Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997): Dir: Charles Sturridge / Cast: Florence Hoath, Elizabeth Earl, Harvey Keitel, Peter O'Toole, Bill Nighy: Fascinating themes aimed at the wrong audience. It brings elements of fantasy and enters it into present day. Two girls get snap shots of fairies in the wilderness, which gives them unwanted media attention. Good concept with little information about the fairies. They do not appear until the end of the film, which may ruin it for its intended audience. Directed by Charles Sturridge who previously made Aria. He is backed with beautiful photography and visual elements. Florence Hoath and Elizabeth Earl make a fine pairing as two carefree girls who happen upon the extraordinary and are suddenly thrust into media spotlight. Unfortunately Harvey Keitel as Harry Houdini serves little purpose. One could say that the character references the magic or fantasy elements but in his own film the Houdini character would flourish. Here he is a bad distraction. Peter O'Toole also makes an appearance but he never makes an impact. The special effects are the sell and that element works well, particularly when the fairies finally make an appearance in all their glory. Theme of media manipulation allows the film a documentary appeal but since the film has more adult appeal than for children it leaves the biggest tale told by the filmmakers. Score: 6 / 10
Review of FairyTale: A True Story
