"Tale of Tales" Comes to DVD & Blu-ray in the US

I'm always astonished at how much fairy tale news there is to report so, forgive us if we miss the exact release date of things as they happen. We are just back-logged with fairy tale awesome in our newsroom!

This last Tuesday, a movie we have been very much looking forward to seeing, Tale of Tales, was released on DVD and Blu-ray. We still await our copy, so won't be able to review for some time yet, but we have unearthed some additional video footage which will give you a good idea of the tone of the movie, especially if you've been following the promotion we covered as the movie was originally released in Italy.

A quick refresher: this movie was an independent film, though it stars many luminary actors (including Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, and John C. Reilly along with many other familiar faces) and has a well known director, Matteo Garrone. It was a passion project, filmed in remote locations around the director's home country of Italy in English. (No subtitle reading required.) The film is based on the oldest known written collection of fairy tales by Giambattista Basile, Il Pentamerone or The Tale of Tales, Or Entertainment for Little Ones (aka Lo cunto de li cunti overo lo trattenemiento de peccerille or Il racconto dei racconti), focusing on 3 of the tales. And yes, this film, is not for children, though are definitely sections a child would very much enjoy (giant flea anyone?).

Description:

Discover a grim, gorgeous, grown-up fairy tale full of princes and princesses, sorcerers and fairies, and monsters and ogres in the epic fantasy horror film Tale of Tales. Based on three spellbinding stories of magic and the macabre by 17th-century folklorist Giambattista Basile, Tale of Tales unleashes a barrage of mind-bogglingly exquisite and fantastical imagery as it brings to life the misadventures of three kings. 

Starring Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, John C. Reilly, Toby Jones, and Shirley Henderson, this captivating film makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut on September 6, 2016, from Shout! Factory and Sundance Selects. This critically acclaimed film from celebrated director Matteo Garrone also includes the featurette “The Making of Tale of Tales” and the theatrical trailer as bonus features. 

A rich sensory experience featuring exquisite cinematography and a score by Academy Award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat, Tale of Tales interweaves three enchanting sagas about universal themes of life, death, and love. Overflowing with surreal, dazzling surprises, this intoxicating cinematic spectacle is a delirious excursion into the dark heart of fairy tales.

The three new clips available touch on three of the stories in the film:

• the barren queen (and king) find out an unusual way they could finally have a child
• a king obsessed with a giant flea offers the hand of his daughter in an ill-advised way
• a woman is not quite what she seems (which the sex-obsessed, love struck ruler of Strongcliff will rue)

Be intrigued:
#1: "A Life for a Life"

 #2" "The Flea"

#3: "The Flayed Old Lady"

While there is nothing which isn't rated 'G' in the clips, you may be surprised at what is implied, so perhaps view away from any children for a first look.

I can see how this movie is polarizing viewers - some are a little freaked while others hail it a masterpiece. We guess that we will lean toward the latter, though without a proper viewing we can't say that definitively. However, we are very familiar with the source material so are unlikely to be bothered by any of the aspects that those giving negative reviews focus on.

We are only disappointed that we can't view it on the big screen as it was intended to be seen.

In the meantime, please enjoy these alternate posters, including a couple of foreign language variations. I'm surprised I hadn't seen some of these before - they're quite striking.

We hope to bring you a review in the coming weeks.

The Italian Trailer for "Il Racconto Dei Racconti " (Tales of Tales") Is Amazing!

Put everything on hold: I must see this NOW!

Here's the Italian trailer. It's more loigcal in terms of story progression than the other trailers so you get more of an idea of what's happening, especially if you took a good look at my previous Tale of Tales post on the weekend. 

Only problem is, it's in, well, Italian (obviously) so I have to listen super-closely to understand what's being said and I still haven't found all the words I don't know in an Italian-english dictionary. Never fear though: the film was made in English so the Italian is dubbed over the actors speaking English. You don't need many words to understand what's going on anyway.

It's just beautiful, with lots of footage not included in the other English ones. Enjoy!

Don't worry - I am keeping my eyes peeled for US andUK distribution and will share as soon as I know!

New "Tale of Tales" Trailers, Posters, Descriptions & TONS of Stills!

My goodness, this film looks more amazing every time I see more about it. This was going to be a short post: new trailers, new poster, few screen shots - done - but no. There is a TON of new stuff released about this movie and I have to share it all (ok - not all, this post would have been twice as long and I didn't include the gorier stuff so you can feel OK about scrolling if you have family or work mates around.)

These trailers ARE both safe for work and kids by the way, so no worries there (a little blood and dirt and some skin but nothing too terrible). Here they are:

There are also two new posters - I go back and forth between which one I like better, though the first one that looks like a labyrinth was completely stunning, and I'm glad I saw that first.

There is an interview with Garrone in the Italian Huffington Post HERE and I'm including a few badly translated excerpts for you:

"... the raw violence of the tales of Giambattista Basile, with its medieval matrix, it seems to narrow current. Back on top passions and desires, as in fairy tales, which are always true, as he said Italo Calvino, because they speak of the human being. And fairy tales are archetypes, and the archetypes are always modern and universal ", (says Director Matteo Garrone).
In  “Il racconto dei racconti”, which will be outside Italy "Tale of Tales" because it is shot in English, the horror regaining the dignity of the prototypes, the "fairy tales mothers" that is, fantasies for adults, not children, and all strings of passion made of flesh and blood, of dreams and nightmares, of wandering from ugly to sublime the popular imagination conspire to create an overflowing beauty. It is a film of excess, to Garrone, as were the 50 tales of "Lu cunto de cunti them", by the genius of Giambattista Basile, Neapolitan in the first '600 provided the source material to edulcorazioni most famous Grimm, of Perrault , of Andersen. A film of excesses to be enjoyed in awe as a child listening to a fairy scary, with those slimy monsters and carnal that no creature could match digital, joyfully stolen even those pre-crafts film special effects, even B-movies of yesteryear.
The excesses are straight from the imaginary popular and eternal sneer against the powerful. There is the all-consuming need maternity Queen Salma Hayek, who feeds a bloody dragon heart to give birth to the son of the victim will be coveted and exclusive passion. There is the paradoxical whim of Toby Jones, another sovereign, who stuffs a flea to the tonnage of an ox by sacrificing his only child. Vincent Cassel is the libertine who dazed by the orgies (and "that" orgies, chapeau) goes to bed by mistake, a poor old laundress, but the signs, you know ... because the magic is still there, and the genius of Basile was able to bring forward by four centuries satire of modern cosmetic surgery. So much so that the "cunto" original was titled "The old flayed", means the illusion of regaining youth and beauty. E'bello and important about B-movies, that Garrone cites among his sources of cinema, as well as the "Casanova" by Fellini, the "Pinocchio" by Comencini and all '"Armata Brancaleone" Monicelli, the legendary Mario Bava de "The mask of the devil."

I am so very curious to see what conversations and discussions this film inspires! (Or perhaps, incites would be a better word.)

Here's a bunch more stills which bring us more intriguing story information (I've left the most bloody and explicit ones out):

I'm also including screen caps from the new WEBSITE HERE to give you more of an idea of the synopsis and different stories involved/included. (It's in Italian but if you use a translator you can understand most of it). I recommend clicking on the images so you can read the story descriptions. There's more on the website too, about the girl and the ogre. There are a TON MORE photos on the official website too - all the ones included in this post are just a sampling (seriously!).

And here are some costume designs...

A list of locations used, which was a closely guarded secret for the whole production (wow! They're going to have "Tale of Tales" tours around Italy in the future, I just know it!)...

And other random things I've found from Cannes reports and other places:

And my son ADORES this ridiculously cute giant flea (No he hasn't seen the trailers!, just the posters, and I also told him that there was a story about a man who raised a special giant flea he loved, being included in the film and wanted to see a photo):

And here's a bonus bunch of behind-the-scenes images (you can click to enlarge).
                         
                     

                     

                       

                        
 

There is also the official Facebook page HERE if you want to like/ follow it as well.

What do you think? Is the film piquing your interest yet?