There is a lot to like about the 'Faerie Tale Theatre' series. Many of their adaptations of various well-known and well-loved fairy tales are charming, clever and sometimes funny. 'Faerie Tale Theatre' puts its own magical spin on the best of the episodes while still capturing the essence of the stories.
'Rumpelstiltskin' is a great and deservedly popular story, particularly memorable for its title character. 'Faerie Tale Theatre's' adaptation is a lot of fun as well as a real charmer, much better than the later Cannon Movie Tale film (fun but gave the sense that the story didn't lend itself well to feature film content-wise, it felt very slight and padded). Nothing in "Rumpelstiltskin" (this version) doesn't feel slight or padded at all, the shorter running time (only 40 minutes) and that a good deal happens in the story allows the pacing to be much tighter.
My only complaint really is the costumes. The 'Faerie Tale Theatre' series was always done on low-budget, but other than Rumpelstiltskin himself, who is suitably grotesque, the costumes here are drab and shoddy. However the sets are charmingly colourful and the photography is hardly amateurish.
Here the music score is appropriately whimsical, though with long sections where it is appropriately not used at all, and it's all very well directed. The story is fun, dark and charming, and the script balances funny wit without overdoing it and the sometimes dark serious elements without getting too heavy.
All the acting is good, with Heve Villechaize's grotesquely creepy but also hugely entertaining Rumpelstiltskin. Shelley Duvall doubles as the host of the series and also as the Miller's Daughter, she is an inviting host and her beguiling Miller's Daughter strongly suggests that she could act. Ned Beatty is great fun too.
In conclusion, one of the series' best. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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