Jim Henson's the Storyteller - The Definitive Collection

Jim Henson's the Storyteller - The Definitive Collection

Jim Henson's the Storyteller - The Definitive Collection
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DVD details

Actor: Brian Henson, David Greenaway, Frederick Warder, John Hurt, Michael Gambon
Brand: Sony
Editor: David Martin
Editor: Laurence M?ry-Clark
Writer: Anthony Minghella
Writer: Jim Henson
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 310 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-05-23
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Sony Pictures

DVD Reviews of Jim Henson's the Storyteller - The Definitive Collection

DVD Review: Nothing beats Jim Henson
Summary: 5 Stars

Children and adults can enjoy the array of stories told by Jim Henson. this collection puts together some of the best television of my childhood so that I can share it with my own children. It's just as entertaining now as it was then.

Buy this. Watch it. Love it.

DVD Review: Strange and fun to watch!
Summary: 5 Stars

I don't know how many times I watch these short films. First time I seem this CD, I look at my girl friend as crazy. I love Jim Henson's films when I was a kid. From mupets to there movies and others. But never heard of this one. Man I wished they make more of these films, Because I buy them! Watch these movies with my sis kids, they loved it too. These shows are good for all ages.

DVD Review: Wonderful Stories
Summary: 5 Stars

I read several reviews prior to purchasing. Our entire family loves the stories. They are rich in color and language. The stories are thought-provoking. My children ages 3+ all love them, as well as other friends with whom we've shared the collection.


DVD Review: Wonderful!
Summary: 5 Stars

The new look at old tales. The dog is totaly funny & amazing sense of humour. Love it ! Good for all ages!

DVD Review: First disc great, second disc, not so much
Summary: 4 Stars

This set is like two different projects. The first disc of fairy tales told by John Hurt is five star all the way. The second disk of Greek myths earns about three stars.

Let's dispense with the Greek Myths first. They are familiar myths presented well enough, but there is no magic. Since you already know the stories, this won't captivate you. It's just too bad John Hurt wasn't the storyteller on this disk, too.

Now the fairy tale disk is wonderful. Do not think of this as kid's stuff. Not at all. In fact, there is even one story with nudity seen in silhouette. It's not graphic, but will likely be enough to have the children giggling like hyenas. Many of the stories will be somewhat familiar to you, but they are fleshed out in more detail than you'll remember from your picture book days.

For instance, Sapsorrow is basically Cinderella, but with several twists. Sapsorrow is a King's daughter who is under a spell. She is covered with fur and feathers, and is working as a lowly servant in a castle. She adores the handsome prince (James WIlby) but he only notices the dirt and fur. He is looking for a bride, so a series of balls are held. Sapsorrow's animal and bird friends make her beautiful. (No fairy godmother.) The Prince falls in love with her, but of course, she must flee, leaving behind her golden slipper. (Not glass.) Meanwhile, the prince has begun talking with Sapsorrow, and they become friendly, but he doesn't know her true identity. As in Cinderella, the prince invites all the ladies to try on the slipper. Sapsorrow's bad sisters (one played hilariously by Dawn French of Wicar of Dimbley fame) arrive to try it on. Of course, it only fits Sapsorrow, still in her fur and feathers. The prince agrees to marry, dirt and all. Then the animals transform her.

Other stories are about a woman who gives birth to a hedgehog baby, stone soup, and all manner of trolls and ogres. All very good, and all wonderfully told by John Hurt.

Description of Jim Henson's the Storyteller - The Definitive Collection

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/23/2006
One of Jim Henson's finest works is The Storyteller series, originally airing on HBO in 1987. As with his other non-Muppet creations (Labyrinth, and The Dark Crystal), Henson fills the screen with wonderful creatures that have a wisp of a J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy. This definitive collection of 13 stories--9 based on European fables, and 4 slightly grittier takes on Greek myths--deserves to be in TV's pantheon. The series was adapted by Anthony Minghella, who became an Oscar-winning filmmaker a decade later with The English Patient. Minghella weaves the narration of a storyteller with dialogue from the stories to beguiling effect; the storyteller doesn't simply introduce the tales. The storytelling duties are split with an engaging John Hurt, and a study Michael Gambon for the Greek fables. Both are accompanied by a Muppet dog performed by Henson's son and successor, Brian.

The European tales are wonderful especially since the stories are not well known. "The Luck Child" is a brilliant short about a king bent on destroying a commoner boy, known as the luck child ("the seventh son born of a seventh son on a week with two Fridays"), after a wizard declares the boy will grow up to be king. The fate of the king is one of those hooks that should have the kids smiling for days. "Sapsorrow" is a curious variation on the Cinderella legend. Henson himself directs "Death and the Soldier," a vivid example of how these episodes were so wonderfully complex. A penniless solider (Bob Peck) is given a magical sack and he uses it to full effect, capturing gremlins and greater evils on his way to be king. "A Story Short" is the storyteller's own adventure. He makes a deal with a king to tell a story every day of the year. Yet on the last day, the storyteller's mind is a blank and his fate may lead him to a boiling vat of oil.

By nature, the Greek myth episodes are a bit more mature (ages 8 and older) and downbeat, yet give the audience lasting impressions of oft-quoted tales. In "Perseus and the Gorgon," King Argos locks away his wife when it is foretold his future son will kill him. Soon mother and son (Perseus, fathered by none other than Zeus) are washed ashore and another angry king looks to take away Perseus's mother. How can Perseus win the day? By killing the evil Gorgon whose snake-covered head includes eyes that turn humans into statues. Derek Jacobi stars as the deft Greek designer in "Daedalus and Icarus." The father goes through many hardships, including the famous episode of his son flying too close to the sun. John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) directs the tale of "Theseus and the Minotaur." A young man reunites with his father, King Aegeus, but is cursed by his witch of a stepmother (literally). When Theseus tries to stop the regular sacrifice to the half-bull, half-man Minotaur, a new curse awaits the young prince. The magical musician Orpheus (Art Malik) finds his muse in "Orpheus and Eurydice." Unfortunately, she soon dies and goes to Hades where Orpheus follows, attempting to win her soul from the devil himself. Henson's work is true family entertainment and at only 22 minutes per episode, it's the perfect companion for some fine entertainment around the TV. --Doug Thomas

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