The King of the Wild Mountains lovingly raises a giant flea

If you recall the plots of many fairy tales loved from childhood, it will become obvious that the motives of most of them will give odds to any horror in terms of the amount of violence and pathologies & # 151; murder, debauchery, incest, cannibalism and other cute things. Italian director Matteo Garrone ("Gomorrah"), who shot the hard gothic fantasy "Scary Tales" based on Giambattista Basile's "Tales of Tales", decided to approach the magical stories from this side and tell them without embellishment.

At the heart of the film & # 151; stories about several rulers of fabulous shit: the childless Queen of the Valley of the Mists (Salma Hayek) sends her husband for the heart of a sea monster, because it is this heart prepared by a virgin that will help her get pregnant; The King of the Lonely Cliff (Vincent Cassel), a voluptuous libertine, meets a young beauty in the forest and marries her, not knowing that she & # 151; a creepy old woman turned into a young girl by a witch; and the King of the Wild Mountains (Toby Jones) cares more about the giant flea than about his own daughter, whom he easily marries the creepy cave man-eater.

To put it mildly, children should not be led to this picture & # 151; Garrone does not in the least try to disguise the cruelty in the fairy tale plot and gives genre conventions literally and frankly. Because of this, nudity and abundant bloodshed reign on the screen (the story of the princess and the cannibal in general evokes much more associations with "The Wrong Turn" and "The Hills Have Eyes" than with "Beauty Beast"), but with all this it cannot be said that the director is trying to make something overly gloomy out of his brainchild. Having given the interpretation of many events a certain percentage of realism and drama, Garrone does not lose the fabulous charm of the plot and reminds the viewer that the essence of most magical stories is an element of parable (in this case, the disclosure of many human vices). The story itself is told slowly, but not at all boring, atmospheric and mesmerizingly rhythmically, which is greatly facilitated by the magnificent music of Alexander Desplat. A small budget of 12 million euros did not allow the abundant use of computer graphics, but this unexpectedly turned out to be a big plus.The active abuse of landscapes drawn on a computer has recently made the viewer forget how magical and mysterious an ordinary forest can be, and a properly chosen nature can look much more authentic than pavilion filming. One of David Cronenberg's favorite cameramen, Peter Sushicki, also understands this, creating an impeccably stylish and graceful frame with a restrained color palette. The actors are also in their places & # 151; the majestic Salma Hayek looks great both on the throne and in the scene of eating a giant heart, Toby Jones is always organic in the roles of eccentric idiots, but in the role of the lustful king it is difficult to see someone more suitable than Vincent Cassel. Separately, I would like to praise Shirley Henderson, who perfectly played one of the old sisters, giving her character a tragic depth, and using her example, like many others, Garrone once again proved how often real human drama is touched upon in fairy tales.

8 out of 10

As soon as I watched the film, I regretted it. Because seeing him for the first time & # 151; this is something! This is an immersion in a fairy tale without the feelings of pretense and artificiality that often accompany supposedly historical films. And the "Tale of Fairy Tales" is not enough that does not refer itself to them, but surpasses them both in the naturalness of the characters' behavior and in their appearance. You will not find girls with modern make-up or "twilight" dialogues there, much turns out to be more severe and develops differently than you might imagine. Yes & # 151; this is not the film, the next scene of which you can guess in advance. And the parallel development of several fairy tales only fuels curiosity and adds intrigue to what is happening.

I do not see anything supernatural in this film for perception, but I would like to note that this tale is not for children. And most likely, the cannibals will not like it either.

Resume & # 151; atypical movie! I was surprised, empathized and scared.

10 of 10

What a heavenly joy & # 151; be king! In the morning you found an old toad in your bed (instead of a young beauty) & # 151; guard! Throw this amphibian out the window! Oops! And the problem is solved, lead a new one. Whether we are & # 151; mere mortals, you fall asleep next to the toad (cherishing the thought that tomorrow it will transform into a beauty), wake up, pulling the blanket off with a trembling hand & # 151; ap! The same toad as yesterday, and no one reacts to your hysterical screams, and since the royal apartments in which you live are located on the first floor of the five-story Khrushchev castle, throw it out of the window & # 151; absolutely useless occupation, which fell, and returned, the miracle does not happen.

Kassel in the role of the lustful king strongly resembles the first performer of the role of Dartanyan in the national cinema & # 151; The same wrinkled face of an old boy, eyes swollen from godless drunkenness, not a single pensioner can refuse such a handsome man, it is not surprising that decrepit sisters moan voluptuously when they hear his drunken voice. And how do you like the scene of the preparation of the sisters for the Fall? Now it is clear where Shnurov licked the idea of ​​his "Louboutins" from.

Have you noticed the fastidiousness of the medieval elite? What is this Violet the sheep up against? Husband & # 151; a serious person (no frivolity, drunk with friends, chasing skirts & # 151; carries everything to the family), independent, aesthetically gifted (he recognized the smell of a flea from the first time!), Has a spacious penthouse overlooking the mountains, and how he loves! What more do you want, you fool? What? He & # 151; cannibal? I don’t know, I don’t know, you don’t see this in the film, the hubby constantly blunts whose & # 151; then the hairy skins, if they belong to people, then the medieval expanses were inhabited by very unsympathetic characters. Many modern princesses would envy Violet.

The cherry on top of the cake is the heroine of the super-talented Salma Hayek & # 151; what a passion for childbirth! Don't give a damn about the impotent & # 151; husband, who died heroically in an unequal battle with a river tadpole! The necromancer resembles an employee of an in vitro fertilization clinic & # 151; the same ghoul facial features, vague, meaningful formulations (I wonder if he checked the queen's policy & # 151; is she attached to the district clinic?

Bottom line.

What's fabulous here? Everything is like in life. Silly fools & # 151; princesses who do not value their happiness, lustful princes, women with the same millennial essence, Senor Garrone & # 151; no storyteller, he & # 151; sad realist.

10 of 10

"Scary Tales" & # 151; the film is unusual and even, I would say, extraordinary. Projects of this scale are rarely released in Europe & # 151; they are usually left to Hollywood. Meanwhile, "Fairy Tales", meanwhile, not only collected a decent budget and an impressive cast, but also offered the viewer mesmerizing, interesting and truly frightening stories.

In fact, the film consists of several short stories, placed in the same fabulous reality. The king and queen (the unexpected John C. Riley and the magnificent Salma Hayek), desperate to conceive an heir, resort to a dangerous and terrible method. The aging Lovelace king (Vincent Cassel, who else) beats a girl he has never seen. Another king (fantastic here Toby Jones) grows a tame flea, which is closer to his own daughter.

However, the scenario & # 151; not the only merit of "Scary Tales". The film is also incredibly, bewitchingly beautiful. The picture is juicy, bright, as if it has nothing to do with our reality & # 151; as if they were filming on another planet. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail, down to every detail & # 151; costumes, interiors, landscapes Each frame & # 151; this is a small masterpiece.

It is worth noting the marvelous soundtrack by Alexander Depla & # 151; in recent years, any film with his music makes a great impression. Remember at least "The Game of Imitation" and "Hotel & # 132; Grand Budapest & # 147; & # 151; and this is only from the latter. In a word, a master.

"Scary Tales" are rather leisurely and can be frightening. In addition, in full accordance with their name, they are cruel & # 151; here you are in the real middle ages, not some PG-13. However, it is an undeniable masterpiece. One of the best films I've seen this year. And even the best.

The film is based on Basile's wonderful Tale of Fairy Tales, the first collection of folk legends in Europe. I was glad that the filmmakers did not make another blockbuster, they preserved the viscous atmosphere and the folk coarse coloring of the stories.

At first glance, the film seems to have no plot, it lacks the main line, the plot, the culmination. But if you look closely, it becomes clear that all storylines lead to one point, to a common idea.

There is no happiness or unhappiness & # 151; there is life. People obsessed with their desires, forgetting about the feelings of others, are unable to see anything other than their obsession. The queen, so thirsty for a child that she does not feel the bitterness of losing her husband at all.

But will the fulfillment of the cherished desire bring happiness. Obsession will become a reality, but can a person be happy, or will he remain in the grip of his unbridled desire.

Her child will never be hers. He doesn't belong to her. The queen cannot be happy.She will pay for her dark desires all her life, even her death will become part of this circle. Like all the other characters in this film.

- Violent desires such as yours can only be satisfied with violence. And there will be a cost.

- And you know I am willing to pay it.

This dialogue illustrates the film, its idea.

Because, having poisoned your soul with the darkness of death in order to get what you want, it is impossible to be happy. The darkness stays with you and makes you pay.

Fortresses and castles, views of a semi-desert and at the same time magical nature, stunning music create a hopeless atmosphere tense in something, where fate follows everyone relentlessly.

9 out of 10

"Scary Tales" an unusual, mesmerizing film that really evokes a storm of emotions. This is one of those films that will not leave anyone indifferent. You will either fall in love with him or not, but you will definitely remember it for a long time.

Three stories unfold on the screens, unrelated to each other.

The first of them is about a queen who is madly eager to become a mother. If you finish off your goal, the queen mother dissolves in motherhood and strangles the heir with her love, reaching madness and not seeing boundaries. This makes for an interesting sight.

The second story shows two old beggar sisters who manage to deceive the king himself. And they do it up to a certain point. The plot teeters on the brink of delirium, but it looks very intriguing. The second story is much weirder than the first, but the third is definitely not outperforming.

So, the third story, the most unusual. The plot is absurd, that's why it is remembered most of all. The king-father and his beautiful daughter discover qualities that were previously unknown to them. The father, imbued with love for an unusual creature, loses the most important thing for him in life.

I didn’t read the annotation before watching, so I had no idea what this movie would be about, perhaps that’s why the film had such a powerful effect on me. The first minutes of this piece are slow and sad. It is not clear what is leading to what and where the meaning is hidden. But, with each shot, the characters of the characters are gradually revealed and now we see courage and self-sacrifice, love and despair, nobility and betrayal. Each story carries a moral, presented in an interesting and unexpected way.

Sometimes "Scary Tales" I was reminded of a movie "Wild stories"where human vices are clearly exposed in the seas of absurdity and madness. This picture is almost the same. Do not take it to extremes, says the director to the viewer and he does it well.

The picture was shot spectacularly and beautifully. Stone castles, entourage, clothing, even a flea looks realistic. There are few dialogues, only in essence, no superfluous words, perhaps because "Tales" look mysterious and gloomy. The creators seem to be holding back something, focusing more on the visual part.

Overall, the film is worthwhile. The plot is so interesting because it is so unusual. There are not just scary tales, there is a whole crazy world in which strange sea monsters are found, with a heart beating after death, forest witches giving youth and a wild caveman who is able to fall in love. The cinema will find its audience, I am sure, take a look and you will not regret it.

8 out of 10

I watched "Scary Tales" by Garrone. At least deserves attention. The film is graceful and beautiful in Italian, but at the same time disgusting and disgusting. In some places & # 151; the spitting image of Pasolini with his nauseous films. Fairy tales are not scary, but joyless. As such, there is nothing terrible here. From the very beginning, you understand that there will be no happy ending, ahead of & # 151; only a tragic ending. And this, in its own way, is oppressive when viewed. But, again, the film is very beautiful.

In general, I'm not talking about that. "Scary Tales" was filmed by an Italian director based on a script by Italian scriptwriters, based on the works of an Italian literary classic.Filmed by the Polish cameraman Sushicki, the music for the film was created by the Romanian Frenchman Depla, the leading roles were played by the American Hayek, the Frenchman Kassel, the Englishman Jones, Scotch Henderson and other non-Italians, and half of the producers & # 151; quite often foreigners. At the same time, the film was shot, among other things, with money from the Italian Ministry of Culture and has already been included in the list of works representing the Italian cultural heritage. That is, in Italy no one hovers that half of the merit of this film belongs to non-Italian subjects.

And what, in fact, is removed from us for budget money? Well, for example, of the latter, you can boast of "The Best Day", "The War of the Sexes" and "Bartender". It is difficult to attribute these pictures to cinema either. Shit shit. And filmed exclusively by domestic filmmakers, exclusively with domestic actors.

And I thought. What if our filmmakers follow the example of the Italians. You cannot shoot at the level yet, there is no talented film generation of yours yet & # 151; invite talented foreigners. Well, do not torment yourself and us, the audience, do not torment. The Swede Andersson was invited to Avtovaz, and there cars began to come off the assembly line, not vehicles.

Tale of tales & # 151; GREAT. And is this a fairy tale? Are they as scary as the Russian name suggests? Garrone manages to polyphonically unfold three completely different stories on very strange, seemingly fairy-tale material. Originality & # 151; here is the most accurate word for all these protostories. The Middle Ages have already ended, and the New Age has not yet begun. The junction of eras, a time of great changes. And there are still no standards for the fairytale genre in literature, so there is not a single fairytale hero in the film in the classic fairytale sense. It is this (and not the purity of the landscapes) that most captivates in the film. Plus a small pinch of strange illogical magic that looks either as a mockery, or as a test sent to the heroes. There are no heroes though. There are characters obsessed with passions and passions, thirsty for happiness and heirs to the throne. And despite all their thinness, they are strikingly modern.

I never thought that fairy tales could be without magic and morality.

I really wanted to see this movie. Because the description included magicians and wizards, kings and queens, beauties, princesses and giants, as well asgothic fantasy, passionate love, insidious schemes and reckless vows

Unfortunately, gothic it wasn't there at all. Mages and wizards also did not consider it necessary to visit this wonderful world. And magic as a sacrament or a powerful force was absent, and miraculous rejuvenation and immaculate conceptions happened as completely ordinary things. The main thing is to eat something not very pleasant.

And once again it is very offensive to see how the high-quality work of actors, costume designers, make-up artists, decorators loses all meaning due to the lack of a script. There is absolutely no plot in the stories, the motivation of the heroes is not clear, what feelings they feel, if they do, it is not clear. Throughout the film, some obscure personalities rush around the screen, shouting meaningless words and committing even more meaningless acts. And all this gibberish does not end with anything. There is no final! The film leaves a strange feeling of neglect, as if I entered the session half an hour late and left the session twenty minutes earlier. And there is no passion, no guile, no recklessness.

The only feeling that this piece caused & # 151; this is perplexity. Why are such accomplished actors likeSalma Hayek andVincent Casselagreed to participate in this?

I am immensely sorry for the time spent.

Interpretations of Giambattista Basille's fairy tales cause a state of shock when viewed. The abundance of beautiful pictures does not dull the feeling of disgust at what is happening on the screen. But nevertheless, this beauty is mesmerizing.

Each of the stories is perceived differently. Each has its own sad end, so unusual for unenlightened people. Reading such tales, it seems that everything did not end so badly. But on the screen, things look different. The beautiful scenery, costumes and make-up were played exactly according to the idea of ​​Matteo Garrone.They inspire horror, not due admiration. The film itself is too long in terms of its timing, perhaps this spoiled the whole impression of the film.

The famous actors who caught my eye when choosing a movie were upsetting. How Salmu Hayek brought into this project? Seeing her on the poster, you expect great acting and well-spent time. And here? Everything is pretty predictable and boring. Her heroine is not remembered, despite the abundance of lush dresses and jewelry, but she should.

And here is a small role Vincent Cassel pleased. His charismatic character is the only one that was pleasant to look at. He is not lost behind all this set of computer graphics and makeup, and in my opinion, it covers all the heroes of fairy tales. The story associated with his character is the most memorable for me.

There are several positive aspects in the film adaptation for which it is worth watching. For example, wonderful atmospheric music by a wonderful composer Alexandra Depla (“The Curious Story of Benjamin Button”, “The King's Speak!”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game”), perfectly combined with the dynamic and unexpected ending of the film, which will still improve your opinion about it.

Looking at this film from different angles, we can say that it is not so bad, but it cannot be called a masterpiece either, so ..

5 out of 10