If you want to watch a somewhat more unusual fantasy film on TV that goes beyond the blast of action, then today we have a tip for you that you probably don’t know yet. It’s a fairy tale for adults…
In 2015, Matteo Garrone’s “La favola delle fiabe” was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In German cinemas, however, the lavishly furnished fairytale horror film was only seen by a few, despite a star cast including Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, John C. Reilly and Toby Jones. Just over 24,000 visitors bought a ticket, which is why “The Tale of Fairy Tales” is probably one of the least known fantasy films of the recent past.
You can see for yourself tonight on TV that watching the fantasy adventure, which is not suitable for children, is definitely worth it. “The fairy tale of fairy tales” will be broadcast on Saturday 7 January 2023 at 20:15 on Tele 5. And there will also be another occasion on Sunday evening: Tele 5 will then repeat the film at 23:50. If you miss broadcasts, you can of course use Blu-ray, DVD or VoD.
» “The Tale of Fairy Tales” on Amazon*
We gave three stars out of a possible five in our FILMSTARTS review for “A Fairy Tale” – despite a few bumpy passages, the wildly baroque fairy tale film convinces overall with a lot of imagination and originality. And why the film with the FSK release from 12 years is not for the whole family, despite the fairy tale theme, you can get an idea in the trailer linked above: In addition to many visually impressive scenes, you can expect a lot of blood and sex.
That’s what “The Tale of Fairy Tales” is about.
Three fairy tales by the Italian poet Giambattista Basile are presented in Fantasy movie with a horror twist freely adapted. In one of the stories, a queen (Salma Hayek) wishes for a child and is willing to eat the heart of a sea monster to grant her wish. In the second story, a king (Toby Jones) wants to marry his daughter and holds a contest to choose the winner as a husband, but an ogre wins out of all people. And in the third tale, a king obsessed with beauty (Vincent Cassel) falls in love with the voice of an ugly woman, with dramatic consequences.
Beyond the perfection of clinically smooth Hollywood fairy tale films, director Matteo Garrone delivers a film that is at times “so extravagant that the viewer is puzzled after individual scenes,” as our review puts it. Those who follow him will be rewarded not only with “baroque-lascivious images” but also with so many allusions and approaches “that the events have a surprisingly long-lasting effect”. So if you don’t just want something for the eyes in Fantasy, but also for the brain, you should definitely check out “The Fairy Tale of Fairy Tales”.
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*The link to the Amazon offer is a so-called affiliate link. If you make a purchase via this link, we will receive a commission.
