Customer Reviews

Emperor's New Clothes [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I own several other versions (animated) of this story, and this acted is the best of them all. Hope it comes out on DVD.

Update: I purchased the DVD, and it is worth owning.

Sid Caesar stars as The Emperor in this Cannon Movie Tales musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's popular fairy tale.

Here's the movie's description available from Sony Pictures: "Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale gets a lavish makeover in this whimsical live-action comedy starring showbiz legend Sid Caesar (Grease), who plays the eccentric Emperor with his "trademark foreign language gibberish and nervous delivery" (Variety). Full of mischief, merriment and mayhem, this delightful twist on a beloved story weaves a hilarious family adventure you won't soon forget!

"The Emperor's blinding vanity makes him an easy mark for con artists, especially the two phony tailors hired to make him a dazzling outfit for his daughter Gilda's (Lysette Anthony) wedding. While the elder crook (Robert Morse) schemes to steal the royal jewels, his nephew (Jason Carter) is busy stealing Gilda's heart. In the midst of it all, it takes a child to reveal the truth that no one else can see!"

The Cannon Movie Tale series of nine films has become nearly as popular among fairy tale enthusiasts and family film fans as Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. Some would argue that this series is even more popular. Either way, these musicals are suitable for the entire family and feature well-known actors from the 1980s.

If the classic fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes" were ever to be re-made via movie, book etc, it would probably never be portrayed as eloquently as this movie has. I thoroughly enjoyed this version of "The Emperor's New Clothes". It was light, entertaining and captured the true essence of Hans Christian Anderson's classic storybook version.

Sid Caesar portrays the eccentric Emperor with sheer brilliance. The mumbling, bumbling Emperor's desire to wed off his daughter Gilda is only surpassed by his constant desire to look and feel... well.. like an Emperor!

An added bonus to the original tale is the burgeoning love between Gilda and one of the tailors (i.e. not Gilda's intended spouse) who is making the Emperor's wonderous new clothes... or should we say NOT making the Emperor's new clothes.

Of course, no one is as surprised about the ending as the Emperor but, in this movie, luckily you don't have to be a child to enjoy this tailor-made tale.

I have all the cannon movies that are available on DVD and I can honestly say that this one is my least favorite. The opening scene should have tipped me off when they were drowning prisoners and trying to make it seem humorous. None of the acting was very good, it was like they were trying too hard. The love relationship between the thief and the princess was so lame and without chemistry. Cheesy sound effects like springs and slide whistles were used throughout the film which made it all appear so unprofessional. It was supposed to be used to create humor, but it only appeared to be ridiculous. The ending was rushed and too perfectly handled. Thank goodness the other Canon movies aren't like this, because this one was just plain stupid.

I used this video with my fifth graders for our school's English Week theme: Enchanting Fairy Tales. Students enjoyed the film. It was funny and entertaining. It kept the original plot of the traditional story, yet it added many hilarious elements. It also had songs, although it was not a musical. I highly recommend it as an instructional resource. Teachers can use it to compare the original story with the film.

Years ago our family enjoyed this movie so many times, renting it from the public library. Now that all our sons are grown we finally have our own copy to enjoy again and again, with future possible grandchildren.

this movie is really cute but not my favorite movie in the series of cannon movie tales. the songs are ok. I like "is this a love song". But as in all the cannon move tales the costumes and sets are very lavish and beautiful! I'm so happy to have the whole series on vhs and dvd

Years ago, Shelley Duvall's "Fairy Tale Theater" presented a charming version of "The Emperor's New Clothes." There were no subplots involving a princess with the con artists, no strange sound effects and, best of all, no songs! It was adorable.

The same cannot be said for this unfortunate waste of DVD discs. Who were they trying to market this for? There are double entendre jokes clearly aimed at adults that fall flatter than Sid Caesar's delivery. There are "funny" sound effects to indicate what the guards are doing and this is supposed to make it cartoony and therefore of interest to children. Not.

The acting is consistently charmless, leaden, and mean. What were the actors caught in this nightmare thinking? I've seen children's theater where broad gestures and expressions are necessary. The broad acting here only points up how horribly bad the whole is.

Because the source material is SO slim, a whole ghastly subplot about the princess, an unsuitable prince, a young con artist and the inevitable love triangle has been plastered on--and it doesn't improve the original. The ugly prince was not funny, he was revolting. The young lovers were ridiculously overwrought and...and...and it was all so unnecessary.

And then there are the songs! Bad rhymes strung together and set to insipid, sugary tunes. Slapping one's hands over one's ears is the best reaction and protection from this kind of musical abuse. There is nothing clever in the tunes or the lyrics...they are simply painful.

There were opportunities for originality: the emperor might have found the whole situation amusing, might have learned a lesson, might have become a whole character. Perhaps the ugly prince might have realized what a bad match it was...or maybe he could have been, at least,nerdish and smart, instead of being played as a mentally challenged freak.

But no, the creators went for the lowest common denominator and what they thought would be easy laughs. (There is nothing easy about the humor here--it is nonexistent.) There are simply not enough words to describe the badness of it. Save yourself and your children and purchase the Fairy Tale Theater version or something (anything)else instead. One star shown only because there are no negative one hundred stars.