'Fabulously sexy' Tale of Tales reclaims fairy tales for adults
Deliciously dark fantasy horror is 'like nothing else in cinema this year'
Matteo Garrone's hotly anticipated fantasy horror film Tale of Tales opens in UK cinemas this Friday. The film wowed audiences when it was shown at Cannes and reviewers have called it a "deliciously adult fairy tale".
Garrone, best known for his award-winning organised crime film Gomorrah, directs this English-language anthology film based on the Neapolitan folk tales of Giambattista Basile, who in turn inspired authors such as the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen. Garrone also admitted in an interview in Variety that he was influenced by Game of Thrones.
The movie interweaves three stories of troubled kingdoms, including a wife who eats a dragon's heart to fall pregnant, a distracted king who neglects his daughter for a strange pet, and an old woman transformed into a bewitching beauty to seduce a lustful king. It stars Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, John C Reilly and Toby Jones.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The film dazzled audiences and critics at Cannes. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw called it "gloriously mad", "visually wonderful" and the sort of film that is "the whole point of Cannes".
Meanwhile, Alex Leadbeater at What Culture described it as a "creative treat" but wondered if it was an "eccentric take on Game Of Thrones", or a "reclaiming of Grimm's Fairytales from the simplistic child joys of Disney".
Indeed, "these aren't the fairy tales your parents told you in bed at night", warned Robbie Collin in the Daily Telegraph. If they were, you might still be lying awake.
Collin says Garrone has put aside the social-realism of his film Gomorrah for something "much older and eerier" that "dances on a razor's edge between funny and unnerving". He adds that the horror rubbing up against moments of "searing baroque beauty" make Tale of Tales a "fabulously sexy" film that "feels like nothing else in cinema this year".
It's "a deliciously odd adult fairy tale", says Ryan Lambie of Den of Geek. And while the deeper meaning behind Garrone's "mad fantasy" is hard to pin down, he says, "those with a taste for the imaginative and the surreal will surely be bewitched".
Lambie praises the film for relying on less obvious splashes of CGI than most mainstream fantasies and using real European locations and physical effects that "set it apart from the likes of Duncan Jones's Warcraft or Peter Jackson's Hobbit movies".
Lambie adds that there's a "strong possibility that Tale Of Tales will acquire cult status in years to come".
Opens in UK cinemas on Friday 17 June.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Criminal trail?'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Grindr 'shared user HIV status' with ad firms, lawsuit claims
Speed Read LGBTQ dating app accused of breaching UK data protection laws in case filed at London's High Court
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
The best dog-friendly hotels around the UK
The Week Recommends Take a break with your four-legged friend in accommodation that offers you both a warm welcome
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
The Westbury Hotel review: stunning suites in charming Dublin
The Week Recommends This hotel is the perfect spot to while away a weekend in Ireland's capital
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
Drama movies 2024: new films out this year
In Depth Latest reviews include The Boys in the Boat, One Life and Tchaikovsky's Wife
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Best new hotels and places to stay in 2024
The Week Recommends Featuring stylish island resorts, historical properties and wilderness retreats
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Albums of the year: best music of 2023
The Week Recommends A look back at the best pop, rap, jazz, dance, classical and rock releases
By The Week UK Published
-
Savoy Grill by Gordon Ramsay review: an institution reinvented
The Week Recommends Traditions are maintained and the tweaks are clever and modern
By Neil Davey Published
-
Tulum: a Mexican beach town of 'two halves'
The Week Recommends With the 'pueblo' and 'Zona Hotelera', Tulum is home to great hotels, restaurants and beach clubs
By William Leigh Published
-
La Zebra review: beach chic, perfect tacos and secret cenotes
The Week Recommends Enjoy a stylish stay in Mexico at this family-friendly beach hotel and restaurant
By William Leigh Published
-
Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas review: a mythical beachside resort
The Week Recommends Combine the classically simple pleasures of sun, sea and sand with upmarket fun and food
By Adrienne Wyper Published