13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"quickly now quickly, blow out the candle.....", August 5, 2005
This version of SLEEPING BEAUTY, part of the Cannon MovieTales series, is a real charmer.
The story is told pretty much as we all remember, but with a few new touches. A childless King and Queen are given a magical potion by a kindly elf. When the lovely Princess Rosebud is born, all the fairies are invited to bestow gifts upon the child. However, due to a miscounting of the golden dinner plates, the fearsome Red Fairy is left off the guest-list. Enraged, she gatecrashes the event and curses Rosebud to a premature death from the prick of a spindle. The wise White Fairy remedies the curse by changing the death to sleep, and the awakening of Rosebud with the kiss of true love. In the meanwhile, all spindles are banned from the kingdom.
In the passing years, with all the clothes in the kingdom dissolved to rags because of the absence of spindles and sewing-needles, the King and Queen travel to the far reaches and bring back reams of fabrics. During their absence, the Red Fairy sees the perfect opportunity to see her curse come true...
Morgan Fairchild, Tahnee Welch, Jane Weidlin and Sylvia Miles all offer fine performances in this adaptation of the oft-told fairytale. There is a certain campy charm about the Cannon MovieTales series, which were filmed rather economically in Israel (and you'll notice that many of the films have the same sets). The score isn't terribly complex but is enjoyable and features "Spin Spin Spin", "Life is Rosier Today" and "Slumber". Even Tchaikovsky's famed score is used for the christening scene.
Charming family viewing.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN A VERSION THIS LOVELY!!!, March 30, 2003
As much as I love the classic Disney version of this tale, there is definitely something that must be said for such a beautiful live action film. Part of the legendary (and impossible to find) Cannon Movie Tales series, Sleeping Beauty is an enchanting classical treat! The sets, costumes, songs, and actors are all beautifully "spun" together to create the perfect family viewing experience. Sylvia Miles should recieve an award for her LARGER THAN LIFE portrayal of the angry Red Fairy....oooh!
It's quite simply an enveloping, mesmerising film. If you can still find a copy of this one, get it!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fairy Tale Fever, April 6, 2002
I first watched this movie when I was just a little girl, so I probably love this movie partly because of the nostalgia it creates. But saying that, this is also a good movie in itself - a reasonably faithful retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale, and any dramatic liberties it takes only enhance the plot line. Morgan Fairchild plays the sad Queen who longs above all things for a child and Kenny Baker (who I think is the guy they stuff into R2D2 every time a Star Wars movie is made) is the elf who vows to help her by brewing up a magical potion. It works, and in a few months the Princess Rosebud is born. On her christening day, the fairies gather at her crib to bless her with their individual virtues - beauty, wit, grace, poetry and so on. But because one of the fairies' nine golden plates were missing, one fairy has been crossed off the list - the Fairy Red, who is none to pleased to be excluded. She curses the baby, vowing that on her sixteenth year she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and 'drop down dead'. However, not all hope is lost as the Fairy of White - who was late getting to the party - eases the curse. Rosebud will not die, but instead sleep for one hundred years till she is awoken by love's first kiss. Awwww.
Although the costumes and sets may look a bit dated now, the costumes of all the supernatural characters still look fresh and vibrant, from the elves' feathery clothes to the fairies' sweeping, floating dresses. The songs are beautiful too - look out especially for the Fairy of White's "Quickly, now Quickly," Rosebud's "Something in the Dark" the Prince's "Sleeping Beauty" and the triumphant "How Good It Is". Dancing is outstanding as well, especially the fairies' graceful slow-motion ballet dance to Tchaikovsky's original score is wonderfully choreographed and performed.
One thing that did bother me though, is that apart from Rosebud, nobody had any names! The Queen was simply 'the Queen', the Elf was just 'The Elf' the Prince was merely 'The Prince'. Some names to personalise everyone would have been nice.
It might be funny to see Morgan Fairchild in such a role, but she pulls it off really well and Kenny Baker and David Holliday as the King get most of the laughs. Although I must confess I thought the Prince (Nicholas Clay) was 'icky' when I was a kid, he is a pretty good Prince Charming, and has a great singing voice. Sylvia Miles is pretty darn scary as the Fairy of Red (sensitive kids might need a grown-up present) and Star Trek fans might recognise Jane Wiedlin as the lovely Fairy of White.
All in all, this is a great treat for fairy-tale fans and it is successfully funny, scary, sad and joyful.
I would also recommend to fairy-tale lovers - "The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns", a new take on a familiar story.
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