Faerie Tale Theatre - Rapunzel (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Shelley Duvall, creator and producer of the FAERIE TALE THEATRE series, takes centre stage in the lead role of RAPUNZEL, one of the best entries in the series.
Gena Rowlands is deliciously evil as the jealous old witch who takes the young girl from her parents and imprisons her in an impossibly tall tower in the middle of an enchanted forest.
Jeff Bridges is great as the dashing Prince who charms Rapunzel and plans to elope with her. Their scenes together are very beautiful, and their chemistry is evident for all to see.
Shelley Duvall and Jeff Bridges also portray Rapunzel's parents at the beginning of the tale, which is a nice touch.
Filled with dazzling costumes and an intelligent script, RAPUNZEL is worth a look, as are all the other great FAERIE TALE THEATRE's.


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Faerie Tale Theatre - Cinderella (1985) Review

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(More customer reviews)As an avid reader of fairy tales and a collector of Cinderella and Cinderella spin-off movies, I must say this one has won its place as my all-time favorite. Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Beals make the perfect on-screen couple, and Jean Stapleton is absolutely hilarious as a sort of "countrified" fairy godmother. This movie goes beyond a childhood tale and provides entertainment that everyone can enjoy, regardless of age. It's about time this wonderful movie was put on DVD. If you like this one, you might try some of the other Fairy Tale Theatre movies, as they all incorporate humorous twists to traditional fairy tales. I especially enjoyed watching The Dancing Princesses, but what can I say, I still enjoy Cinderella the best. Also, if you enjoy Matthew Broderick's performance, you might like seeing him in Ladyhawke, where he puts in an absolutely hilarious performance as a pickpocket named Mouse. Jean Stapleton also plays in Fairy Tale Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk as the giant's wife. Her performance in that movie is almost as good as her performance in Cinderella, and the movie is well worth watching. And finally, if you enjoy humorous versions of fairy tales, I recommend another video: Into the Woods. It is a blending of fairy tales in a two-part stage play, but the Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood scenes are hilarious.

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Faerie Tale Theatre - Little Red Riding Hood (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Straying from the path and talking to a stranger can be a dangerous thing, so learns the heroine of FAERIE TALE THEATRE's retelling of LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.
Mary (Mary Steenburgen) lives with her parents (John Vernon and Diane Ladd) in the middle of the forest where her father works as a woodcutter. Her only friend is her absent-minded Grandmother (Frances Bay) and she yearns for the adventure and exitement she has only ever read in fairytales.
When she strays from the path to Granny's house, she happens across a Cockney Wolf (Malcolm McDowell). Should she trust this magical new 'friend' or run while she still can?...
A charming entry in the series. Steenburgen and McDowell (married in real life at the time) have a marvelous time with the script. Frances Bay is delightful as Grandmother and the episode also features Darrell Larsen.

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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 - Puss 'n Boots (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great movie. It's real light hearted and comical. The characters are all very love-able, except for the ogre of course! I also thought it was neat that all the main characters are African American. I highly recommend this film if you're looking for a good, clean, fun movie to enjoy.

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Faerie Tale Theatre - Hansel and Gretel (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)HANSEL AND GRETEL is one of the best in the FAERIE TALE THEATRE series, with lush costume and set designs based on the classic storybook illustrations of Arthur Rackham.
Young Hansel and Gretel (Rick Schroder and Bridgette Andersen) are abandoned in the forest by their cruel stepmother (Joan Collins). The children happen across a magical cottage entirely made of gingerbread and sweets, which is owned by an evil witch...
Joan Collins plays the dual-roles of the stepmother and the witch, and gives a fantastic performance as both characters. Paul Dooley plays the children's well-meaning father.
One of the best of FAERIE TALE THEATRE's earlier episodes.

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Faerie Tale Theatre Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is one of the best entries in the fabulous FAERIE TALE THEATRE series, with a superb cast and haunting music score.
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.
Sharp direction by Peter Medak and a brilliant, haunting musical score round out the package. This is FAERIE TALE THEATRE at it's height.

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Red Riding Hood Review

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(More customer reviews)My almost four year old granddaughter picked this film as she already knew the story of Little Red Riding Hood from her mom and dad. I was a little concerned it might be too scary as it is PG but I should have realized that she was able to handle it very well.
The wolf is a werewolf. Lainie Kazan is the grandmother and is reading the story to her grandchildren. Lainie is wonderful in this!! If you are over 50 you may remember her singing on the Mike Douglas Show or on Ed Sullivan.
While the wolf swallows people whole, it is done by special effects that make it look cartoonish thus not scaring even my granddaughter! She really loved the whole film and was very enthusiastically telling her aunt, one of my other daughters, how good it was!!
If you have a mature preschooler who understands pretend and cartoon violence, they will enjoy this as the singing and fun stuff are hilarious. There is a precarious situation for the two kids in the film but even that is broken by humor and turning out not to be as dangerous as it looks. Otherwise I would recommend the viewing be by at least 5 or 6 year olds.

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Faerie Tale Theatre - The Dancing Princesses (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)THE DANCING PRINCESSES surely ranks as one of the finer entries in the FAERIE TALE THEATRE series. It features the beautiful Lesley Ann Warren as well as a sweeping and delightful musical score.
The story is 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.
This must surely be my favourite, because its everything a fairytale should be; romantic, funny, sad and incredibly-entertaining. Lesley Ann Warren looks luminous and has a remarkable chemistry with Peter Weller.
The story also features Sachi Parker (the beautiful and talented daughter of Shirley MacLaine) as the comical youngest princess; as well as Zelda Rubinstein (Tangina from the POLTERGEIST trilogy).
Most FAERIE TALE THEATRE fans single out this episode as their all-time favourite (with TALE OF THE FROG PRINCE coming a close second). This was actually the final episode ever made of FTT.

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The Frog Prince (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)What a mountain of talent! Jim Henson continued his legendary roll with a charming made-for-TV version of "The Frog Prince". Like the equally wonderful "Hey Cinderella!" the plot more of less follows the classic fairy tale, but only the Muppets would have a plot hinge on a line like "Break the hall in the candle of her brain!".
Kermit guides us through the story as we meet the lovely Princess Lenora, just turned nineteen, and everything a beautiful Princess should be: Perfect complexion, flaxen hair, kind disposition, and wealth galore. There's only one problem: She only speaks backwards, and no one in the kingdom can understand a word she says. She wasn't always that way, someone's obviously been up to devious tricks, but who? It couldn't possibly be the hideous crone who claims to be the King's sister, could it?
Enter Robin the Frog, who claims to really be Robin the Brave, a prince under an enchantment. He recognizes the old crone; it's the same woman who turned him into a frog. From there it's all a series of twists and misunderstandings, falling in love and daring escapes until at last we come to the classic fairy tale ending.
What makes these Muppet tales so fun is the level of humor that appeals to kids and adults alike, such as the hilarious lullaby for a monster and the withering sarcasm of "Aunt Taminilla". If you like the Muppets I can't recommend "The Frog Prince" enough, and along with its counter point "Hey Cinderella!" the show represents what is missing in much of children's programming today. That's what DVD and video are for, right?
GRADE: A
(And if you enjoy this, check out Henson's little-known fairy tale show "Storyteller". It's even better.)

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Faerie Tale Theatre Complete Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)I was so pleased to have found this collection on Amazon. I used to rent these tales on VHS when I was a kid, and to be able to own the complete collection on DVD now that I'm an adult is fantastic. These classic stories are done with such class...there's not a kid I know that wouldn't like them. They also cast a lot of big name actors. For $20, you can't beat it!

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Tale of the Frog Prince (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is truly a great version of this timless tale and Robin Williams is, as usual extremely funny. BUT he does use one word in discribing the princess that make this otherwise great production questionable for children. At one point he calls the princess a "b----" (rhymes with witch). I know that children hear this word all the time, but it is a jolt to hear it in a children's story and might make some young ones think it is OK to use that word.

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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 - 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 - Rumpelstiltskin (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)RUMPELSTILTSKIN is an average entry in the FAERIE TALE THEATRE series. Shelley Duvall, host and creator of the series, takes center stage as the winsome Miller's Daughter.
The Miller (Paul Dooley) is constantly telling tall tales, but his latest lie just might result in the death of his daughter (Shelley Duvall). When the Miller tells the King (Ned Beatty) that his daughter can spin straw into gold, the King orders she be brought to the palace to work her miracle.
Imprisoned in the palace, the Miller's Daughter is visited upon by a strange little man (Herve Villechaize) who helps her out of her dilemma. But will the price be more than the Miller's Daughter can pay?...
This is only the second episode in the series, and features fine acting from Duvall and Villechaize. A real charmer.

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