Product Details

• Actors: Donald Bishop, David Huband, Caroly Larson, John Stocker, Kathleen Barr
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: June 22, 1999
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000ILF8
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #105,306 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Stories From My Childhood, Vol. 4: Beauty & the Beast" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Russia's Soyuzmultfilm Studios, one of the most remarkable animation factories of the 20th century, is celebrated in this fourth volume from the PBS series, co-executive produced by Mikhail Baryshnikov. As with previous volumes, this one collects several of Soyuzmultfilm's most dazzling adaptations of European folklore, including a classic 1952 version of "Beauty and the Beast" that is far closer to the original story than Disney's. (Contemporary voicing is provided by Robert Loggia, Tim Curry, and Amy Irving.) A wonderfully fun and painterly version of "The Nutcracker," including Tchaikovsky's music, is narrated by Shirley MacLaine. The collection also includes a pair of adaptations of Pushkin stories, each gorgeous to see and voiced by the likes of Jessica Lange, Timothy Dalton, Gregory Hines, and Cathy Moriarty. Animation buffs will truly enjoy the complexity and lushness of the Soyuzmultfilm style, while kids will appreciate the terrific storytelling and exciting visuals. The DVD has alternate French and Spanish soundtracks with different vocal casts. --Tom Keogh

Product Description
Volume Four includes "Beauty and the Beast," featuring the voices of Amy Irving, Tim Curry and Robert Loggia (French track: Gerald Rinaldi; Spanish: Marco Uriel & Cecilia Gabriela); "The Nutcracker," narrated by Shirley MacLaine (French: Roland Giraud; Spanish: Julio Iglesias); "The Prince, the Swan & the Czar Saltan," with Jessica Lange and Timothy Dalton (French: Marie Trintignant & Eric Aubrahn; Spanish: Blanca Sanchez & Sergio Basanez); and "Golden Rooster," with Gregory Hines and Cathy Moriarty (French: Daniel Russo; Spanish: Carlos Rotzinger & Alma Muriel).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars worthwhile, but buyer beware..., July 5, 2009

By	Eugene Schiller (Honolulu, Hi United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lev Atamanov's "Beauty and the Beast" (also known as "The Pink Flower") is the most beautiful of all Russian animated films, though buyer beware...The Jove transfer betrays a significant loss in quality compared with the recent Krupny Plan restoration (unfortunately, not available in region one). Exquisite moments abound (e.g. reflections in a pool capture the flight of swans overhead) but such fine details, more often than not, come across as an unlovely blur; elaborate 3-dimensional effects, notably, in the beast's magical domain, are rendered flat and lifeless here. And while Jove's intentions are laudable, in attempting to bring this classic to a wider audience, in fact, a true work of art has been poorly served. The disc does offer compensations, however, with handsome reproductions of Stepantsev's "The Nutcracker" and two tales by Pushkin.
In general, Jove's "Stories from my Childhood" are a mixed blessing. Some offerings - "12 Months," "Cinderella," "The Snow Girl" - dubbed, re-scored and vibrantly transferred, compare favorably with the Russian originals. Others, such as "The Snow Queen" and "Alice and the Mystery of the Third Planet" do not. Tsekhanovsky's "Wild Swans," perhaps, deserves a more considered appraisal. The image "pops" nicely, though it lacks the proper wide-screen ratio. More damagingly, the magnificent original score by Alexander Varlamov, has been replaced with an inappropriately generic synth-pop arrangement. And, the film's most enchanting sequence (a flight to the island during a thunderstorm) has been ruined with middling cuts and distracting voice-overs.
Still recommended - Jove's "Masters of Russian Animation" series (volumes 1-4) and "Soviet Animated Propaganda" - a collection, which despite it's technical imperfections, is well worth seeking out.

3.0 out of 5 stars it's ok , November 2, 2008

By	A.T "mr.MYLENE FARMER gaultier" (san jose,CA USA) - See all my reviews

this is rotoscope animation( beauty and the beast ). it's good enough so far . i don't know why the artist draw the face not prety and fat...and hoped they clean up the old dust movie ,