Tale of Tales (B) Movie Review
Tale of Tales is comprised of three different tales. Firstly, there's "The Queen," starring Salma Hayek as a mother/Queen who wishes to keep her son from seeing his peasant best friend. Secondly, there's "The Flea," in which the King of Highmountain, played by Toby Jones, holds a contest to find a suitable husband for his daughter and becomes obsessed with a flea. Thirdly, there's "The Two Old Women," in which two sisters, Imma and Dora, are sought after by the King, played by Vincent Cassel, who is unaware of their ugliness.
Tale of Tales' most bonkers image that's been paraded around since the film's premiere at Cannes is one of Salma Hayek wolfing down the bloody, enormous heart of a sea monster. Hayek eats the heart with a crazed look, as if already enchanted by the powers the heart supposedly encapsulates. This is indeed a spectacular moment in the film, fueled by an emotional desire of the Queen's to have a child, and wonderfully absurd in a darkly comic sort of way.
In general, the film maintains this ghoulish sense of playfulness. Unfortunately, it's the Queen's storyline that proves the least compelling. The "Prince and the Pauper"-esque tale is all too familiar and unlike "The Flea" and "The Two Old Women," "The Queen" does little particularly exciting or fun with its cliched premise while simultaneously being the least thematically complex tale.
Although, it's hard to fault "The Queen" for being too familiar. It's based on 17th century fairy tales after all. Unlike the sugarcoated fairy tales we're subjected to nowadays, Tale of Tales retains the devilish nature of the fairy tales from which it originates. The film's visual design illuminates 1600s life in all its eccentricities: the costume design is lavish, the set design is over-the-top, and the special effects are unsettlingly realistic.
Alas, the film is not without substance. Tale of Tales is rare in how it is in (almost) equal measures beautiful and substantial. What keeps the film from feeling like a two hour mesh of three very different stories is how the central theme of destructive love weaves them together. In each tale, obsession and lustful desires will lead to the characters' downfalls. If the film gets muddled in the ways it wraps up these tales with a troublesome messiness, it's heart is in the right place (which is more than we can say for that sea monster).
The film's ensemble brilliantly brings these olden tales to life. Salma Hayek is gloriously creep and destructive as the overbearing mother/Queen, who just wants her son to reciprocate the maternal love she feels for him. Vincent Cassel is endlessly entertaining as the sex-obsessed, maddened King. And finally, the two ugly "sisters," Imma and Dora, pull off a crazed, delirious obsession with Cassel after he shows a bit of interest in Dora.
Unfortunately, the film does drag a bit. Blame the wonky editing. There are moments when tales are given too much or not enough run time. When they're given too much, as in "The Queen"s case, they can become tiresome. Where "The Queen" can grow slightly boring, "The Flea" is never less than captivating, anchored by a solid performance by Bebe Cave as Toby Jones' daughter who must fight her way back to the kingdom after being held captive by an ogre. It is also the case that "The Flea" has (what seems like) the shortest run time.
But where uneven pacing and odd editing can get in the way of the film's momentum, the garrish, bizarre tint to Tale of Tales is refreshing. And while the outlandish visuals are rapturous, the film is like a full meal, carrying a substantive weight and garnished with intelligent performances.
FINAL GRADE: B
MPAA RATING: NR
Tale of Tales' most bonkers image that's been paraded around since the film's premiere at Cannes is one of Salma Hayek wolfing down the bloody, enormous heart of a sea monster. Hayek eats the heart with a crazed look, as if already enchanted by the powers the heart supposedly encapsulates. This is indeed a spectacular moment in the film, fueled by an emotional desire of the Queen's to have a child, and wonderfully absurd in a darkly comic sort of way.
In general, the film maintains this ghoulish sense of playfulness. Unfortunately, it's the Queen's storyline that proves the least compelling. The "Prince and the Pauper"-esque tale is all too familiar and unlike "The Flea" and "The Two Old Women," "The Queen" does little particularly exciting or fun with its cliched premise while simultaneously being the least thematically complex tale.
Although, it's hard to fault "The Queen" for being too familiar. It's based on 17th century fairy tales after all. Unlike the sugarcoated fairy tales we're subjected to nowadays, Tale of Tales retains the devilish nature of the fairy tales from which it originates. The film's visual design illuminates 1600s life in all its eccentricities: the costume design is lavish, the set design is over-the-top, and the special effects are unsettlingly realistic.
Alas, the film is not without substance. Tale of Tales is rare in how it is in (almost) equal measures beautiful and substantial. What keeps the film from feeling like a two hour mesh of three very different stories is how the central theme of destructive love weaves them together. In each tale, obsession and lustful desires will lead to the characters' downfalls. If the film gets muddled in the ways it wraps up these tales with a troublesome messiness, it's heart is in the right place (which is more than we can say for that sea monster).
The film's ensemble brilliantly brings these olden tales to life. Salma Hayek is gloriously creep and destructive as the overbearing mother/Queen, who just wants her son to reciprocate the maternal love she feels for him. Vincent Cassel is endlessly entertaining as the sex-obsessed, maddened King. And finally, the two ugly "sisters," Imma and Dora, pull off a crazed, delirious obsession with Cassel after he shows a bit of interest in Dora.
Unfortunately, the film does drag a bit. Blame the wonky editing. There are moments when tales are given too much or not enough run time. When they're given too much, as in "The Queen"s case, they can become tiresome. Where "The Queen" can grow slightly boring, "The Flea" is never less than captivating, anchored by a solid performance by Bebe Cave as Toby Jones' daughter who must fight her way back to the kingdom after being held captive by an ogre. It is also the case that "The Flea" has (what seems like) the shortest run time.
But where uneven pacing and odd editing can get in the way of the film's momentum, the garrish, bizarre tint to Tale of Tales is refreshing. And while the outlandish visuals are rapturous, the film is like a full meal, carrying a substantive weight and garnished with intelligent performances.
FINAL GRADE: B
MPAA RATING: NR