Customer Reviews

Faerie Tale Theatre - The Princess And The Pea

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA is one of the all-time great FAERIE TALE THEATRE episodes. Featuring a talented cast and brilliant costumes and sets, it's totally adorable.

Prince Richard (Tom Conti) leads a boring and eventless life under the thumb of his controlling mother Queen Veronica (Beatrice Straight). Until, one stormy night, in whirls the vivacious Princess Alecia (Liza Minnelli). But is she really a princess? Queen Veronica is skeptical, so employs a method to test her royalty: she places a tiny pea under 20 mattresses and quilts. If Alecia can feel the pea it will prove beyond any doubt her royal blood.

Will Alecia pass the test? And if she does, will she choose to marry Richard? You'll find out in THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA. Co-starring Jane Alden and Nancy Allen.

Faerie Tale Theatre's production "The Princess and the Pea" features an exceptional cast including Liza Minneli, Tom Conti, Tim Kazurinsky and Beatrice Straight. A script written with drily effective humor makes this entry one of the best in the series.

It tells of Alecia, a young woman played beautifully by Ms. Minneli who almost literally stumbles into a palace on a rainy night to be welcomed by an incredulous Prince Richard. Tom Conti plays the prince with exasperated, dry humor reminiscent of the Monty Python and Black Adder British comedy troupes. Relenting with the frazzled beauty, Prince Richard allows her to stay in secret in the castle with the company of himself and the court jester, played by Tim Kazurinsky. In this production, Mr. Kazurinsky utilizes an impressive Cockney British accent and is a standout in a relatively minor role. Meanwhile, Richard's mother Queen Veronica, played by Beatrice Straight, is trying to marry her son off to an array of vapid princesses, unaware of the young lady who has already moved into the castle. What follows when the queen becomes aware of the young lady's existence is the central crisis of a unique, wonderful show.

Also featuring a lively, whimsical musical score, Faerie Tale Theatre's "The Princess and the Pea" is great.

P.S. Hans Christian Andersen's original very short story is called "The Princess On The Pea." This adaptation is a brilliant creative expansion of that story which actually improves on it considerably.

The Princess And The Pea is a charming installment in this "Faerie Tale Theatre" series of DVDs for children. The plot moves along at a pace that will keep a child interested; and I thought the acting was very well done, particularly on the part of Tom Conti who plays Prince Richard. The cinematography works well and the quality of the print is rather good.

When the action starts, Queen Veronica (Beatrice Straight) and her silly, ineffectual husband King Fredrico (Pat McCormick) are being their pompous selves, almost oblivious to the needs of their son Prince Richard. With a little bit of help from the court jester (or, "the fool," played by Tim Kazurinsky), Richard decides he wants to marry a Princess so his life will be truly complete. Unfortunately for Prince Richard, his mother Queen Veronica takes complete charge of the search for a suitable Princess and this drives poor Richard to distraction.

They interview many potential princesses; but none come up except for Princess Elizabeth (Nancy Allen) who, as we quickly find out, wants to merely use Prince Richard as a way to become a Queen herself someday. Richard doesn't like this; and he begins to consider a rather vagabond type of Princess named Alecia (Liza Minnelli) who has been staying at the castle after twisting her ankle.

Of course, things can run in different directions from here. Queen Veronica and King Fredrico don't even know Princess Alecia has been staying the past few days in the castle while her ankle was recuperating--how will they react when they find out Alecia has been staying with them? Prince Richard and the court "fool" had been keeping it a secret. Will Alecia pass "the test" that Queen Veronica wants her to pass to prove to them all that she is indeed a suitable princess for her son Richard? Can Princess Alecia feel a single tiny pea underneath twenty mattresses and quilts to prove her royal heritage? Watch and find out!

The DVD doesn't come with extras unless you count "scene selection" as an extra. I don't; but that's no problem because this is geared toward children and I don't know that the typical four year old would reap all the benefits from a running commentary anyway.

I highly recommend this film for children and it's nice to be able to watch this with your children. It's great entertainment and I am only too sorry that this individual DVD is currently out of print. However, if you or your children enjoy this, you should consider getting Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Collection and perhaps also Faerie Tale Theatre: Tales from the Brothers Grimm.

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Really. Part of Shelly Duvall's wonderful "Faerie Tale Theater" series, "The Princess and the Pea" is a charming twist on the classic fable.

Liza Minnelli(!) stars as Alecia, who blows in with the wind one night to disrupt the incredibly dull life of Prince Richard (Tom Conti). Richie is smitten, of course, but unfortunately he can only marry another royal. And while Alecia SAYS she's a Princess, she seems much too down to earth and, well, fun to truly be of noble blood. There's only one way to find out for sure!

A very witty script and excellent performances (with extra kudos to Tim Kazurinsky as the Fool) make this video a must-have for families, and especially for fans of Minnelli (who absolutely shines). Highly recommended!

GRADE: A (Best Line: "Would a wife be better than a hamster?" "Much.")

I've watched this movie on DVD twice now, and it really tuched my heart right away. (Tom Conti) plays Prince Richerd who longs to have company from a wife... until Princess Alicia played by (Liza Minelli), comes into his palace.

Alicia finally passes the Queen's test and marries Richerd at the end of the movie. I think Liza Minelli and Tom Conti are romantic actors.

Shelley Duvall's outstanding "Faerie Tale Theatre" series scores yet another triumph with this hilarious adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's "The Princess And The Pea"; teleplay by Mark Curtiss and Rod Ash. Directed by Tony Bill.
Tom Conti's comic facial expressions and gestures are priceless as a Prince who is entirely controlled by his imposing Queen Mother (Beatrice Straight). She is the real power behind the throne. This is obvious, because Pat McCormick as the King comes across as a brain-dead dolt. Mother will decide who her son will marry, and he really should have been married long ago. Nancy Allen is featured as a shrewish, snobby, stuck-up Princess who courts the Queen Mother's favor.
But then, quirky, unconventional, funny, adventurous Aliecia (Liza Minnelli) knocks on the castle door. Aliecia also claims to be a Princess. But how could she be? She hardly looks the part--because she first appears completely bedraggled after wandering about all night in a thunderstorm. Spirited Aliecia is a perfect match for the Prince-- but can she pass the Queen Mother's impossible test of "True Princessness?" And what exactly are the qualities that make a lady a "True Princess" after all?
After her initial rain-soaked entrance, Liza Minnelli is showcased at her lovliest. "The Princess And The Pea"
provides Liza Minnelli with one of her best roles; a role that shows her natural flair for comedy.

This movie was loads of fun. Romantic yet funny in so many ways, it brought new life to the fairy tale.