Product Details

• Actors: Phoebe Cates, Jim Broadbent, Wendy Hughes, Kevin Kline, John Lithgow
• Directors: Michael Austin
• Writers: John Wells, Michael Austin
• Producers: Andrew S. Karsch, Armyan Bernstein, Marc Abraham, Simon Bosanquet, Tom Rosenberg
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: February 6, 1996
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303937950

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This gentle "true" fairy tale succeeds on nearly every level, becoming an intelligent handling of a tabloid story. In 1817 a young foreign drifter (Phoebe Cates, never better) sets a small portion of England buzzing that she is a royal princess from an uncharted land. This feels like a magical movie with slightly overcooked characters, such as Kevin Kline's Greek butler. The supporting cast is older than in most movies of this type--no cute actors, we have performers with chiseled features and gruff voices. Director Michael Austin's decision to approach this as a true story keeps things firmly grounded so the eccentrics are not overplayed. Beautifully filmed by the great Freddie Francis (Glory) and featuring a surprisingly rich cast (Stephen Rea, Wendy Hughes, Jim Broadbent, and John Lithgow), this is simply the best family movie since The Secret Garden. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars CHARMING ADULT FAIRYTALE..., January 1, 2002

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Princess Caraboo (DVD)

Based upon a true story, this is a charming film with wonderful performances by a stellar cast. It tells the tale of a mysterious young woman (Phoebe Cates) in nineteenth century England, who is found wandering the countryside dressed in outlandish clothing and supposedly speaking no English. She is taken in by a kindly aristocratic family, and she gulls them into believing that she is some sort of exotic, foreign royal, Princess Caraboo.

Princess Caraboo charms all who meet her. Everyone is intrigued by her. Just who is she and where is she from? The Greek butler (Kevin Kline) thinks that she is an imposter. The aristocratic couple ( Jim Broadbent and Wendy Hughes), who virtually adopt her, believe her to be the real deal. The skeptical academic (John Lithgow), who specializes in Southeastern Asian languages and dialects and was brought in to try and determine her origin, is not immune to the charm of Princess Caraboo. Even the intrepid reporter, Mr. Gutch (Stephen Rea), who is onto something that may reveal the mystery of Princess Caraboo, falls under her spell.

Phoebe Cates outdid herself, giving a wonderful performance in an inherently difficult role that calls for speaking very little, and when she does speak it is, for the most part, to utter what sounds like gibberish. She is very expressive and totally charms the viewer. Jim Broadbent and Wendy Hughes are terrific as the aristocratic couple. Kevin Kline gives an over the top performance as the wily Greek butler. John Lithgow is outstanding as the academic and drolly funny. Stephen Rea is wonderful as the conflicted reporter, giving a well nuanced and sensitive performance. All in all, this is a perfectly delightful film that is suitable for the entire family.

The DVD itself offers high quality visuals and audio, but offers no special features or bonus extras.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, magical story with some minor social commentary, June 25, 2000

By 

Elizabeth (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess Caraboo [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Princess Caraboo is simultaneously a wonderful fairy tale of a lost princess who survives harrowing adventures in a foreign land, and also a light treatment of a period of social unrest and class struggle in historic England.

The fairy tale is the more compelling of the two aspects, which makes this movie a wonderful film for adults and children alike. Cates' unswerving imperial manner juxtaposed with her childlike wonder are engrossing not only to us, the audience, but to the people swept up in her adventure, especially the wonderful Stephen Rea as a cynical journalist transformed by her strength and beauty.

The social commentary is touched upon only lightly and occasionally, making the resolution to the question of the princess somewhat of a letdown; we aren't really given anough information to understand how she got to where she did. (Sorry for the vagueness -- I'm avoiding spoilers, here.) However, the concurrent resolution of the problems of Mrs. Warren, the kind lady who took in the princess, is worth whatever confusion or incompleteness there might be.

Overall, this is a delightful story for all ages, which sparks the imagination and holds your interest until the very last moment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Family Fare, May 26, 2003

By 

Lynn Magdalene (Altadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess Caraboo (DVD)

This is such a wonderful movie -- engaging, humorous, delightful, romantic, and based on a real event. Beautifully acted and produced, with wonderful costumes, it also provides good fodder for a family discussion of human values. It's easy for us to become complacent about the idea that "all humanity is created equal" (of equal value) - but that's a radical notion throughout most of human history, even "civilized" England from a few hundred years ago. Buy it! Enjoy it!