chief was the voice of Butterburr and the main baddie was....ironically...the voice of Aragorn!