Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre -The Complete Collection Gift Set (1982)

One of the first gems of the cable TV age, Faerie Tale Theatre brings 26 classic tales to life. Produced over a five-year span (1982-87) for Showtime, FTT brought together creative dramatics and whimsical writing with some of the top talents of the day. Executive producer/host Shelley Duvall (who was coming off her breakout role in The Shining) shepherds this mix of theatrical simplicity and grand storytelling for these oft-told tales ("Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Hansel and Gretel," "Sleeping Beauty," and the like) for kids and their parents. Since they are not elaborately produced, FTT may be a hard sell for some smaller members of the family at first, but most should be hooked, even older kids who may pooh-pooh fairy tales. There's always a slight twist that makes these productions fresh.

The cast is amazing, especially when you think how lightly cable television was thought of in the '80s: Jeff Bridges, Bud Cort, Liza Minnelli, James Coburn, Susan Sarandon, Christopher Reeve, Klaus Kinski, Billy Crystal, Matthew Broderick, Gregory Hines, Eric Idle, Robin Williams, and Mick Jagger are some of the talented--and varied--actors appearing. Crystal's take on the smart "Little Pig" (with Jeff Goldblum as the wolf) and Williams's "Frog Prince" are two comic gems. Malcolm McDowell, right in the middle of his career high-point of playing baddies, brings flair to the Big Bad Wolf, while his then-real-life wife Mary Steenburgen beautifully counterpoints as Red Riding Hood. The casting of Vincent Price and Vanessa Redgrave in "Snow White" is inspired. Also impressive are the directors Duvall pooled: Tim Burton ("Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp"), Francis Ford Coppola ("Rip Van Winkle") Peter Medak (three episodes), Nicholas Meyer ("Pied Piper"), and Roger Vadim ("Beauty and the Beast"). You can go on for days about these wonderful tales, most totaling around the 45-minute mark, but it's better just to get the set and start wherever you'd like; you will get to the end sooner than you think. --Doug Thomas Amazon.com

Canadian

Great product from a trustworthy seller. Delivery took slightly longer than expected due to custom issues at the border. Seller replied via email quickly to explain this. Would deal with seller again without hesitation. August 27, 2008

Anh

What a fun production!!!

My family and I just love these Faerie Tales- great for all ages!!! June 9, 2008

=)

SO glad they put this on DVD. I have nothing but fond memories and now I can share them with *my* toddler. May 27, 2008

A Dream Come True !!!

WATCHING THESE FAIRY TALES IS LIKE TRAVELING BACK IN TIME, A TIME WHEN THINGS WERE SIMPLE AND MAGICAL. THESE STORIES BROUGHT ME SO MUCH JOY AND WONDER WHEN I WAS A CHILD, AND IN MANY WAYS THEY STILL DO. SOME PEOPLE ARE SO QUICK TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THEM, EVERYONE IS A CRITIC... BUT THE POINT IS THESE STORIES HOLD MANY SPECIAL MEMORIES FOR SO MANY OF US, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE YET TO EXPERIENCE THEIR SECRETS, DONT BE SCARED OFF BY A FEW NEGATIVE NELLIES. GIVE THESE STORIES A CHANCE, THEY WILL NOT DISAPPOINT. May 26, 2008

Fun for ALL AGES

Charming, simply delightful. This is for adults first, and children will enjoy it too. This is so well done.

One comment on the packaging of the DVD SET. The disks are stacked one on top of another in the case. This subjects them to damage in handling. Not good. I put each DVD into a seperate sleeve which has the obvious disadvantages of being clumsey for storage. But, at least they are protected. A sign of the times...if they can make it cheaper, they will!

Wonderful fairy tales. You will love this. May 20, 2008

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