Film ReviewsTale Of Tales (IL racconto dei racconti)
Jul 18, 2016 Anchorage Press
|
|
Once upon a time in the 17th century there lived Giambattista Basile, a fabulist who wrote fantastic stories in the magical world of Naples, Italy. Basile set up a literary structure that has transcended that particular form and flows through every media imaginable, especially television and films: The fairy tale. The new film Tale of Tales directed by Matteo Garrone is a Franco-Italian production that "loosely" weaves a fantastical tale out of a few stories found in Basile's master work, Lo cunti de li cunti or The Tale of Tales.
Basile didn't invent the fairy tale by any means, although he did precede the Brothers Grimm by a few hundred years. Some accounts date Italian fairy tales to the story of Cupid and Psyche, back in the 400s somewhere-not to mention that there were already story collections like the Arabian Nights and the Panchatantra-but Basile did break ground and seed the universe with stories that are omnipresent through history. Basile's work is echoed from the 1700s on, even to Disney's bastardized, whitewashed and oversimplified versions of Basile's fairy tales. Considering how shallow and predictable the fairy tale genre has become, Tale of Tales is refreshing because it doesn't divide humanity into simple, one-dimensional, hero or villain scenarios. Like all true stories-even the made up ones-Garrone focuses on those that show a character in various lights and situations that bring out their complex natures. This approach makes it hard for viewers to be judgmental of characters' choices, and gives them an opportunity to actually care and feel compassion for the characters.
Tale of Tales depicts Baroque Italy through absurd and compelling scenarios set against the backdrop of gorgeous imagery. The plots and actions of characters cross boundaries between worlds; like all good myths or fairy tales, transformation is at the center of it all; Man to animal, animal to Man, but ultimately humans striving to be gods of a sort, or at minimum just loved. Garrone parallels the stories of three kingdoms that set in the framework of Basile's story within a story, but these don't have to mix in order to belong together. In the kingdom of Darkwood, the King (John C. Reilly) and his Queen (Salma Hayek) attempt to conceive a child through unusual means. This story sets the tone of the film, focusing on love and desires, and how each is weighed against the other. Hayek is her usual gorgeous self, she's not a particularly great actress but she commands a following, and face it-she's still hot. The second story is absurdly comical until it's not. In the kingdom of Highhills, the none-too-bright monarch (Toby Jones) develops a close relationship with a flea that ultimately leads to his daughter being married off to a brutal ogre. Her story is by far one of the most extreme plots in which Garrone executes Chekhov's dramatic principles elegantly and poetically. The last story is about King Strongcliff played by Vincent Cassel. The King is a bit of sex addict as his appetite leads him to seek love in all the wrong places; beauty, chance and transformation conflate into a bit more than a walk of shame.
Tale of Tales is deliciously dark and filled with symbolism. As dark as the film is, it never reaches depths of despair in the way that a tale by Shakespeare may, but Tale of Tales brings audiences a little closer to remembering why fairy tales are important. With the exception of Maleficent, Disney has brainwashed audiences into happy endings, singularly focused plots and flat characters-Tale of Tales is a good antidote to Disney, but convalescence may be long.
Tale of Tales shows at Bear Tooth on Monday, July 18 at 8 p.m.
Basile didn't invent the fairy tale by any means, although he did precede the Brothers Grimm by a few hundred years. Some accounts date Italian fairy tales to the story of Cupid and Psyche, back in the 400s somewhere-not to mention that there were already story collections like the Arabian Nights and the Panchatantra-but Basile did break ground and seed the universe with stories that are omnipresent through history. Basile's work is echoed from the 1700s on, even to Disney's bastardized, whitewashed and oversimplified versions of Basile's fairy tales. Considering how shallow and predictable the fairy tale genre has become, Tale of Tales is refreshing because it doesn't divide humanity into simple, one-dimensional, hero or villain scenarios. Like all true stories-even the made up ones-Garrone focuses on those that show a character in various lights and situations that bring out their complex natures. This approach makes it hard for viewers to be judgmental of characters' choices, and gives them an opportunity to actually care and feel compassion for the characters.
Tale of Tales depicts Baroque Italy through absurd and compelling scenarios set against the backdrop of gorgeous imagery. The plots and actions of characters cross boundaries between worlds; like all good myths or fairy tales, transformation is at the center of it all; Man to animal, animal to Man, but ultimately humans striving to be gods of a sort, or at minimum just loved. Garrone parallels the stories of three kingdoms that set in the framework of Basile's story within a story, but these don't have to mix in order to belong together. In the kingdom of Darkwood, the King (John C. Reilly) and his Queen (Salma Hayek) attempt to conceive a child through unusual means. This story sets the tone of the film, focusing on love and desires, and how each is weighed against the other. Hayek is her usual gorgeous self, she's not a particularly great actress but she commands a following, and face it-she's still hot. The second story is absurdly comical until it's not. In the kingdom of Highhills, the none-too-bright monarch (Toby Jones) develops a close relationship with a flea that ultimately leads to his daughter being married off to a brutal ogre. Her story is by far one of the most extreme plots in which Garrone executes Chekhov's dramatic principles elegantly and poetically. The last story is about King Strongcliff played by Vincent Cassel. The King is a bit of sex addict as his appetite leads him to seek love in all the wrong places; beauty, chance and transformation conflate into a bit more than a walk of shame.
Tale of Tales is deliciously dark and filled with symbolism. As dark as the film is, it never reaches depths of despair in the way that a tale by Shakespeare may, but Tale of Tales brings audiences a little closer to remembering why fairy tales are important. With the exception of Maleficent, Disney has brainwashed audiences into happy endings, singularly focused plots and flat characters-Tale of Tales is a good antidote to Disney, but convalescence may be long.
Tale of Tales shows at Bear Tooth on Monday, July 18 at 8 p.m.