Directed by:
Matteo Garrone
The Cast:
Salma
Hayek – Queen of Longtrellis
John
C. Reilly – King of Longtrellis
Christian
Lees – Elias
Jonah
Lees – Jonah
Vincent
Cassel – King of Strongcliff
Shirley
Henderson – Imma
Hayley
Carmichael – Dora
Stacy
Martin – Young Dora
Toby
Jones – King of Highhills
Bebe
Cave – Violet
Certificate:
15
UK Cinematic Release:
17th
June 2016
The Plot:
Based
on three Italian fairy tales, Tale of Tales tells of a bitter
Queen (Salma Hayek) desperate for a child whatever the cost; a King
obsessed with fleas (Toby Jones) marries his poor daughter (Bebe
Cave) off to an ogre; and an old woman changes her skin in order to
marry her enamoured King (Vincent Cassel).
The Review:
We
enter the plot with no context at all, following on the heels of a
servant walking through a town. The setting is sparse, but
resplendent with bold, Medieval costumes. There's a family of
acrobats, come to entertain. It's intriguingly odd. Perhaps the most
familiar tale is that of Hayek's character, but what's frustrating is
she is given very little personality beyond her desire. It's
bizarre... but perhaps less so than those tales it has been spliced
with.
Watching
Tale of Tales is like
sampling a sugar-free beverage. On the outside it's just like any
other fairy tale film, but with something enticing and fresh; it's
rare to hear about fairy stories from other people beyond Hans
Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm (this time it's Basile).
It
offers you tantalising visuals like a dying bat transforming into a
(still dead?) woman, and a giant mutant flea (yes, really), but it
all falls flat in the end, like some of the more intriguing
parts of the stories have been left on the cutting-room floor; the
tale of Violet and the ogre feels the most unfinished, but it's hard
to say if this was intentional. We are left with the image of a young
man on a tight-rope, and a Queen running away; for all the audience
know, he is still balancing and she is still fleeing the scene. It's
all very unsatisfying.
The Verdict:
2 STARS OUT OF 5
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