What is the movie where a perfect child gets delivered in a canister?
January 21, 2009 6:45 PM   Subscribe

Another "what is the name of this barely-remembered movie from childhood?" question. Ingredients: a perfect child getting delivered in a barrel. Maybe he was a robot?

I vaguely remember seeing this movie as a child, and now, the only scene I can remember is a couple getting this oil-drum-sized canister delivered to their house. They open it up, and inside the canister is a boy. He's like...not quite alive. I don't remember if his power was off (he may have been a robot) or they needed to just add water or something. I think the movie had a kind of 70s/80s feel. I also think the couple may have been British? Or the movie took place in the UK?

I eventually became convinced that this movie didn't exist and I'd made up this little fragment. But then when I was a freshman in college my roommate started describing a scene in a movie he could barely remember and didn't know the name of and it was the exact. same. scene. So we tried to google it, and we'd tell other people about it, and they'd say, "Oh Im the MASTER at googling up movies lemme take a shot." and no one has come up with anything. Pls hope me metafilterwankenobi you're my only hope. Except for the AV Club mailbag I guess...
posted by jeb to Media & Arts (12 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
I definitely saw this!
posted by zpousman at 7:07 PM on January 21, 2009


I saw this one too, though I don't remember the name of it either. If it helps establish a time frame, I definitely watched this movie on VHS in 1995.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 7:09 PM on January 21, 2009


Best answer: Was the kid in the barrel some sort of manufactured child made in a factory, who must be perfect at all times? And the lady it was delivered to was Ms. Bertalletti...Bertallotti...something like that? Who was decidedly NOT perfect? And it turned out that they'd made a mistake and delivered the kid to the wrong address? And the second half involved Ms. Bertalletti & friends and their quest to keep the Konrad, who wanted to stay with her, and their fight against the evil perfect child factory?

If so, it was Konrad! Made by WonderWorks, and aired on PBS. Looks like Amazon has some used VHS tapes for sale, too.

(This brings back such memories. I had the second half of it on a tape and watched it over and over when I was a kid....)
posted by anthy at 7:10 PM on January 21, 2009


holy smokes, now *I* remember this movie, too. Great, now I'm going to have to snag a copy on Amazon...
posted by verb at 7:18 PM on January 21, 2009


Response by poster: WOW I THINK IT IS KONRAD!!! Which would explain why I always think this movie is D.A.R.Y.L. when I search for it but then I'm crestfallen. ITS GOTTA BE KONRAD RIGHT? Love this site, love you anthy.
posted by jeb at 7:18 PM on January 21, 2009


The book, by Christine Nöstlinger, is charming too, though sadly out of print.
posted by redfoxtail at 8:32 PM on January 21, 2009


I see that the question has been answered, but I want to second redfoxtail. The book is awesome. I got an Spanish edition when I was a kid in an international book fair, it became one of my favorite books. I have recommended it many times to people who want to get their kids to like reading. I did not know there was a movie.

Do they keep the dirty songs the lady teaches him in the movie? The Spanish edition had a song that would be considered very insulting to Islam today, a song from the time when the Moors were expelled from Spain.
posted by dirty lies at 2:00 AM on January 22, 2009


Oh yes! I was about to weigh in with the book - Conrad - which I just loved as a nipper. Just great. And, now I come to think of it, very progressive. I never knew there was a film - I'll check it out.
posted by freya_lamb at 2:30 AM on January 22, 2009


Response by poster: Wow. I didn't even know this movie was based on a book. This has been haunting me for like twenty years. I'm so glad I posted this Q. Thanks all.
posted by jeb at 7:19 AM on January 22, 2009


If you would like to read the book there are copies on the Amazon UK site for pennies.
posted by freya_lamb at 5:16 AM on January 23, 2009


p.s. It is a kid's book by the way, very lovely though.
posted by freya_lamb at 5:17 AM on January 23, 2009


Response by poster: I watched this movie yesterday. Man, it is one strange movie. I would not let my children watch it, I don't think, if I had children.
posted by jeb at 4:42 PM on March 6, 2009


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