This was the almost certainly the first film I saw in the cinema, which would have been in the spring or summer of 1971, when I turned 8 in June of that year. The only image that stuck in my mind from that occasion though, was the final shot at the end when Miss Tiggywinkle runs across a meadow and disappears into the distance. The next time I saw the film was on TV in the 1980's although on that occasion I only caught the last five minutes or so, but this confirmed that I had correctly remembered the Miss Tiggywinkle shot at the end.
However, today (24/12/2021) I was able to see the film in its entirety for the first time since 1971, when the British TV channel 'Talking Pictures' screened it. As an adult, my view of the film was very different from when I saw it as a child. It seemed a little overlong to me and the ballet sequences a little repetitive but otherwise it was a very impressive film. I particularly liked the two scenes when mocked-up old newspapers are shown. In the first, the date appears to be 2nd February 1894 (which would correspond to the time that Beatrix Potter was writing the stories) but in the second, only the month (July) is clearly distinguishable.
There are a couple of other points worth mentioning. Firstly, Talking Pictures gave the film a PG rather than a U certificate which was rather surprising. The only explanation I can think for this may be the fact that we see a man (Beatrix's father?) smoking early on in the film. Incidentally, neither this actor or the woman sitting opposite him (presumably Beatrix's mother) are listed in the credits, which is rather odd given that everyone else is.
