Rating: 
Summary: fairy tale... are you a believer?
Review: Based on a true story, with the few usual adaptions, this movie captures the spirit of the English counrty side, and that of childhood innocence. Cousins, Elsie and Frances discover fairies at the 'beck' and photograph them under the attention of the world.This movie is a must for anyone, espically those young at heart. Joe Coopers book: "The case of the cottingley faires" is based on the true events, and definatly worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: Is this movie for children or adults?
Review: Don't let the title fool you - I think this movie is great, only not what some people might be expecting. Despite the title, the fairies themselves don't come into the movie much expect as a plot device - there are a few fleeting glimpses but not a word of dialouge spoken among them. So forget any ideas of fairy mischief-making, as the movie centres more around the topic of belief and faith, and the contriversy that arises from the two girls and their 'proof' in the existence of fairies. Therefore, only the thoughtful and patient (and rare!) breed of children will get much enjoyment from this movie - others I'm afraid will be simply bored.
I have always been fascinated by the real story of the fairies in Cottingley Glen, and have copies of the photographs taken by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffith, two teenagers who claimed that the fairies and gnomes captured by their camera were in fact real. I have also read several conflicting stories on the resolution of these events - one resource told me the girls confessed that the photographs were fake, another that on their death-bed one of them swore they were real. And yet another - the editorial review claims the girl passed away without any confession one way or the other. In the movie version the fairies are obviously real beings, and yet the director cleverly slips in a scene illustrating how the 'real' pictures could have been created - the nasty reporter pins cut-out fairies to the desk top.
The movie story is fairly straightforward, but with deep and serious undercurrents - Frances Griffith's father is missing in action during the war, and so travels to her older cousin Elsie Wright's home to wait out the fighting. Though the forest and river is populated by fairies, the Wright house however, is not such a happy place - Elsie and her parents are still mourning the loss of their son and brother Joseph. Arthur Wright (who had forbidden his son to have anything to do with fairies before he died) cannot even bring himself to speak his name, and Polly Wright gradually looses herself in the desparate hope of angels and fairies. To renew Polly's faith the two girls decide to photograph the fairies as proof to her that they do truly exist. Their plan works, but eager to share her new-found joy, Polly gives the pictures to a public speaker who releases them to the public, instantly making the girls celebrities. Also in the mix are well-known public figures Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Peter O'Toole) a pawn to so-called psychics due to his desparate wish for his deceased son's spirit to communicate with him, and Harry Houdini (Harvey Keitel) the famous escapist and magician who despite his disbelief in real magic, becomes the girls strongest supporter. And hang on a second...was that Mel Gibson turning up at the last moment as Frances's father?!
The two child stars Florence Hoath and Elizabeth Earl are wonderful as the children struggling through the difficulties life throws at them, and the belief they uphold throughout it all - Frances is mischievious and cheerful, Elsie is serious and thoughtful, but the two of them form another theme that comes through: the inevitable truth that everyone must someday grow up (watch out for the cleverly inserted Peter Pan pantomine). Discussing the subject at night, Frances gives the lovelist reason as to why someone would *want* to grow up - "I think I know what it means to be grownup. It's when you feel...what someone *else* feels."
All in all, though I like this movie enough to have it on tape, I feel that since the movie is mainly about having faith and belief in the unseen, it may have been a better idea not to have the fairies shown at all expect in the photographs - letting the viewer decide for themeselves whether they believe in fairies or not.
Rating: 
Summary: You Must See This Film
Review: FairyTale has at it's core a story that can't fail to touch your heart. It works because the special effects never overshadow this fact. It also shows that a film for the whole family can be made that isn't sappy or trite...it never asks for your emotions. FairyTale is also a treat visually-it's beautifully photographed and gives a real sense of the time and place in it's sets and costumes. All of the performances are terrific,particularly the children who don't slip into the cloying cuteness that marks so many 'family' movies. I was also really impressed with the acting of Paul McGann as the skeptical father Arthur Wright. His disbelief of the fairies and the girls' story never overshadows his love for them,and the grief over his son's death that has become part of Arthur's personality is played with extraordinary subtlety,much more difficult to do than showy tears. The scene in which Arthur is finally able to say his son's name again is played by Mr.McGann with quietly moving grace. I think the PG rating this film received was unwarranted and played a part in it's not being a bigger success. This film is perfect for everyone,children included. My nieces and nephew love it,and you will too.
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting
Review: Fairytale is one of those gems that leaves you with a glowing smile on your face and a warm place in your heart. It is not a children's movie so much as it is a movie for all ages. It is about faith and hope and explores these two themes brilliantly with equal parts compassion and humanity. The question of whether the photos of the fairies are fake takes a back seat to the poignant human story unfolding around them. And this is as it should be. Magnificent!
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, enchanting and sadly overlooked when it was released
Review: Far too many so-called fantasy films (Labyrinth, anything by Terry Jones, Legend, etc) sink all their energy into production values and kick the magic right out the door. They end up lumpen, leaden, anything but enchanting, and either leave kids snoring or scared silly. Fairy Tale: A True Story is everyting that these so-called kid's films are not. Genuinely enchanting, beautifully photographed and with an all round excellent cast. Sadly overlooked and/or dismissed by critics when it was released theatrically, you have a second chance to do your kids a favor--especially if they love imps, elves, faries and all the other little people, and rent, then watch this one with them. The real girls made their fairy folk out of book illustrations. If this filmmaker's fairies had been around then, we'd all all be believers today.
Rating:
Summary: "Fairytale:A True Story" absolutely wonderful-A MUST SEE!
Review: For young and old alike,this delightful film has it all! Based on the true story of two young girls who claim to have seen fairies in England during WW1,"Fairytale:A True Story" features superb acting throughout,especially Elizabeth Earl and Florence Hoath as Francis Griffiths and Elsie Wright, whose fairy sightings stir up quite a bit of controversy throughout wartime England. Among the people caught up in the excitement are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,brilliantly portrayed by Peter O"Toole and Harry Houdini,featuring Harvey Keitel in one of his finest performances. Paul McGann and Phobe Nicols are also wonderful as Elsie's parents. I really can't say enough about this film. Brilliantly cast and beautifully photographed,it is enchanting entertainment from beginning to end. The film score is even well worth the price if you can still find the CD! This film is not your average children's movie and I have read alot of reviews that ask weather this film was aimed at children or adults.This could very well be why it was not more of a commercial success.A pity, because I believe this film offers something for all ages.I also regret that I have not seen Florence Hoath in many other roles,save for "The Governess" and I haven't seen Elizabeth Earl at all-they deserve more recognition!
Rating:
Summary: Not a "family film" in the modern sense....
Review: I am dismayed at the marketing of this exquisite jewel of a film as "for the entire family", words which invariably mean bland, dumbed-down, filled with alleged values, and lacking in real content. While Fairy Tale only vaguely resembles the true story of the young woman and her little cousin who caused such a stir with the famous photographs, it stands on its own as a story of shared mystery. The events took place at a time when humanity desperately needed to believe in something beyond itself. The Theosophical movement, forerunner of today's New Age religion, sought scientific proof of a dimension most of us do not see, which they considered non-material, but real. The invention of the telephone, telegraph and photography made it seem as though all sorts of heretofore unproveable things such as life after death could be scientifically (that is, empirically) demonstrated and chronicled. Spiritualist sessions were often called experiments for that very reason. Meanwhile, people like Houdini, who desperately wanted to contact his beloved mother in the next life, kept a reality check by exposing the exploitation of this open-mindedness by phony mediums. Fairy Tale manages to convey not only some of the feelings of that period in history, but a personal sense of the magic and mystery created by the interweaving minds of two children amidst the natural beauty of a wondrous myth-drenched landscape. The sense of place is overwhelming, creating a longing in the viewer that must remain unfulfilled in the modern world where most of such fairy realms have been destroyed by encroaching development and sprawl. This is not a children's film, although it should by all means be shown to children. It will rest next to Heavenly Creatures on my video shelf, a reminder of possibilities.
Rating:
Summary: Not a "family film" in the modern sense....
Review: I am dismayed at the marketing of this exquisite jewel of a film as "for the entire family", words which invariably mean bland, dumbed-down, filled with alleged values, and lacking in real content. While Fairy Tale only vaguely resembles the true story of the young woman and her little cousin who caused such a stir with the famous photographs, it stands on its own as a story of shared mystery. The events took place at a time when humanity desperately needed to believe in something beyond itself. The Theosophical movement, forerunner of today's New Age religion, sought scientific proof of a dimension most of us do not see, which they considered non-material, but real. The invention of the telephone, telegraph and photography made it seem as though all sorts of heretofore unproveable things such as life after death could be scientifically (that is, empirically) demonstrated and chronicled. Spiritualist sessions were often called experiments for that very reason. Meanwhile, people like Houdini, who desperately wanted to contact his beloved mother in the next life, kept a reality check by exposing the exploitation of this open-mindedness by phony mediums. Fairy Tale manages to convey not only some of the feelings of that period in history, but a personal sense of the magic and mystery created by the interweaving minds of two children amidst the natural beauty of a wondrous myth-drenched landscape. The sense of place is overwhelming, creating a longing in the viewer that must remain unfulfilled in the modern world where most of such fairy realms have been destroyed by encroaching development and sprawl. This is not a children's film, although it should by all means be shown to children. It will rest next to Heavenly Creatures on my video shelf, a reminder of possibilities.
Rating:
Summary: Utterly captivating...
Review: I don't know why this film affected me so strongly, but I think it is about as close to perfection as a film can get (for me). At the end I was quite overcome, the cumulative effects of wonder, sorrow over what has been lost, joy over what has been found. Every moment in this movie rings pure and true. I can't recommend it highly enough. Stunningly beautiful, too. Don't miss it!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful, wonderful film..
Review: I find it hard to articulate just why this film moves me so much, i just wish as I see it for the 10th or so time, that I could watch it without crying....it brings up so many issues so cleverly, it offers consolation, it brings in the concepts of magic and faith in an intense and beautiful way, the acting is superb....in fact I think this is my most favourite movie of all time.....not a childrens film, though some will love it,it's actually a movie for tired old grownups!
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