Customer Reviews

The Storyteller - Perseus and the Gorgon/Daedalus and Icarus [VHS]

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It's a crime that Jim Henson's "Story Teller" series isn't available in stores, but at least you can order it from Amazon!

The "Greek Myths" branch of the series is quite impressive, with good production values and acting. Medusa is quite intimidating in "Perseus and the Gorgon;" Derek Jacobi breaks your heart as the ill-starred inventor Daedalus in "Daedalus and Icarus," and his fellow actors (John Wood as King Minos, and Ian Hawkes as Icarus) are equally good. These are excellent representations of the original myths, aimed at older kids and adults. (They can be quite earthy, and too frightening for younger kids). The narrator in this series is Michael Gambon (from "The Singing Detective").

Henson finished this series shortly before he died, and it represents some of his best work. I strongly recommend this and the main "Story Teller" series, narrated by John Hurt. Myths and folk tales have never been represented on film better than they are here. You'll be sorry if you miss them!

The late Jim Henson, mostly known for his creation of the MUPPETS, has also endeavored into other worthwhile projects of note. His STORYTELLER series is one of them.

While mostly geared towards children, the STORYTELLER videos are also wonderful for adults as well. While most of us know sketches of the Greek myths depicted, this series does a fine job of elaborating on the lesser known details of the myths. For children, it's a fabulous way to be introduced to the storys for the first time.

The majority of the actors in the series are relative unknowns. However, in the present episode the viewer is treated to none other than the legendary Shakesperian actor Derek Jacoby as the sage inventor Daedalus. Jacoby's performance makes this STORYTELLER even more appealing than it would normally be.

For Jim Henson fans and for those who are infatuated with the ancient Greeks, this video is a can't miss. If you buy this film without being familiar with either Henson or the Greeks, you may very well find yourself falling in love with both simultaneously.

Finally someone is bold enough to tackle Greek myths and not over dramatize or moralize them. These stories, as well as the myths of Theseus and Orpheus, are told with a wonderful mix of comedy and tragedy. Young people will appreciate the magnificent puppet mastery of Jim Henson. More mature audiences will be enraptured by the power of the myths themselves. True to the nature of Greek myths, they are dark and often reveal some tragic character flaw within humanity as a whole. Don't miss out on seeing these wonderfully artistic videos!

That said, "Perseus & the Gorgon" is a verybeautiful and faithful retelling of the tale of Danae, the shower ofgold, the birth of Perseus and the slaying of Medusa (no Andromeda, though). But a particularly beautiful rendition of the legend of Atlas. However, it doesn't quite reach the high bar set by the original Storyteller series, because there's little added to the original in the adapation.

"Daedalus & Icarus", however more than compensates. Perhaps the best of the four episodes, there's a humanity infused into all the characters, but most notably through the performances of Derek Jacobi as a guilt-ridden Daedalus and John Wood as King Minos.

These episodes may be frightening to very young children simply because they are so faithful, but if they're reading things like the D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, this is a perfect companion.

I saw these when they came out in England on TV last Christmas, and as a Latin teacher want to show them to my classes. I managed to tape all but Daedalus and Icarus and think they are marvellous, but cannot get them on video in England. As far as I can tell the US format will not support the British VHS PAL format. Immensely irritating, but I wholeheartedly recommend them and hope more might be done.

The series is masterfully done, but it suffers two tragic downfalls:

1. not enough muppet creations. I liked the minotaur, and the gorgon was superbly done (it really puts Clash of the Titans in its place!) and who couldn't love Brian Henson's Dog Companion. I have not seen the other greek storyteller tape yet, but I was not disappointed with the "other" two storyteller tapes.

2. It's not on DVD (I like to preserve my belongings indefinitely...I started with laserdisc). As an added bonus for DVD, for $24.99 they could have fit both tapes on one DVD and I could have instantly accessed the Daedalus and Icarus episode first (I was more interested in that story).

all in all, both episodes are wonderfully acted, and the tapes are solid and clean transfers from the original film (I'm a videophile, so please forgive my pickiness). They also seem to keep true to the commonly held interpretations of the mythological stories.

For children, the "other" tapes are a better buy, for teenagers, all four tapes are a must! For adults...shame on you for not owning them yet ;)

I had heard about the Greek Myths branch of the "Storyteller" series years ago, but never had a chance to see it. I was overjoyed to hear that it was available on video. I purchased both tapes, and they are worth it. This tape has "Perseus and the Gorgon" and "Daedalus and Icarus" on it, and both are really sublime adaptations of the myths. As the doomed inventor Daedalus, Sir Derek Jacobi truly shines and does credit to a tragic role. Both episodes are marvelous. This series is a little more downbeat due to the inspiration of Greek Myths, but is done very well. I recommend it wholeheartedly, especially to Jim Henson fans.

Just to let you know that these Greek Myths (all 4) are available on DVD in the Netherlands (see the Jim Henson web site). All 4 tales are on the DVD and have English soundtracks with Dutch sub-titling. I recently bought a copy from ebay.com for £13.99. As far as I can see, you cannot turn off the sub-titling which is at the bottom of the screen but still on the image. I don't find it too disturbing.

I've read the stories of Perseus and Icarus, though not recentely. These, however, are the versions I'll remember.

The stories are richer, darker, and more nuanced than any version I saw in print. They're about intense personal passions, jealousies, and fear. Perseus is about controlling, even sadistic family. The story of Icarus is very salient today, about technical success that fails because it can not tolerate human weakness.

I had never seen "The Storyteller" before - now I want the whole set. Highly recommended, but not for the youngest viewers.

Teachers, after you read Perseus, let the kids watch this video. My students love to see how Medusa is portrayed--she's deliciously hideous, as are the 'Gray Women.' And the video includes what some textbook depictions leave out--the encounter with Atlas. It's a great visual tool.