Das Märchen der Märchen

(50th KVIFF) A unique spectacle. A beautifully narrative film with breathtaking visuals, where in one moment you’ll be so surprised and dazzled by the beauty captured on screen that you won’t be able to look away. At times a cracking comedy that made the whole theatre burst in laughter, at times a brutal and scary horror flick. I don’t know which of the three stories I liked best because each one has something going for it. The Neapolitan fairy-tales are quite something. 85 % (11.07.2015)

This fairy tale that is one of the best has an obvious (and thanks to Desplat also in terms of voice) potential to become another annual regular Christmas favorite movie. However, exclusively on Czech TV art channel, because the slow-paced local settings carefully follow the style of the originals of even today well-known fairy tales, which certainly were neither too kind nor easy to watch. And it is exactly this true (dark) not glamorized and horror-like side that is as fascinating (especially with regard to the amazing visual qualities) that makes it really hard for a conservative family to gather and watch it together without any harm. (30.08.2015)

Dieses Märchen ist höchstens für Erwachsene geeignet, oder zumindest ab 15 Jahren. Jüngere Nachkommen werden wahrscheinlich nicht verkraften können, wie die Königin ein gekochtes Herz isst, wie sich Lesben gegenseitig verwöhnen, die Liebe zweier Brüder, die verdächtig an Inzest erinnert, oder ein Monster, das gewalttätig die ganze Familie ermordet. Das soll nur eine Vorstellung davon geben, was euch erwartet. Das fast poetische Erzählen wird gelegentlich von morbider Verdrehtheit, würzigem Humor oder dem gnadenlosen Angriff eines geflügelten Monsters gestört, aber insgesamt verlaufen die zwei Stunden nicht gewaltsam und enden schlichtweg mit... lassen wir uns nichts vormachen, Verärgerung. Denn mit einem Ausdruck wie WTF sucht man nach einer befriedigenden Erklärung, die man weder durch Untertitel, noch hinter dem Fernseher, noch unter dem Teppich findet. Das ist wohl der einzige Makel in sonst perfektem Gesicht. (04.09.2015)

Beim Anschauen von Das Märchen der Märchen musste ich unweigerlich an die deutsche Romantik denken - ob Grimms Märchen oder E. T. A. Hoffmanns Texte. Garrones Film ist ein audiovisuelles Spektakel mit vielen wunderbaren Schauplätzen und Kostümen, die den Zuschauer in eine längst vergangene Zeit entführen - in eine Märchenwelt mit Königen, Dienern und verschiedenen Kreaturen. Jede der drei Geschichten hat mich wegen ihrer phantastischen Rohheit und Unvorhersehbarkeit angesprochen. Trotz des unschuldigen Titels ist dies definitiv kein Film für das jüngste Publikum - Kinder könnten nach der Vorführung Albträume bekommen. Ein wirklich bemerkenswerter Film, der trotz seiner "erwachsenen" Behandlung seine märchenhaften Weisheiten und Lektionen beibehält - sei es der Kampf zwischen Gut und Böse, grenzenlose Selbstlosigkeit, (un)sichere Liebe oder die oberflächliche Beurteilung eines "Buches nach seinem Einband". (26.09.2020)

For a first, pretty functional – I laughed and cringed in disgust at the giant flea, slapped my head in amusement at the old man's beauty parlor, and squirmed in disgust at the giant bat. It's just that the film is insanely uncreative. By literally re-writing uncompromising fairy tales with minimal creative input, the entire work makes it impossible to cultivate any empathy for anything in the viewer. In fact, thanks to its static form, it serves exclusively as an illustration, where on the one hand it fascinates with its down-to-earth modern rawness and brutality, while on the other hand it retains its fairy-tale hyperbole in all other respects. It's as if, at the end of Šafránková’s Cinderella, we had close-ups of her stepsisters cutting off their heels and chopping off their toes to fit into the slipper. In other words, this latter-day Pan's Labyrinth just doesn't behave. (03.09.2015)

This is what fairytales would have been like if they hadn't been modified so that children wouldn't have lifelong trauma from them. This film brought stories that resonated with my present self simply because there was very little singing but a lot of medieval influence instead. If you are considering what to show your children, you'd better avoid this film unless you want to explain many unpleasant matters to them and, at worst, hire a therapist. For an experienced and emotionally worn-out viewer like me, it was an enjoyable experience full of the Italian perspective, very interesting costumes, and stories that amused me more than I had originally expected. / Lesson learned: When children are told fairytales with a happy ending, does it distort their view of reality? 4*+ (27.01.2023)

That would be a return of great Italian filmmaking, moreover with well-known faces of the world's film industry? At first glance, I thought it would be a cheap affair without any originality, but this is beautifully visually processed, furthermore with the essence of real fairy tales, that is, horror stories that people have loved and still love. Unbelievable surprise. (10.09.2015)

The only thing keeping it from perfection is a more expressive musical score and more spectacular set design. Script-wise, it's quite bold and coolly avoids schematic fairy tale narratives, which I definitely applaud. There is some tasteless nudity here and there (slightly evoking East German porn of the 80s), but it's probably worth noting that this depiction actually fits the overall decadent concept quite well. Original and self-conscious, quite non-mainstream, and wacky. Still, quite watchable. (25.09.2020)