Customer Reviews

Little Red Riding Hood and Other Stories

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a fan of Christina Ricci, I was thrilled to find this DVD release of Little Red Riding Hood and Other Stories. This disk contains three short films by David Kaplan:

Little Red Riding Hood: This is the only story that Christina appears in, but she is wonderful. I started out just watching her, but quickly realized I was caught up in her character and I wanted to follow her through the woods to find out where this story would take her. I have to say that her performance justifies putting her name on the cover as well as being reason enough to give this DVD a five star rating. But there is even more to enjoy in this film. On my first viewing, I was not so thrilled with the introduction of the wolf, played by Timour Bourtasenkov, doing some kind of interpretive dance, but he quickly impressed me with his expressive face and truly brought this wolf-like creature to life. In subsequent viewings, this all fit together and drew me in much more than most short films do. This film is in black and white, with no dialog - only music and narration, in a 4:3 standard (16mm) frame typical for 1997, just over 12 minutes long. Multiple viewings recommended.

Little Suck-a-Thumb: This film is dark and twisted. It feels like a student film shot on a single set, and the performances are not overly convincing. The story took me somewhere I didn't want to go, slowly and deliberately with no surprises, and when it got there I laughed out loud. It's that strange of a story. So it was worth watching at least once. This film is in color, 4:3 standard frame, just over 8 minutes long. 1994.

The Frog King: It's Ringu (The Ring) meets Gonzo (The Muppets)... Black and white, silent with title cards (music and effects), 4:3 standard frame letterboxed to 16:9, 10 minutes. 1992.

Commentary tracks are somewhat interesting, but occasionally lost in the mix.

If you really like Fairy Tales and you know who was Bruno Bettelheim, this is a great material for you. If you are a teacher and you are giving Fairy Tales this is an incredible DVD for your course. Don't pay attention to light reviews from people who only watch Disney films. If you want three short cuts on Fairy Tales that you can interpret from a psychological perspective these are unique. I recommend the books: "The Trails & Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood" by Zipes, "The European Folktale" by Lüthi and "The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales" by Bruno Bettelheim. With these books you will see how great these little pieces are.

I recently ordered this movie because I'm a Christina Ricci fan, and have never heard of this title. It was a strange and somewhat dark version of this classic story. Even at a younger age, Christina Ricci demonstrates her sometomes erotic, yet innocent acting skills. It is a short film, but will likely leave you wondering to yourself, "what the heck is going on here?". The other stories on the video are not as interesting as Red Riding Hood, but still twisted.

Wow, How disappointing. I love fairy tales and Christina Ricci was a draw. All Three short films 10-20 min each and seem like student projects. Little Red Riding Hood (the longest) in Black and White with a Narrator, otherwise silent, except for the all time favorite Night on Bald Mountain as background music. Christina was good. The Wolf was ODD, a male ballerina dancing and prancing through the forest, an interesting artistic idea. Ended without a final resolution and left you hanging. The facial expressions of all three actors (Red, Wolf, and Grandma) were all good. The wolf just seemed too gay.

For Little Suck a Thumb (the second movie) the actors were not convincing perhaps do to their advanced age. The Villain was the best actor in this short, but that is not saying much. This film would probably earn a B- in Art School. The ending did not seem complete.

The Frog Prince again black and white and silent was not too bad, but ended abruptly and did not make much sense.

If you are an art student studying short films these are good examples to borrow from the library. If not, these are a waste of you money and not very entertaining.

This review is for the first short film on the disc, Little Red Riding Hood. I'm yet to watch the other short films.

I bought this DVD thinking it would be a real treat - I love fairy tales and Christina Ricci is one of my favourite actresses. And when I say I love fairy tales, I'm not talking the butchered Disney versions. My shelves are lined with the original Grimm and Perrault, and I was really looking forward to the artistic rendition this film seemed to be.

I was sadly disillusioned. Although 16 year old Christina was endearing in her silent Lolita-esque role, the rest of the film fell flat on its face. It tried to be artistic and sexy, but only came across as weird and stupid. The wolf was ridiculous. Parts of it were so bad I thought about giggling, but it wasn't even unintentionally funny enough to make me laugh.

LAME.

I have always had a sense of humor that enjoys going from high brow to the lowest common denominator. These shorts presented on this video, had a perversely twisted, but oh so funny enjoyment to it.

there are 3 short films on here and these are my reviews.
1) Odd.
2) Creepy
3) Wondrous.
Christina Ricci is ethereal to watch.
Like something that your brain cant quite conceptualize what your eyes are perceiving.
Although I dont always like her movies I could watch her for hours. She's just not like anyone else on the screen.

Definitely a cool film. A must-have for fans of those slightly off films that exist just off the beaten path. part scary; part cool.

(SPOILER!) Viewers who don't know the traditional variations of this story, #333 in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther index of folktale types, may think that David Kaplan has played fast and loose with "Little Red Riding Hood." Actually, his short film is based on versions of the tale, including those found in rural France, in which the title character is quite capable of taking care of herself, unlike her namesake in the version by Perrault, who simply perishes with her grandmother at the end, or the Grimms' "Little Red Cap," who needs to be rescued by a hunter. Apart from its authenticity, though, this is a beautiful and often funny film. Cristina Ricci, the Red character, is superb, but so is Timour Bourtasenkov, the ballet dancer who plays the wolf. I can't think of a better short film to introduce to students the idea that fairy tales are not exactly what their experiences with Disney films led them to expect!

If you want disturbing and unique, then this is for you. Chirstina Ricci is very good in the title role and they tell the tale as is really was and NOT the sanitized version we grew up with,
The other two films, Little Sucks-a-thumb and the Frog King are great and disturbing in their own right. I highly recommend this.