Customer Reviews

Sand Fairy [VHS]

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

 

 

This is one of the finest childrens videos I have ever seen. My grandson (age 8) just loved it. Unfortunately the library lost their copy and we cant find it to buy. This story is about 5 kids who find a fairy and get to make 1 wish per day which ends at sundown. Some of their choices were not well thought out...The fairy...is an endearing muppet like character who I fell in love with at first sight. It is a well acted English film. A must see for kids of all ages.

This is a wonderful 1990s British production of the classic Victorian children's book, *Five Children And It* by Edith Nesbit (I'm not sure why the title was changed for North American release!). My five-year-old loves this, as does her eight-year-old cousin. Five children vacationing in the country one summer discover an ancient Egyption creature who grants wishes that last for one day. The children wish away and have a series of adventures that teach them the vanity of all wishes. The adventures are fun and the effort the story makes to get children to think about the consequences of their actions ingenious. A child who grew up with Edith Nesbit's stories would have a helpful friend in teaching him or herself to think for themselves. This tape is as charming as the 1970s films of *the Railway Children* and *Swallows and Amazons* or something a little newer like *the Secret of Roan Inish.* It also makes for fine family entertainment, very easy and enjoyable to watch with your children. Another good family bet with our five-year-old was the Jeremy Brett-acted Sherlock Holmes' movie, *The Hound of the Baskervilles* - the hound was agreeably scary without being too frightening, Sherlock Holmes was intriguing with all his rushing about and strange mannerisms, a spooky tale was solved by reason and deduction, and the strongest expletive was Holmes' cry of "the BRUTE!"

True, I have no children, nor do I have an adequate ability to judge children's films.... All I can say that if you are a parent of a teenager son or daughter, do not buy this film on the assumption that they will automatically enjoy this film (like my parents unfortunately did)! Okay, I understand how children around the age of 8 might enjoy a movie like "The Sand Fairy," but it will bring only shear terror to those individuals of a less-naive nature. Believe me, I know. And to this day, I am still haunted by the images of children flying through the air with Swan Wings. Even more traumatizing was the notion of a shriveled little gnome living under a sand patch and granting strangers wonderful wishes that always turned out to be the opposite of "wonderful." I am reminded of such films like "Wishmaster" in which a horrible genie would grant unsuspecting Americans wishes that were quite contrary to their actual wish. Okay, I excuse many of the films random aspects due to the fact that it was produced by an English film company, but for an American Teenager, like myself, this film can become the worst film experience ever. "The Sand Fairy" is nothing more than a five star film for children; a one star movie for teenagers.