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, a few even emotionally moving. 'Faerie Tale Theatre' puts its own magical spin on the best of the episodes while still capturing the essence of the stories, while also giving further enjoyments in seeing talented performers in early roles or in roles that are departures from their usual roles.
"Hansel and Gretel" is one of my favourites from 'Fairy Tale Theatre' (a series with few misfires and nothing that is irredeemable), one of the episodes that holds up the most and every element is executed to a standard among the best 'Fairy Tale Theatre' has done. "Hansel and Gretel" is somewhat of a different episode, it is darker and more sombre than most of the stories of 'Fairy Tale Theatre', most of which are more light-hearted and some with a lot of humour. In no way is this a criticism, because from an adult perspective (where the darkness of some of the story is more obvious) this approach is very true to the basic essence of the fairy-tale and is one of those stories that fares much better played straight.
Visually, "Hansel and Gretel" is one of the best-looking 'Faerie Tale Theatre' episodes. The scenery and sets are wonderfully lush, with a witch's house that is good enough to want to eat, and the costumes and make-up are not shoestring budget or bizarrely ghoulish like a few other episodes. The music score is also among the series' best, that some of it is adapted from Engelbert Humperdinck's wonderful opera of the same name helps enormously.
It contains a beautifully written script, which plays it straight and justly so with a rich emotional core that adds a good deal of depth, and a faithful in spirit story that doesn't suffer from padding and makes one relate to both Hansel and Gretel. One is afraid of the witch without being traumatised.
The acting contributes towards "Hansel and Gretel" being one of the series' best acted episodes. Ricky Schroder and Bridgette Anderson are immensely charming as Hansel and Gretel, and Paul Dooley is a suitably sincere father figure. The scene stealer is Joan Collins in a dual role as both the scheming step-mother and a truly terrifying witch, one of the series' best ever acting turns and never descends into hamminess.
Overall, wonderful and one of my favourites from 'Faerie Tale Theatre'. One of my favourite 'Hansel and Gretel' adaptations too. 10/10 Bethany Cox
"Hansel and Gretel" is one of my favourites from 'Fairy Tale Theatre' (a series with few misfires and nothing that is irredeemable), one of the episodes that holds up the most and every element is executed to a standard among the best 'Fairy Tale Theatre' has done. "Hansel and Gretel" is somewhat of a different episode, it is darker and more sombre than most of the stories of 'Fairy Tale Theatre', most of which are more light-hearted and some with a lot of humour. In no way is this a criticism, because from an adult perspective (where the darkness of some of the story is more obvious) this approach is very true to the basic essence of the fairy-tale and is one of those stories that fares much better played straight.
Visually, "Hansel and Gretel" is one of the best-looking 'Faerie Tale Theatre' episodes. The scenery and sets are wonderfully lush, with a witch's house that is good enough to want to eat, and the costumes and make-up are not shoestring budget or bizarrely ghoulish like a few other episodes. The music score is also among the series' best, that some of it is adapted from Engelbert Humperdinck's wonderful opera of the same name helps enormously.
It contains a beautifully written script, which plays it straight and justly so with a rich emotional core that adds a good deal of depth, and a faithful in spirit story that doesn't suffer from padding and makes one relate to both Hansel and Gretel. One is afraid of the witch without being traumatised.
The acting contributes towards "Hansel and Gretel" being one of the series' best acted episodes. Ricky Schroder and Bridgette Anderson are immensely charming as Hansel and Gretel, and Paul Dooley is a suitably sincere father figure. The scene stealer is Joan Collins in a dual role as both the scheming step-mother and a truly terrifying witch, one of the series' best ever acting turns and never descends into hamminess.
Overall, wonderful and one of my favourites from 'Faerie Tale Theatre'. One of my favourite 'Hansel and Gretel' adaptations too. 10/10 Bethany Cox
