Customer Reviews

A Twist in the Tale

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4 star:		(1)
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Willam Shatner's A Twist In The Tale was a 15 episode short lived television series in the late 1990's. Every week the narrarator/host (Shatner) would have a group of children he would tell a story to. The main children were always in the story itself. There are several great episodes including "Obsession In August" dealing with the legend of King Arthur and Camelot. The stories were well written and easy to follow. They had a certain chill factor, but not really scary. Watching them reminded me of watching old black and white B horror movies, no real shock value, just some uneasiness. My 10 year old cousin loved them. Some of the episodes can get complicated, but an older child should enjoy them. Interestingly enough, there was another series on around the same time called "The Legend of Willam Tell". A few of the young actors/actresses from that series appeared on "A Twist In The Tale. Both shows were produced by the same company.
This dvd would make a wonderful addition to anyone's collection. If you are concerned about what your children are watching on tv today, this is a dvd you can be completely confident in letting your children watch. It is good, clean fun.

I taped this series when it was on television. I loved the stories. They reminded me of the Eerie, Indiana (which I have on DVD as soon as it came out) or the Goose Bumps series for children. I'm a rather elderly person now and I still like the series. I would like to give it to some young people I know, but some parents may be uneasy about it. Parents need have no fear unless their children are very easily spooked Ei 9: Bring Me Dream (Eerie, Indiana)Goosebumps: The Haunted School.(I don't like horror or Elm Street or movies like that). If they'll watch Goose Bumps or Eerie, Indiana they certainly should be able to watch a Twist in the Tale. I want to buy it now because it is on DVD and I will have all of the episodes I missed.

I love love love this series. I used to watch it as a kid and when I found it on Amazon years and years later, I decided to buy it anyway. Along with the Adventures of Shirley Holmes, MythQuest, Outriders, William Tell, Swiss Family Robinson, and the Cave of the Golden Rose, this mystery-packed show was a major part of my childhood. It has 13 episodes, each more enticing than the other. I really cannot point out why its such an awesome show; all I can say is I watch it whenever I feel nostalgic. I do however, recommend it to parents looking for something a little less superficial than the majority of kids' shows today.

I got "William Shatner's A Twist in the Tale" for one reason, to see the story with Charles Mesure, "The Green Dress." While this story and the others focus on the supernatural adventures of children and younger teens, the adults' parts are also compelling. Nick and Brigid Martinelli (Charles Mesure and Michele Amas) are estranged over life choices. She always wanted a career on the stage and now has high hopes for their daughter Rose (Beth Allen) to boldly go where she never went before -- to paraphrase Mr. Shatner! When Rose gets her big chance, thanks to a mysterious green dress bought for a school play costume, the family comes together but is almost torn apart forever by the ambitious spirit inhabiting the dress.

Narrator William Shatner is very reassuring as he tells the stories to a group of young people that includes the stars of each episode. Good spooky stories for kids with a lot for adults too. When you buy this collection and watch "The Green Dress," notice how Nick and Brigid work out their problems like grown-ups. Be sure to notice Nick watching his daughter on stage -- breathtaking!

Originally in my "buy later" shopping basket, I bit the hook when it was--
briefly-- available at a G-R-E-A-T price that I'll not mention. Anyway o-
pinions are like, uh, NOSES... everyone has one. I'll have to, completely,
disagree with the rater who praised the King Arthur [first] episode. I'll
praise the OTHER fourteen. GHOST; MAGIC; WITCH; TIME-TRAVEL; OUT-OF-BODY;
and IN-BODY stories are served with wrap-arounds by an eleven-year-younger
William Shatner co-starring with three BUSHY toupees, and a rather large
dog. Being nearly completely bald, myself, I'd give Mister Shatner an Em-
my-- no, an OSCAR-- if he'd just admit to HIMSELF he was born in 1931.
MOST people born nearly E-I-G-H-T-Y years ago [MALE or FEMALE] are exper-
iencing hair loss. John Wayne, finally, received an Oscar after someone
asked him if his hair was REAL.
The Duke sprang back with "It's NOT mine... but it IS real!"
These programs were watched by me in TWO days! I enjoyed them enough to
spend seven-hours-- each-- on my days off.
My wife greeted me in bed by saying "You must REALLY be enjoying that DVD
Box Set!" I replied BOTH days. "Love 'em ALL, except the one about King
Arthur!"
Buy it! Maybe YOU'LL like the first episode.

"A Twist in the Tale" is a 15-episode series (1999) hosted by William Shatner which focuses on tales of the supernatural and/or contains elements of fantasy. Shatner plays the storyteller who begins each episode with an audience of youngsters and introduces the story to them. There are 15 episodes in all and each episode runs about 52 minutes, on four discs. Here's a list of the episodes:
Disc 1
Obsession in August
A Crack in Time
The Anchoress
Charlie

Disc 2
The Duelists
Bertie
The Magician
A Ghost of Our Own

Disc 3
Jessica's Diary
The Pirate
The Skeleton in the Cupboard
Between Life and Death

Disc 4
Darkness Visible
The Green Dress
A Matter of Time

The aspect ratio is 1.78:1 and the audio is English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. The picture quality is clear and crisp. This is a great series for young children, ages 7 and up. The language is clean, and so is the content. Even though the stories have strong elements of the supernatural and fantasy, the scenes are well-done and not really scary. On the whole, the stories are engaging and fun. Recommended!