The Complete Faerie Tale Theatre Collection (26 Titles) (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)After years of waiting, Faerie Tale Theatre fans can finally own the series on DVD. Shelley Duvall's series originally appeared on Showtime 20 years ago and featured well-known and rising stars of the time. The series' enthusiastic interpretations of beloved fairy tales has made it a cult classic. Better yet, the DVD prices are affordable, especially after the high prices the used VHS copies have been earning in recent years.
The collection package featured here contains all of the 26 fairy tales created for the series. The original series had an extra special, called Grimm Party, that was a retrospective of the series with various casts and Shelley Duvall. Unfortunately, this episode has never been made available on VHS, laser disc, or DVD, not being included in licensing packages. While this might be a disappointing omission, it shouldn't lessen the thrill of finally having DVD editions of the 26 tales themselves at a great price.
Here's a list of all 26 episodes contained in this collection:
The Tale of the Frog Prince
Rumpelstilskin
Rapunzel
The Nightingale
Sleeping Beauty
Jack and the Beanstalk
Little Red Riding Hood
Hansel and Gretel
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Princess and the Pea
Pinocchio
Thumbelina
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Beauty and the Beast
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
The Three Little Pigs
The Snow Queen
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Cinderella
Puss 'n Boots
The Emperor's New Clothes
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
The Princess Who Had Never Laughed
Rip Van Winkle
The Little Mermaid
The Dancing Princesses

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Bedtime Tales (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Four more beloved episodes from Shelley Duvall's FAERIE TALE THEATRE series. Bundled together in this set are two of the classic early shows ("Sleeping Beauty" and "Goldilocks") but also one of the rare clunkers ("Rip Van Winkle").
SLEEPING BEAUTY:
The story recounts a childless king and queen (played by Sally Kellerman and Rene Auberjonois) who are finally blessed with a child after receiving some helpful advice from a fairy. At the child's christening, all the fairies are invited to bestow gifts upon the little princess. However, the wicked Henbane (Beverly d'Angelo) gets left off the list and gatecrashes the event, cursing the princess to a premature death from a spindle-prick. Kindly good fairy Cookie (Carol Kane) remedies the curse by changing a few details: the princess won't die, only sleep until woken by the kiss of a true Prince (Christopher Reeve). Bernadette Peters stars the title role.
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS:
Here are the adventures of a ringletted brat called Goldilocks (Tatum O'Neal) as she happens upon the 'deserted' house belonging to three bears. After helping herself to their porridge and breaking Cubby Bear's chair, she goes to sleep in his bed. When the bears return, she gets scared away...but not for long!...
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK:
Jack (Dennis Christopher) lives with his loving-but frazzled mother ("Soap"'s Katherine Helmond) in near poverty. The only thing left of value for them to sell is Jack's beloved cow Spot. Reluctantly, Jack sets off to market with the cow when he meets a strange old man who offers him 5 magic beans in exchange for the animal. When Jack returns home, his mother chides him for his foolishness and the beans are tossed outside...where they sprout into an enormous beanstalk that leads to a castle in the sky owned by an evil Giant (Elliott Gould). Jack's adventures have only just begun!
RIP VAN WINKLE:
Rip Van Winkle (Harry Dean Stanton) is a good man, he's just a too much of a dreamer is all. His wife Wilma (Talia Shire) has had just about enough of his loafing ways, the house is falling about their ears and there's no money. When Rip goes hunting in the forest, he happens upon a group of ghosts, who offer him some of their stange green drink. Sleepy and confused, Rip dozes away in the forest (for 20 years!). Once awake, Rip now finds himself in an entirely different world to the one he knew only yesterday. What has happened to Rip Van Winkle?

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Magical Tales (1984) Review

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(More customer reviews)Collected in this DVD are four unforgettable stories from Shelley Duvall's beloved FAERIE TALE THEATRE series. However, the title for this compilation ("Magical Tales") is quite curious, because most (if not all) of the stories from the show can be described as "magical"! Still, your family will adore seeing these fairytale classics, enacted by a star-studded cast: Susan Sarandon, Ben Vereen, Leonard Nimoy and Vanessa Redgrave among them.
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS:
Elizabeth McGovern is luminous in the title role of Snow White. Her acting is very understated and she perfectly captures the innocence and bewilderment of the character. Vanessa Redgrave offers a tour-de-force performance as the Wicked Queen, who dons several magical disguises to ensnare our heroine. Rex Smith gives us a Prince who is handsome yet goofy (a refreshing change), and Vincent Price is a delight as both the Magic Mirror and Narrator. Series creator Shelley Duvall has a brief role as Snow White's mother during the prologue.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST:
Beauty's (Susan Sarandon) merchant father steals a white rose from the castle of the Beast (Klaus Kinski). As punishment, the Beast orders that the merchant return to the castle in 3 days, or else one of his daughters must go in his place. Beauty selflessly sacrifices her own freedom to release her father. Once in the castle, Beauty slowly begins to win the friendship and trust of the Beast, who hides a gentle and kind heart beneath his frightening exterior.
PUSS IN BOOTS:
In return for some swanky new clothes, a clever cat (Ben Vereen) promises his master Edgar (Gregory Hines) a kingdom of his own and wealth beyond his wildest dreams. And with an extra bit of cunning Edgar might just win the hand of the fair Princess Lovinia (Alfre Woodard)!
ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP:
Aladdin (played by Robert Carradine) is thrown into a world of wonder, danger and romance after discovering a lamp which contains a Genie (James Earl Jones) who will grant his every wish. Unfortunately, a scheming magician (Leonard Nimoy) also knows about the magical lamp and will stop at nothing to get it...

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Faerie Tale Theatre - Jack and the Beanstalk (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Many years ago, the actress Shelley Duvall created and co-produced a series for Showtime Television called Faerie Tale Theatre. The quality of most of these stories are first-rate and feature many stars of the 1970's and '80's, quite a few of whom are still working today.
This is one of the worst movies in Faerie Tale Theatre's largely ingenious stable of titles. The impressive list of stars in this, including Elliott Gould, Jean Stapleton and Katherine Helmond are wasted on a meandering, silly script that falls far short of the creativity it was attempting.
Elliott Gould's Giant is written as extremely dumb, hearkening to the caveman stereotype and immediately short-circuiting any potential suspense in the rivalry between he and Jack. Mr. Gould is such a fine actor that I wish Faerie Tale Theatre had utilized the inventiveness evident in so many of their other productions, and made the Giant smart. This would make him a worthier adversary for Jack, and increase audience enjoyment of the story.
Jean Stapleton is similarly hampered by a script which eliminates the actress's intelligence and simply makes her Giantess a kinder version of her brutish husband. Utilize as many of the gifts that the actors possess. Trust them and the original tale rather than let misguided alterations ruin a fine story.
Katherine Helmond is extremely good in this as Jack's Mother. So good, in fact, that a decision could have been made to mute a forgettable Dennis Christopher, and make her the center of the story. That may seem like a stretch, but I guarantee you that the overall results would have been better.
Overall, though, she cannot save a rare misfire in the vaunted Faerie Tale Theatre series. I do recommend seeing this, as part of the series. However, do not start with this, as it will ruin your mood for what is really a classic series.

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Faerie Tale Theatre - Pinocchio (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)This version of PINOCCHIO from FAERIE TALE THEATRE is a wonderful adaptation of Carlo Collodi's timeless classic, about a wooden puppet who is brought to life thanks to a lonely man's desire to become a father.
Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) plays the title role with Carl Reiner as Geppetto, Pinocchio's loving father. Lainie Kazan is a sassy delight as Sophia, the Blue Fairy who grants the gift of life to Pinocchio, and James Coburn is fantastic as the evil Gypsy. Also in the cast are James Belushi and Michael Richards.
One of the best!

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Three Little Pigs (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)This production of THE THREE LITTLE PIGS from FAERIE TALE THEATRE is played strictly for laughs. With a talented cast including Billy Crystal, Valerie Perrine, Jeff Goldblum, Stephen Furst, Fred Willard and Doris Roberts, it makes for irresistible family entertainment.
Larry (Billy Crystal) and his two brothers leave home to find their way in the world. Whilst his two brothers (Willard and Furst) carelessly squander their savings and build flimsy houses of sticks and straw, Larry wisely builds his house of bricks...which proves to be an extremely wise move when a Wolf with an attitude problem (Jeff Goldblum) goes a-hunting for bacon...
Will Larry be able to stand up to the Wolf and win the affections of feisty piglette Tina (Valerie Perrine)? Wait and see! THE THREE LITTLE PIGS is one of the best in the FAERIE TALE THEATRE series.

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Princess Tales (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)Collected here are four of the all-time great princess-themed episodes from Faerie Tale Theatre.
CINDERELLA:
Cinderella (Jennifer Beals) leads a life of drudgery and unhappiness at the hands of her wicked stepmother (Eve Arden) and her stepsisters Arlene and Bertha (Jane Alden and Edie McClurg). When the dashing Prince Henry (Matthew Broderick) invites all the eligible maidens in the kingdom to the Autumn Ball, Cinderella naturally wishes to go too. Too bad she's dressed in rags and doesn't have a coach. But she does have a Fairy Godmother (Jean Stapleton) who'll see that Cinderella's every dream comes true...
THE LITTLE MERMAID:
Pearl (Pam Dawber) is a beautiful young mermaid who lives with her father King Neptune (Brian Dennehy) and her sisters Coral and Anemonie (Donna McKechnie and Laraine Newman) in a kingdom at the bottom of the ocean. When Pearl comes of age and is allowed a brief glimpse of the world above the sea, she falls in love with a handsome Prince (Treat Williams) whom she saves from drowning when his ship has a fatal explosion. Pearl makes a bargain with the Sea Witch (Karen Black): her voice in exchange for a pair of legs and hopefully the love of the Prince. Once on land Pearl quickly returns to the Prince, though he only has eyes for the lovely Princess Emilia (Helen Mirren)...
THE DANCING PRINCESSES:
Lesley Ann Warren and Sachi Parker star in an enchanting story about the daughters of a widowed King (Roy Dotrice) who somehow wear out their dance-slippers every night despite being locked in their room until morning. The secret is not discovered until a crafty soldier (Peter Weller) follows them and finds that they go dancing in a fairy-kingdom under the ground.
THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA:
Prince Richard (Tom Conti) leads a boring and eventless life under the thumb of his controlling mother Queen Veronica (Beatrice Straight). Until, one stormy night, in whirls the vivacious Princess Alecia (Liza Minnelli). But is she really a princess? Queen Veronica is skeptical, so employs a method to test her royalty: she places a tiny pea under 20 mattresses and quilts. If Alecia can feel the pea it will prove beyond any doubt her royal blood. Will Alecia pass the test? And if she does, will she choose to marry Richard?
Perfect entertainment for the little princess in your family!

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Tales from the Brothers Grimm (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)Though Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre is available as a complete collection, the thematic DVD sets are also well-done. This particular DVD contains 4 adapted Brothers' Grimm tales:
- Hansel and Gretel which features Ricky Schroeder as Hansel, Bridgette Andersen as Gretel, and Joan Collins as both the wicked stepmother and witch.
- Rapunzel which features Gena Rowlands as the witch, Shelley Duvall as both Rapunzel and Rapunzel's mom, and Jeff Bridges as the prince and er, Rapunzel's dad.
- Rumpelstiltskin features Shelley Duvall as the girl/Queen, and Herve Villachaize "the plane, the plane" as Rumpelstiltskin, and
- Little Red Riding Hood which features Mary Steenburgen as LRRH, and Malcolm McDowell as the wolf.
The stories have a touch of humor in them and are well-acted by a talented ensemble cast. Highly recommended for the young and young at heart!


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Faerie Tale Theatre - The Pied Piper Of Hamelin (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)In the early to mid eighties, Shelly Duvall produced a cable show for the then flagship HBO network called Faerie Tale Theatre. The intent was to bring classic childhood stories to an audience of young and old alike through big name stars, directors, and hip, irreverent writing. Without this series, there would not have been a "Princess Bride". Although many of these were excellent examples of the best television could offer, the finest hour (for me) was director Nicholas Meyer's interpretation of Robert Browning's "Pied Piper of Hamelin". Both faithful to the original poem and liberal in its creative embellishments, Meyer perfectly captured the eerieness of the story. The show starred Eric Idle and he makes a perfect Piper. Tall, pale, with piercing eyes and a hawklike nose, Idle looke every bit the character: part mystic, part mercenary. And his final march out of Hamelin with the children is truly the stuff of innocent nightmares. Without sentimentality, without any concession to cuteness, this episode proved that within all great children's stories lurked something magical and sinister...Just like adulthood.

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Funny Tales (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)Some of the greatest comedians and comic actors appeared during the run of Faerie Tale Theatre. Collected here are four of the all-time best with the emphasis on comedy...
PINOCCHIO:
This is a wonderful adaptation of Carlo Collodi's timeless classic, about a wooden puppet who is brought to life thanks to a lonely man's desire to become a father. Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) plays the title role with Carl Reiner as Geppetto, Pinocchio's loving father. Lainie Kazan is a sassy delight as Sophia, the Blue Fairy who grants the gift of life to Pinocchio, and James Coburn is fantastic as the evil Gypsy. Also in the cast are James Belushi and Michael Richards.
THE THREE LITTLE PIGS:
Larry (Billy Crystal) and his two brothers leave home to find their way in the world. Whilst his two brothers (Fred Willard and Stephen Furst) carelessly squander their savings and build flimsy houses of sticks and straw, Larry wisely builds his house of bricks...which proves to be an extremely wise move when a Wolf with an attitude problem (Jeff Goldblum) goes a-hunting for bacon... Will Larry be able to stand up to the Wolf and win the affections of feisty piglette Tina (Valerie Perrine)? Wait and see!
THE TALE OF THE FROG PRINCE:
A spoilt, bratty Princess (Teri Garr) loses her beloved golden ball down a very deep well. Her only option of retrieving it is to accept the friendship of a 'repulsive' frog (Robin Williams). In exchange for a meal at the palace and a nights' sleep on her silken pillow, the frog retrieves the precious ball, but will the Princess uphold her part of the bargain?...
THE PRINCESS WHO HAD NEVER LAUGHED:
Princess Henrietta (Ellen Barkin) lives a life dominated by lessons, lessons and more lessons. Her only friends are her poe-faced father the King (Howard Hesseman), the tutor (Barrie Ingham) and governess (Mary Woronov). When her life becomes too much to bear she retreats to her room and won't come out unless someone makes her laugh. Enter 'Weinerhead' Waldo (Howie Mandel), who's considered the most funny boy in the kingdom. Will he make Henrietta laugh, or perhaps even capture her heart?
Fun entertainment for the whole family!

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