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The Storyteller - The Soldier and Death/A Story Short VHS

Jeremy Stuart (Actor), Marcus Clarke (II) (Actor) Format: VHS Tape

5.0 12 ratings

IMDb8.8/10.0

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VHS Tape, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
September 21, 1999

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

One of Jim Henson's finest hours was the Storyteller series that aired on HBO in 1987. As with his other non-Muppet tales (Labyrinth), Henson fills the screen with wonderful creatures that have a wisp of a J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy. The eight-part series was adapted from European folk tales by Anthony Minghella, who became an Oscar-winning filmmaker a decade later with The English Patient. Minghella weaves the narration of the storyteller (played with aplomb by John Hurt) with dialogue from the stories to beguiling effect; the storyteller doesn't simply introduce the tales. Henson himself directs "Death and the Soldier," a brilliant example of how these 22-minute episodes (two per video) were so wonderfully complex. A penniless solider (Bob Peck) is given a magical sack and he uses it to full effect, capturing gremlins and greater evils on his way to be king. "A Story Short" is the storyteller's own adventure. He makes a deal with a king to tell a story every day of the year. Yet on the last day, the storyteller's mind is a blank and his fate may lead him to a boiling vat of oil. Henson's work is true family entertainment. Ages 6 and up. --Doug Thomas

From the Back Cover

Two episodes from Jim Henson's The Storyteller.

"The Solider and Death"
Returning from war, a young solider trades his last biscuit for a magical Sack... into which anything summoned will enter! Trapping devils and even Death himself, the solider brings peace to his country. But Death soon proves a greater enemy captured than free!
Director: Jim Henson

"A Story Short "
The Storyteller recalls his days of servitude to the King for bamboozling the Royal Cook out of a meal. A story a day was his punishment--or else boil in the cook's cauldron of oil! All goes well until the final day... when he can't think of a story to save his life!
Director: Charles Sturridge

From the producer of Four Weddings and a Funeral and the writer/director of The English Patient. Starring John Hurt as The Storyteller.

Product details

Language ‏ : ‎ English
Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.32 x 4.19 x 1.12 inches; 6.13 Ounces
Release date ‏ : ‎ September 21, 1999
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ February 9, 2007
Actors ‏ : ‎ Jeremy Stuart, Marcus Clarke (II)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Jim Henson Home Entertainment / Columbia Tristar
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00000JQAC

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5.0 12 ratings

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The Best of the Best.

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2002

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Even though the show was only around for just about one season, Jim Henson's "The Storyteller" was one of my favorite shows growing up. I was fascinated by the tales told on the show and a few of the stories left a deep impression upon me; I've always said that Jim Henson was one of only a few directors who could film a fairy tale right.
My favorite of all the shows was "The Soldier and Death". This episode was based upon an old Russian folk tale. The story deals with a kind, young soldier walking back home on his way from war. Due to a few kind deeds the soldier performs, he is given a magical sack; a ruby whistle; and a magic deck of cards. He uses all of those gifts to the utmost. The tale has several morals, but unfortunately ends rather sadly for the hero.
"A Short Story" was another episode I remember fondly. It is a story about the Storyteller's own life and adventures. It is reminiscent of "1001 Tales of Scherazade" in some aspects. However, the story takes place in Europe, not Arabia and there is a major twist.
Jim Henson was one of the most gifted filmmakers of our time. Perhaps exceeding the accomplishments of "The Muppet Show", "The Storyteller" was a groundbreaking series full of excitement, fun, morals, and lots of good stories. They just don't make television like that anymore.

6 people found this helpful

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Naomi Williams

FANTASTIC!

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 1999

Verified Purchase

After 12 years of hearing about how wonderful The Storyteller was, and not being able to find it for rent, I decided to take a chance and buy it. My family just watched it and is clamouring for me to buy the next one immediately! Definitely lived up to the hype and my expectations.

3 people found this helpful

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C. Momot

I Wish They Would Release The Other Episodes!!!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2001

Jim Henson's Storyteller is a brilliant series. John Hurt is fabulous, as always, and his dog is a delight. I haven't seen any of the greek myths, yet, but if Derek Jacobi is in at least one them, then I am sure that they must be wonderful. I must say, that I'm a little disappointed to see that John Hurt was replaced by a different actor (I can't really imagine anyone else in his role), but not having seen the Greek incarnations, I really can not judge them, and they are probably very good in their own right. They certainly appear to have recruited top-notch actors. The Storyteller episodes with John Hurt are absolutely wonderful. These are fairy tales the way they were meant to be told. They are witty and sagacious, and thoroughly entertaining. They are not whitewashed, and the endings aren't always happy. The Soldier and Death is probably my favorite (the card game with the devils is classic!). I remember watching this series when I was in highschool, in Canada. The Storyteller was broadcast at the tail end of the Jim Henson Hour (and was, by far, the best part of the show). Unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to view the series in its entirety. I've seen Sapsorrow and The Soldier & Death, and another one called the Three Ravens (which is equally wonderful!). I am overjoyed to discover that some of the episodes have been transferred to video! Unfortunately, it seems that there are about 4 or 5 others that are STILL unavailable! Does anyone out there know why the others have not yet been released, and/or if there are any plans to release them at a future date? Judging by the copyrights and viewer comments, it looks as though a couple of years have passed, without any move, on the part of the studio, to do so. At any rate, these tapes are well worth purchasing. In my view, they are Henson's best work (and I love the muppets, just so you know).

14 people found this helpful

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Spassprediger's Shirts

Truly an all time favorite

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2003

In the course of what must now be almost 20 years since I saw Jim Henson's adaptions of fairy tales for the first time, they have lost none of their appeal to me - something, I should perhaps add, that also rings true for most of other Henson's work, ranging from 'Sesame Street', 'The Muppets Show' to 'The Dark Crystal'. Among the twelve episodes of 'The Storyteller' (nine fairy tales, three Greek myths), 'The Soldier and Death' has a special place in my heart, not least thanks to the ranks of rather cute devils that have 'muppet' written all over them. While it is a pity that to this very day there is, indeed, no RC1 dvd edition available, it may be of interest to afficionados that in the Netherlands 4 dvd featuring all 12 episodes were released. While the release by 'Bridge Entertainment' suffers from notable defects in sound & picture quality (the dvds seem to have been mastered from VHS material), to my knowledge it offers what is currently the only chance to view one of the best childrens' series that ever were in their entirety. While I do hope to see the day on which the episodes of 'The Storyteller' get the dvd treatment they deserve, I'll keep on watching my old tapes as I have done for years ... and recommending 'The Soldier and Death' and all other available episodes of 'The Storyteller' to old and new Jim Henson fans alike.

4 people found this helpful

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noizyme

Almost forgot about this timeless show...thank God DVD is on its way

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2006

I echo everything that has been said prior to this comment on this inparticular videocassette which features two great episodes from this timeless show. I greatly remember the first episode (The Prince and Death...or something like that).

I first saw the show on TV (around the age of 7 or 8), and I got severely scared of the devils in the sack with the Prince captures. I dunno...maybe just me, but the horrific realism of the entire show got to me in such a way that, at that age, I knew that Henson was doing something original and miraculous with the stories he told.

I kind of remember the second episode on this tape, but I just had to throw that comment out there about the first episode.

You can pick up the DVD at a number of online sources (including amazon.com, of course).

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