Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Puss in Boots

I... I... I have a confession to make.

I couldn't sit through this one.

I tried. But. The man-in-a-cat-suit as a special effect just doesn't hold up. Perhaps it's my age, or perhaps just that I'm spoiled by the proliferation of advanced special effects, but it completely took me out of the episode.

Which I suppose is a pity because as far as I did get, the writing was amusing and, although Faerie Tale Theatre didn't deviate much from the original story, the dialog and scripting was clever. I say they didn't deviate much; I suppose they may have, in the end, but I couldn't get that far.

I would only recommend this one to dedicated fans. You can watch it for free on hulu.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Cinderella

Ahhh Cinderella. That timeless story. Of which there are SO many versions. And so many musicals... I kept expecting the Faerie Tale Theatre cast to break into song: it doesn't happen.

There's not a whole lot of twist in this retold tale -- and of course FTT doesn't tend to change much. However, it is a solid entry in the FTT lineup. I like the interplay between Cinderella and her Godmother, and Cinderella blooms in that relationship more than she does with the prince, eventually learning to tease her Fairy Godmother back.

And I do rather enjoy the comeuppance that the stepmother and stepsisters receive, which is much more on the funny side of the line than the horrifying. FTT doesn't go so far back to the source material that the stepsisters are blinded by birds at the end, but it doesn't let them get away without repercussions, either.

This is a good introductory entry for FTT if you haven't seen any episodes and are curious about the show's general quality. It doesn't stand out for me, particular, in any way -- especially with as many different versions of Cinderella as there are -- but it's a well done episode and on that note, there is hardly anyone who isn't familiar with the basic Cinderella storyline so it's a good one to get an idea of the show from.

You can watch it for free on hulu.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Pied Piper of Hamelin

So. The Pied Piper of Hamelin is an interesting episode of Faerie Tale Theatre -- mostly because they didn't write it at all. The entire story is narrated and the dialog is lifted straight out of the original Robert Browning poem.

Which is good poetry but makes for some awkward and phrases that turn strangely on the actor's tongues.

In spite of that it's one of my favorite episodes. It's just such a crazy, creepy story, and FTT does a good job with the scenery at atmosphere. The Pied Piper is one of my favorite "villains" of fairy tale lore; I've always thought the real villains were the townsmen who promised to pay him and, well, you know. Plus the implications of underhill/faerie are so strong in this one (both the poem and the episode), yet without being blatant.

And what about the Piper? What's his DEAL?

This episode is available to watch for free on hulu. The complete collection of Faerie Tale Theatre episodes is available on amazon and the price seems to vary a lot from month to month, so if you're interested in buying (it's over $30 right now but I've seen it go as low as $22 or $23) I'd say your best bet is to throw it on a wishlist and just keep an eye on the price for a few months.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen is one of my favorite Faerie Tale Theatre episodes. It follows the original Andersen storyline fairly closely, with only a few simplifications (such as Gerda runs into the robber girl but never meets the rest of the robbers). For all the FTT had a small budget, they did a good job with the sets on this one, giving viewers some really rich scenery in the endless summer garden and the Snow Queen's palace.

And check out that dress! There were a couple of costume pieces in this one that made me waaant -- especially Gerda's deliciously snuggly shawl.

This story has enough complexity to hold older audiences' interest as well as the appeal to some of the younger fairy tale lovers. As I said, it's one of my favorites, and if you aren't sure about how much you want to watch these, it's a good one to try individually.

You can watch it for free on hulu.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Three Little Pigs

I was not looking forward to watching this. The Three Little Pigs is not a favorite story of mine, and I am often perplexed as to how it gets lumped in with "fairy tales" when obviously it is just an overtold children's story.

However, as often happens when there's not a lot of tale to work with, Fairie Tale Theater does a surprisingly good job of filling in the time slot.

This is the story of three brothers: Peter, Paul, and Larry. All three are on their own agenda; all three think they have the best idea about how things should be done. Peter is scheming to make it big through real estate fraud, Paul is looking out for the ladies, and Larry is an artist, musician, and architect who has a lot of big ideas. When the three brothers are sent by their mother, they are all determined to make it in the world, though with very different ideas about how to do so.

With Billy Crystal as Larry and Jeff Goldblum as the Big Bad Wolf, I did get a few laughs out of this episode. It MAY be my favorite telling of the Three Little Pigs, though I am not sure I'm ready to admit that.

Definitely a strong entry in the FTT collection, with enough humor to keep the adults in the room engaged.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers

Taking the prize for longest title in the Faerie Tale Theatre series is "The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers," which has some alternate titles like Fearnot or The Story of the Youth who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was. (Personally I have always gravitated toward "Fearnot" as it's the shortest one to write.)

This is the story of a young lad who has never been scared of anything, growing up in a culture of superstition and fear. Finally his happy-go-lucky ways are too much of an embarrassment to his family, who live in proper fright, and his father sends him away. The lad, not at all discouraged, is determined to discover what the big deal is before he returns home.

He doesn't travel far (in this version) before he comes upon a haunted castle that everyone is afraid of. He agrees to spend three nights there; if he can live through all three nights he is offered a reward of money and a princess, but he is more interested in the idea of being frightened for once than he is in the reward.

Naturally the things that frighten other people have no effect on him, but he does spend three nights making friends with a range of ghouls and ghosts.

With Peter MacNicol as the titular character and Christopher Lee in a supporting role, this is one of the most enjoyable episodes of FTT. (Of course it's also one of my favorite stories, so that might have some impact on my opinion.) And the twist at the very end of the story did make me chuckle.

You can watch the episode for free on hulu.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Snow White

I think deep in my psyche, this is what "Snow White" means to me, more than the Disney version, which never really sank in. No wonder I always forgot about the poison comb: it's not in the FTT version, which only had time for tight ribbons and an apple. (Don't they know that fairy tales work by threes?)

Vanessa Redgrave plays the queen, and Elizabeth McGovern plays Snow White. I have to admit, seeing Rex Smith as the prince was a highlight for me (I am a Pirates of Penzance fan).

It was rather amusing to come straight off Thumbelina's: "Will you marry me?" "I have to think about it," to Snow White's: "Will you marry m---" "YES." Where's the message, Ms. Duvall??

There isn't a lot I can say about this as far as quality: it's standard FTT fare. But it might make a nice alternative to the Disney version if you want something new for the kids. Written with plenty of humor, especially among the dwarves, it's quick enough to keep adults entertained as well.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Thumbelina

Thumbelina is a messed up story. It has always bothered me. Also I think that's why I like it.

So I give Faerie Tale Theatre major props for their retelling of Thumbelina, for managing to cut out two of the major problems I have with the story.

Carrie Fisher stars at the title character. Golly, she is cute. And she goes through all the trials and tribulations of being Thumbelina with spunk. The writing in this episode isn't as funny as in some, but the performances gel together really well, making this overall a strong episode.

And as she goes from being kidnapped to be a bride for the frog, to rescued by the fieldmouse only to become a bride for the mole (and hello heavy patriarchic, female helplessness symbolism), out comes one of my favorite lines in all of FTT history:

"It's just that I'm... always the bride, never the bridesmaid...."

Then onto the fairy prince... err, flower angel. I don't know why the fairies were renamed for this story. It's one of the only fairy tales with actual fairies already in it... so why change the name? But we still get the idea.

And Thumbelina says she cannot marry anyone without her mother's consent, and the... flower-angel prince agrees to find her mother. Thereby neatly solving two of the bothersome issues of the story: Thumbelina and the prince actually get to know each other, making it NOT yet another forced marriage proposition, and she gets reunited with the discarded mother. (Not that the mother-figure in a fairy tale is necessarily as important as a real mother, but that has always bothered me.)

You can watch the episode for free on Hulu.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Pinocchio

This is honestly one of my least favorite episodes of Faerie Tale Theatre, ever. Paul Reuben's laugh is just pitched to a place that screeches through my brain and soul, sending me into a spiral of despair and loathing. It's not his fault. It's just how my eardrums work.

I can't even say he does a bad job, and I'm sure at the time, the Pee-wee Hermanness of the character would have resonated with the intended audience. Watching it now, though, there's nothing enjoyable about the high-pitches shudders of laughter.

Pinocchio is one of my least-favorite fairy tales anyway, and all the problems with it are condensed in the FTT episode. The idea that you can't make a mistake even once without horrible disfigurement has always bothered me, and Pinocchio getting in such deep and lasting trouble for going a little off track on his FIRST DAY ALIVE distresses me deeply. Parents are supposed to teach their children, not let them wander off to get into trouble and then blame them for it.

But that's a separate issue than the episode itself, which is technically impressive as far as the low-budget but effective special effects. If you can get past the Pee-wee laughter and the hokey Italian accents, it's not a bad episode.

It is also still available to watch on hulu.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Princess and the Pea

Ahhh, Liza Minnelli. Throughout this episode, I couldn't help but hear Judy Garland in her voice. (No singing, unfortunately.) This is one of the episodes that follows the original story closely, although the writing added some character development for the queen, prince, and princess. And the jester, for some reason. (Actually, the dynamic between the prince, princess, and jester was pretty fun.)

The best part about this was the chemistry the actors bounced around; upon reflection, there wasn't much else about the episode that stood out for me. It did seem a bit thin; the character development was attempted but felt enough like Once Upon a Mattress that it wasn't original enough to make an impression.

Still, it's a solid episode, if somehow a little rushed.

You can watch it for free on hulu!

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

This is one of my favorite Faerie Tale Theatres AND one of my favorite Goldilocks...es... in terms of how much was added. Goldilocks by itself isn't much of a story--well I suppose it depends on if you go for the happy or the tragic ending. There's a rich grounds for symbolism and metaphor, but the story alone is simple (which leaves a lot of room for interpretation).

Instead of the normal FTT, straight-up retelling, the actual bit about the finding the house and eating the porridge, sitting in the chairs, and sleeping in the beds is a pretty short part of the episode. Much more time is spent on Goldilocks's shenanigans and fibbing. Tatum O'Neal does an impressive job of being a bouncy little girl.

I really like this interpretation, from the Ranger's back-country narration to the bear's failing scheme to give away honey to the wild stories Goldilocks comes up with to try to get out of trouble. The writing is sharp and witty, getting more chuckles out of me than your average... bear.

It's available to watch on hulu now.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Hansel and Gretel

Faerie Tale Theatre's version of Hansel and Gretel had me worried, because Hansel and Gretel is one of those fairy tales that I tend to think of as being so straightforward and uncomplicated that I couldn't figure out how to get a full fifty minutes out of it. However, there is enough story there to make it happen, and although the writing on this one wasn't particularly sparkling with wit, the kids are cute enough that the episode worked.

Joan Collins as both the mother and the witch was a nice touch. Although FTT doesn't take the idea anywhere, it's definitely suggestive in the story concept: the threat to the children comes from an older female. And the step-mother's unexplained death at the end of the episode certainly parallels the witch's death. Since nothing is explicitly stated, my interpretation is that FTT decided to add an extra layer to the story, for those grown-ups who may be watching. I certainly don't remember catching on that the witch and the mother were the same actress when I watched it as a child.

This is one of the few episodes where FTT really goes above and beyond to make this ending happier than the original tale. Not only do Hansel and Gretel escape, and find their father at home, but all the children who the witch had previously eaten were restored from their gingerbread forms.

The complete collection is pretty reasonably priced at this point, just about $30 new.

You can also watch the episode on hulu.

In weird juxtaposition news, as I was watching this I was in the middle of rereading Little House on the Prairie. As the step-mother complained that if father didn't sell his wood, they wouldn't have any bread to eat, I couldn't help but think: "Start a garden, woman! What are you doing all day?" (Well, eating gingerbread children, perhaps.)

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Little Red Riding Hood

With Warner Bros releasing their new Red Riding Hood movie, I thought I'd take this week to look at some of the previous versions of Little Red in film.

They... didn't so much use child actors in Faerie Tale Theatre. So Mary (Red) is played by Mary Steenbergen, who brings a certain charm to the role even while remaining firmly grown up.

Little Mary meets a woodcutter, Chris, and hits it off with him, but her dad is opposed to them spending too much time together, until she runs into an actually dangerous wolf, and Chris saves her. Then dad is okay with their budding relationship.

This is a cute episode in FTT. Not my favorite, but the content they added to the original story was done well enough to fill the time.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Beauty and the Beast

Since Beastly, based on Alex Flinn's book, is coming out this Friday, I thought I'd take this week to look at some of the previous incarnations of Beauty and the Beast in cinema.

OMG, this is almost a straight-up rip-off of the Jean Cocteau film. I MEAN, this is La Belle et la Bete, on fast forward.

I... can't say much else about it than that. From the costumes and settings, to the special effects, this is a direct nod to Cousteau. Watching them in such proximity was actually quite fascinating. The story was very close, so it was interesting to see what was cut for time. Only a couple of the confusing story elements were dropped--the bit about the random smoking beast (I mean like he was ON FIRE smoking) was still there.

Starring Susan Sarandon and with Angelica Houston in a bit role, this is a pretty fitting (timewise) entry in the Faerie Tale Theatre collection.

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Nightingale

Mick Jagger? Whaaat! But it's true. Mick Jagger stars as the emperor in Faerie Tale Theatre's version of The Nightingale. So I guess we know what he's talking about when he has a musical preference.

This episode is a little weird, and I mean that in a good way. Although not always successful, this is the first time you see Faerie Tale theatre branch out from the staple, common fairy tales for one that's a little less known, which I have to admire. You may have your own opinion about a bunch of white folks playing Chinese people... sigh...

The pacing on this one is pretty good, there is enough story to carry the hour-long episode. And it was nice to see the cast change up a little bit. Faerie Tale Theatre was starting to find its feet by now and it shows in the writing and directing.

(I've chosen to review all the Faerie Tale Theatre episodes separately because they vary so much and cover so many different stories. Also: reading/watching the material for this blog takes a lot of time! I hope you enjoy the slightly more in depth reviews this way.)

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Rapunzel

Let me follow up yesterday's Tangled post with a much older, more traditional retelling of Rapunzel.

The Faerie Tale Theatre version follows the original story quite closely, from the stolen veggies to the restorative tears in the desert. This is also one of the first ones where I noticed that Rapunzel's parents were played by the same actors that played Rapunzel and her prince--although I may not have noticed that the first time I watched it, as that was long, long ago....

This is a pretty good story, for Faerie Tale Theatre, because it's not too dependent on special effects, and it's an involved, longer story. The pacing is much better in this one than some of the others I've commented on. Still, it's not my favorite, partly because it feels more like the Shelley Duvall's Shelley Duvall theatre and partly because it fails to address any of the problems with the original story. (Not, as I've said, that we should change things JUST because they bother us....)

Even so, if you haven't seen it, and you like Rapunzel, you should watch this one--particularly if you're a big fan of the early versions of the story.

(I've chosen to review all the Faerie Tale Theatre episodes separately because they vary so much and cover so many different stories. Also: reading/watching the material for this blog takes a lot of time! I hope you enjoy the slightly more in depth reviews this way.)

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Rumpelstiltskin

Man, this is a greedy king. Well, of course, we all know the story of Rumpelstiltskin, and Faerie Tale Theatre doesn't go out of its way to excuse that. The king is depressed because he can't find a princess rich enough to marry, when the Miller shows up and begins talking about his beautiful and talented daughter who can embroider tapestries that are like gold--that are practically gold--that in a gold-like way are very much like gold!

Which naturally leads to the tale as we know it.

Again, this episode isn't one of the best as far as pacing, although it is a quite close translation of the commonly told tale. The special effects are dated but they work pretty well for this particular tale--and I admit I do love the matte paintings of the external castle.

Also: Unicorn pony? Freakin' cute.

You can watch for free on Hulu, though, so that's a good price for a show.

(I've chosen to review all the Faerie Tale Theatre episodes separately because they vary so much and cover so many different stories. Also: reading/watching the material for this blog takes a lot of time! I hope you enjoy the slightly more in depth reviews this way.)