Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre, 1983
Starring: Christopher Reeve & Bernadette Peters
Okay, I first heard about this television series from the 80s from Jessica - you may remember she listed it as one of her Top 10 Fairy Tale Adaptations. When I saw that my library had added the volume containing the Sleeping Beauty episode - starring Clark Kent, er, Christopher Reeve - I snapped it up. I had no idea what to expect, but I laughed out loud through the whole episode. (Minus, perhaps, the moments when I was trying to fully digest the amazingness of Clark Kent as The Prince. I'm telling you, this is grounds for many discussions...)
We all know the basic premise of Sleeping Beauty - it's a classic tale, and Disney did a beautiful job of it back in the day. But you've never seen anything like this version - there's no doubt it was a product of the 80s. It's got all the weird colors/costumes, corny comedy, and just all around "weird 80s vibe" going for it. (I'm allowed to say that, I was born in the 80s). It's quirky. It's different. It's a little weird, and definitely irreverent at times. I loved Reeve's Prince - he's endearingly naive, and oh-so-enthusiastic. (Plus, let's be honest: It's Clark Kent in Medieval-ish costume. What's not to love?) The fairies are...different. And my favorite part of the whole show? The end scene, when the King and Queen are waking up - the Prince's greeting to them. I laughed so hard, my cat got scared and left the room. Definitely a fun viewing experience, and I'm now on the look-out for several other episodes - like Beauty and the Beast!
DVD provided by my local library.
It's funny both you and Jessica like these, me not so much. The only one I can think of that I liked was Jack & the Bean Stock, but I can't remember. Hayley loved them!
ReplyDeleteRebecca, you HAVE to see Cinderella! MUST! The step-sisters are hilarious!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it ;)