Original subtitles

♪ The Wind in the Willows

♪ Sang softly to me

♪ Follow my voice

♪ Wherever it leads

♪ From mountains, through valleys

♪ To deep rolling seas

♪ Born on the wings of the breeze ♪

It had got round to that time of the year when everything seemed to get better.

Instead of freezing gales, soft breezes.

Instead of iron-grey clouds,

a cool, blue sky that promised warmer blues to come.

The hedgerow birds sang louder.

Bluebells and whitebells and yellow dandelions glowed in the greener grass.

The chestnuts that grew around Toad Hall opened great leaves

that looked like crumpled gloves,

while in the hall, Toad and his friends discussed a different kind of opening.

Open Toad Hall to the public?!

What would your dear dead father say?

It sounds like showing off to me, Toad.

Showing off, Ratty? That's hardly fair!

I've always seen myself as quite a modest sort of chap.

I wouldn't like Mole End full of tourists. Some of them may not wipe their feet.

Well, they're hardly likely to want to see Mole End, are they?

- I say! - Eh? Er, no, no.

No, I only meant that while it's a dear little place, I'm sure,

it doesn't have the splendour, the... magnificence...

It doesn't have the...

the, um, aristocratic je ne sais quoi of Toad Hall.

You may well be right, Toad,

but if you go ahead with this foolhardy plan to fill the place with... visitors,

Toad Hall will certainly not have me.

I shall be in the fresh, uncrowded air with me paints.

Oh, now look here, Badger, old fellow.

Look here nothin', Toad. You're as conceitedly scatterbrained as always.

Open day(!)

- Pah! I wash my hands of you. - Oh, dear.

- Now you've done it. - Well, pish tush!

- He's such an old stick in the mud! - Maybe, Toad,

but I think he's right. You'll regret this silly idea.

Nonsense. Nonsense, my dear friends. It will be a triumph!

People will flock to admire the splendour, the magnificence, the aristo...

Aristocratic nonsense! Yes, we know all that, but...

But nothing, Rat! Posters have gone up and invitations have gone out.

- Invitations, Toad? - Good heavens, yes, my dear Mole.

Anybody who IS anybody will be there at my open day.

It will be the event of the season!

And I am sure

that many, many people will be fascinated by the great house

that Mr Toad has made available to the community at large.

And which says so much about the farsightedness,

taste, style

and the honest devotion to hard work

of Mr Toad's father.

What?!

In 15 minutes' time, after refreshments,

the present Mr Toad will be guiding us

through the many interesting rooms and features of his home.

But now it is with great pleasure

that I declare this open day...

er...

um...

...open!

Lovely.

I love the decorations and the minstrels' gallery is just divine.

- I knew I was right, Ratty. - What's that?

Two of those rabbits walked straight in and never looked at the doormat!

It's not the footprints that worry me -

there are far too many weasels here.

I just wish Badger hadn't gone off.

- Anyway, you keep an eye on them. - I will.

I will!

It's a lovely place you've got 'ere, Mr Toad.

- Oh, that's awfully kind. - All paid for?

Well...

All paid for?! Of course it's all paid for!

I mean, some of these 'ere paintings must be priceless.

They most certainly are not!

They are worth hundreds.

Hundreds!

Priceless, indeed(!)

Hundreds, eh?

Well, well, just think of that.

Eh?

Yeah.

I'm thinking...

Ah, there you are, Mr Toad.

Tell me, where is that nice, respectable friend of yours,

Mr, um, Badger? Isn't he here?

Eh? Well...

Naturally, he wanted to come,

but there was... an emergency.

Yes, yes, that's it. He was broken-hearted,

- but he just couldn't manage it. - What's that, Toad?

Mr Toad was just telling us about poor Mr Badger.

What a shame he can't be here.

What was the emergency?

Oh, no emergency, Mrs Carrington-Moss. He's gone painting.

- Can't do with a lot of people. - But Toad told me... Toad?

Where is he?

Mr Toad?

Thank you. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

And now I invite you to take advantage of my guided tour

of the treasures of Toad Hall.

I'm sure we will.

Yeah!

If you would be so kind as to form an orderly group and stay close

so that you don't miss my informative commentary, I shall lead you round

some of the tasteful features which adorn my modest home.

Fortunately, one had the good fortune to be born with a clear, resonant voice

so you will hear every word I say, but perhaps Mrs Carrington-Moss

would like the place of honour

so that you may enjoy in full the benefit of my wisdom

in matters pertaining to the world of art.

Right, lads. Are you ready to do as Mr Toad suggests?

Yeah, not half! Lead the way.

Right, Chief.

(Be quiet about it.)

Oh! Toad is a fool!

Look, Mole, old chap, I shall watch the back entrance

in case the weasels slip anything out. And you watch the front door.

Any suspicious bulges under weasels' coats and you just hail me.

I will, Ratty. I will.

And there a famous painting of the Rear Admiral Toad by...

...er, Pliny the Elder.

I don't see any painting of a Rear Admiral.

I see one of a Front Admiral.

I say, Toad, I thought Pliny the Elder was a famous Roman writer.

I suppose he was like me - bit of a renaissance man.

And here a particularly valuable statue of another ancestor, Tunability Toad,

the famous opera singer... Ah! It's gone!

- Oh, Mr Toad! How dreadful! - Robbery, by Jove!

- Where was the statue, Toad? - It was... there.

- Yes... - Are you all right, Toad?

Yes. Well, I...

But ...

Mr Toad, what next?

Hm? Oh, coming.

Coming!

Ah! Now that little work I picked up myself...

The gentleman who sold it to me assured me it's Vermicelli and worth every penny.

It's the portrait of Lorenzo Toad, Doge of Venice,

in 1456.

Wonderful craftsmanship.

Cor. It's one of me Uncle Albert's.

Yes, yes, Toad Hall is quite as good as the Tate Gallery.

Quite as good. Of course, growing up in the midst of all this talent,

one cannot help but develop an extraordinary sensitivity

- to the skills of the sculptor. - That's very lifelike, Mr Toad.

What is it?

Oh, it's an abstract of, eh... Father Time.

Leonardo da Vinci. Do hurry along. I want to show you my Spode escritoire.

Who's he calling Leonardo?

All right, all right!

Nearly.

Right.

Come on, then.

I'm almost sure it was there this morning.

Though, of course, with such a majestic establishment,

it's hard to keep track of everything. Well, come along.

Now I have a fine collection of bishops' hand-warmers from the 13th Century.

Hmm.

Keep it moving...

I'm so sorry I couldn't actually find the bishops' hand-warmers.

- Or the Spode escritoire. - Or the Ming vase.

Or the Rembrandt.

Oh, dear. Oh, dear.

So many things seem to have... seem to have, em...

Gone!

Oh, please!

- And that's not all, Toad. - What? Not all?

- The weasels have all gone, too. - The weasels?

How strange that they should go at...

...the same time.

I wonder if I might... sit down?

- Ratty! How? - They must have slipped past you.

No, they certainly did not.

- Well, they didn't slip past me. - Not a weasel went out by my door.

Not a weasel went out by... my door, either.

Don't be ridiculous. If they didn't leave and they aren't here,

where are they?

- Right. Here's another. - Keep it moving.

- Oh, it's heavy. - From you to me, from me to you.

That's right.

Get hold of it. Got it?

Pass it along.

OK, got it.

Keep it moving. From me to you, from you to me.

- From me to you... - Watch that Ming vase, you idiot!

- Sorry, guv. - Keep it moving.

'Ere, it's stuck.

Oh, come here. Let's see.

Oh, well. There's only that bit in the middle that's interesting.

'Ere.

There you are. Problem solved.

- Cor, thanks. - To me to you...

Come on, pass it along, pass it along.

Shut that door, you fool!

- Sorry, Chief! - You will be!

I've told you - get all the stuff to the end

then we all go together, and fast.

- Right, Chief. - Get a move on!

What's this?

Uh, I think it's a Grecian um.

Ho ho. What's a Grecian um?

About 25 bob a week!

Cut out the funny stuff and shut that bloomin' door!

- It wasn't me, Chief! - A likely story. Just you wait!

- Pass it along. - All right, all right.

Hello. Where did you come from?

Ah... Chief?

Chief!

All the wealth has been stolen from me! The Toad inheritance - gone!

- Now look, Toad... - A treasure house of genius!

A wonderland of artistry!

- Oh, Toad... - Ohh! Oh, wretched Toad!

The fates have doomed you to a life of shame!

Oh.

What is there left for me but...

death and dishonour?

Scorned by my ancestors, ridiculed by society...

Deprived at one blow of my wealth! My culture!

And my birthright!

- Toad... - Yes?

Be quiet!

Oh! I say!

Whatever's that, Ratty'? Look!

Singularly unfunny! Come on.

Eh? Oh!

Come on, you!

- Why are they walking backwards? - { Go on! Go on, the lot of you!

- I think that's why, Ratty. - It's Badger!

- You miserable, light-fingered scoundrels! - Oh, heck!

I'll give you "art collectors"!

I'll give you "removal men"!

Ho ho! Saved!

Another macaroon, my dear Badger?

Well, since they're just a mouthful.

Yes.

- Oh, do go on, Badger. - Well, as I say,

I was doing a watercolour of the hall through chestnut trees

and I saw that wretched fella pop out of the tunnel entrance

and then pop in again.

So I finished my painting, slipped quietly in

and found the secret passage bulging with treasures.

And weasels.

My word, I gave 'em some stick!

And more stick is what they'll get from me if they don't work harder.

Not there, you villain. There.

Oh, Toad, you were lucky. You could have lost everything.

If it hadn't been for your silly showing off, it would never have happened.

- Look here, Rat... - I hope it's taught you a lesson.

- Oh, it has. It has. - Oh, good.

- Next time I'll have it guarded! - Next time?!

- Oh, Toad! - You're not opening Toad Hall again?

- I must just see Mrs Carrington-Moss. - What about, pray?

About her opening the grand military tattoo and horse show!

Oh, Toad!

♪ Spin me a dream

♪ Woven silver and gold

♪ From sunshine and shadows

♪ And days long ago

♪ Where people are memories

♪ And stories unfold

♪ Willows

♪ The tales you have told me

♪ Wind in the Willows

♪ You just seem to know

♪ Who you can tum to

♪ And which way to go

♪ To unwind your wondrous mind

♪ Wind in the Willows

♪ Take me there ♪