Rumpelstiltskin (1987 film)
Rumpelstiltskin is a 1987 musical fantasy film, based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. In the United States, it was the first installment of Cannon Films' Movie Tales series.
| Rumpelstiltskin | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | David Irving |
| Produced by | |
| Screenplay by | David Irving |
| Based on | Rumpelstiltskin by the Brothers Grimm |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Max Robert |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | The Cannon Group |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country |
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| Language | English |
Production and release
Rumpelstiltskin was part of the Cannon Movie Tales series, a US$50 million project initiated by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus to adapt sixteen fairy tales into live action.[3][4] The film featured Billy Barty in his only lead role (as the title character),[5] and also starred Amy Irving (as Katie, the miller's daughter)[3] and Clive Revill as the villainous King Mezzer. Amy Irving's brother, David Irving (not the British author of the same name), scripted and directed;[3] their mother, actress Priscilla Pointer, portrayed the Queen.[3]
Cannon Films screened Rumpelstiltskin as the opening night attraction of its "family film festival" at 1987's Cannes Film Festival.[2] It was the first Cannon Movie Tale released in the U.S.;[1] though originally scheduled for November 21, 1986,[4] it premiered in April 1987.[1] The film was not well-received critically; Richard Harrington of The Washington Post said, "[A]ll Cannon has done...is to make a short story long. And long and longer."[1] In his Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin gave it two stars out of four and commented, "[This] threadbare musical adaptation...[is] likely to bore even the small fry."[6]
MGM released Rumpelstiltskin on DVD in 2005.
References
- Harrington, Richard (April 16, 1987). "'Rumpelstiltskin': Fractured Fairy Tale". The Washington Post. p. C.06. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- Ebert, Roger (1987). Two Weeks in the Midday Sun: A Cannes Notebook. Andrews and McMeel. p. 21. ISBN 0-8362-7942-5.
- New York Times News Services (October 20, 1986). "10 major directors set for 'Aria'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 14. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- Darnton, Nina (September 7, 1986). "Season Preview: Film; Major Directors Offering Their Wares". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- Monush, Barry (2003). "Billy Barty". Screen World Presents The Encyclopedia of American Film Actors: From the Silent Era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 49. ISBN 1-55783-551-9. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- Maltin, Leonard (2008). "Rumpelstiltskin". Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2009. Signet Books. p. 1182. ISBN 978-0-452-28978-9.