Customer Reviews

Rapunzel; Bristlelip; The Goose Girl

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These three shorts are good examples of Tom Davenport's art.

RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL is perhaps the least of the three, but considering that it's only his second film, one can forgive its occasional technical crudeness. It's ostensibly set in turn-of-the-century America although the hero is still a "prince." But yet the settings have a great authenticity to them, and (as another reviewer noted) the leads are not overly primped and made up, but are naturally good-looking human beings. At 15 minutes long, it feels a bit rushed, but works well. While the villain of the piece is called a witch, this film is devoid of any supernatural content (save for Rapunzel's hair).

THE GOOSE GIRL, set in the late 1600s, is squarely in the middle of the three. This is one of the few Davenport films to have supernatural content, in this case a talking horse and a heroine who can control the wind. This is the most traditional in the sense of the fairy-tale content, even though the setting is moved to America. The costumes and settings are lovely, and the performance from the evil maid who usurps the young heiress' place is actually rather good. There's a suggested gory fate for one character, but it is never seen. It's 18 minutes long.

BRISTLELIP is my favorite of the three. Set in Federalist-era Virginia, it's a gently humorous tale of a haughty heiress who turns down one suitor after another, for one petty reason after another. Finally her father engineers a marriage with a humble peddlar (or is he?), and she learns a lesson in humility and caring. It's based on the Grimm tale "King Thrushbeard" and translates wonderfully to the American milieu. As always, the sets and costumes are delightful and authentic, the acting good.

As with all of Davenport's Grimm tales, these are good for both kids and adults, never too cute and cloying and never too grim and grisly. Davenport's sincerity and effort shines through.

Also included on the DVD is a behind-the-scenes look at Davenport's Grimm series, including looks at some of his other films, MUTZMAG and JACK AND THE DENTIST'S DAUGHTER. This is especially good for adults.

This video is faithful to the classic fairy tales. My daughter and I enjoyed them very much. They are beautiful, quiet retellings of much loved stories.

One caution, there is a scene where a mother jabs her finger with a knife to draw blood to drip on a handkerchief for her daughter (The Goose Girl), and a description of a rather shocking punishment (the jealous maid ends up being striped naked, put into a barrel studded with nails, and dragged up and down the street until she is dead) that may be a bit much for extra sensitive souls.

I particularly enjoyed the casting - these princesses are pretty, authentic girls, not touched up and made up to perfection. And the setting of each fairy tale is beautiful, with lots of authentic period details (Goose Girl takes place in 17th century America, and Bristlelip takes place in Federalist Virginia) and beautiful camera angles.

Adults will enjoy this as much as children. We are looking forward to tracking down more movies from Davenportfilms.