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DVD Gulliver's Travels
Ebulliently imaginative and far more cleverly presented than you would expect from a TV miniseries, this satirical adventure succeeds by never pandering to the lowest common denominator. Closely based on Jonathan Swift's 1726 classic, it is enhanced by dazzling special effects from Jim Henson Productions and a superb, multi-ethnic cast. The biggest surprise is Ted Danson in the title role--one of his best performances, even if he is the only person in England without an accent. He conveys amusement, amazement, and intelligence as he travels from one strange country into another. Not that anyone back in Merry Old England believes Mr. Gulliver's tales of little people or giants. The story is told in flashback from an insane asylum, where he is forcibly confined. This far outshines several previous adaptations of Swift's satirical novel. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Because Gulliver is not only a story for little children, but at the same time a very ironical satire on social conditions, also adult viewers will find their pleasure. Who has a little insight into a psychological point of view, will moreover discover, that in the gigantic Gulliver, with whom the childlike spectator of course identifies himself at the first meeting, - that this Gulliver helps to become resistant against every nasty surroundings, which will happen to us in our lifetime, using a fantasy-based, satirical technique of making bad things small and unimportant! Swift gives a therapeutically example for children (always being the smaller ones, helpless, powerless at the lower rank of the social influence scale) how to make a wonderful reversal of the everyday fright. The Gulliver shape reconciles to the powerlessness feelings of the childhood. When Jonathan Swift wrote this story, the situation of childhood in Europe was substantially worse than today. Gulliver's journey to the country of the dwarves (Liliput) is the favorite story. But the other one, his journey to the giants in the land "Brobdingnag" is more unloved. Many small "Liliput"-towns are built for tourists - but you cannot find any "Brobdingnag"-town, where you have the chance to feel small and surpressed. All in all: Swift has (like a more mocking Homer) created a bold parody on the old Greek "Odyssey". Of course this is a great challenge to movie-makers, but Charles Sturridge has managed this problem - using famous actors and a not too small budget ...
Somewhat interesting
This is the typical time when the book is way better than the movie. Interesting, but boring at times. Good for kids.
Well, you weren't exaggerating... he's a whopper!
I remember this film quite clearly when I was in high school. At the time, I found it fantastic that I could watch a book without worrying about the doldrums of actually reading it. Looking back on it now, I remember a feeling of fantasy and imagination. I could only wonder what was running through Swift's mind as he wrote this symbolic story. Watching it again, older ... wiser ... and more inept to read instead of watch, I thought it was still a wonderful story. There were flaws, as there is with any made-for-TV film, but they seemed smaller then some of the big budget films that I have witnessed lately. I think that the fact that Henson's son had his hands in this allowed the creativity to leap from the screen.
The biggest aspect of this film that I enjoyed was the satire on society. In every place that Gulliver travels he either imposes his society on others or they impose on him. There are times when they try to co-exist, but it ultimately fails in the end. Overall, the film is very well done indeed, with perfect art design, costuming and atmospheric direction by Sturridge- the Glubbdubdrib section is brilliantly eerie. Ted Danson is nothing short of fantastic, in a studied yet emotional performance. He has trouble with the English accent at times, but the effects and ensemble acting overshadow it. Steenbergen is less memorable, but still effective. The star-studded supporting cast impresses throughout, especially to O'Toole's Lilliputian Emperor and Nicholas Lyndhurst's Clustril. The music is near perfect as well.
Overall, a decent outing by everyone involved and worth viewing again for those that may be hesitant to read the books.
When Sultan Said discovers his wife locked in a passionate embrace with his only brother, he flings his sword at the prince and accidentally murders his adulterous queen. Tortured by his wife's ghost, the maniacal and cowardly sultan must marry another to save his kingdom, but to avoid future matrimonial disgrace he plans to have her executed the morning after the wedding. Fortunately for him, Scheherezade, the grand vicar's daughter played by the lovely Mili Avital, jumps at the challenge and the chance to marry her childhood love. A master storyteller, the newly crowned sultana escapes death night after night with her mesmerizing tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Aladdin and his Magic Lamp, countless warriors, supernatural duels, and ferocious genies.
Although the main story... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Steve Barron DVD Release Date: Released the 07 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This epic 10-hour miniseries from the Emmy-winning writer of Gulliver's Travels was a ratings bust on television, but on video and DVD, where it can be enjoyed at one's leisure, it has a better chance to cast its magical spell. Kimberly Williams has never been more enchanting than as Virginia, a waitress who still lives with her janitor father (John Larroquette) and yearns for something exciting to happen to her. Her wish comes true when she and her father are transported from New York City into a dimension that, with apologies to Rod Serling, can only be called the Fairy Tale Zone; nine kingdoms populated by characters from fairy tales of yore. They team up with a dog who's really a prince--Wendell, grandson of Snow White--changed into canine form by the evil Queen (Dianne... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Herbert Wise - David Carson DVD Release Date: Released the 28 May 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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What kind of guy was the wizard Merlin, anyway? He lives a long time, raises a boy to be a king, props up a Utopian empire with his magic and wisdom, and then watches as it all crumbles under such banal forces as vengeance and betrayal. This four-hour miniseries re-tells the story of Camelot and King Arthur from the perspective of the magic man who sacrifices a great deal to guide mortals toward a better destiny. Sam Neill plays Merlin as an accessible, flesh-and-blood fellow of real passion, powerless to undo the spell of a rival (Rutger Hauer) who has virtually imprisoned Merlin's great love, Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), but gifted enough to counter the treachery of Morgan Le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter) and the wicked Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson). The battle sequences and special... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Sam Neill - Helena Bonham Carter Director(s): Steve Barron DVD Release Date: Released the 08 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This ambitious miniseries begins with Jack's descendant (Matthew Modine) and works its way backward to the story of the original young man and the beanstalk. Because the first Jack used that towering vine to steal a giant's magic goose and harp, an entire world was reduced to poverty and a bloodline was cursed--all Robinson men die in their 40s, and the modern-day Jack is around that age. Fortunately, Ondine (Mia Sara), a visitor from the giant's alternative reality, has a plan. If she and Jack can recover the stolen items in time, they may be able to solve both problems. The made-for-TV movie boasts top stars (including Vanessa Redgrave and Jon Voight) and Jim Henson's Creature Shop's nifty special effects. Although children younger than 10 may find the complex narrative confusing and... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Brian Henson DVD Release Date: Released the 05 February 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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There's a war goin' on in this bit o' blarney, but it's more than the feud between the fairies and the leprechauns, upon which most of the overwrought tale hangs. It's also a struggle between competing, derivative story lines in this bloated, plodding film that can't decide what it wants to be. It's part Romeo and Juliet, via the seemingly doomed romance of the princess fairy and teenage leprechaun; part contemporary romance, with an uncomfortable-looking Randy Quaid in the romantic lead; and a large part unfocused fable that fills out its Irish stew with a feud reminiscent of Ireland's Catholic-Protestant conflict while throwing in fantastical Braveheart-style battle scenes and Riverdance-like interludes. The most stunning scenes are the fairy sequences that take... More Info about this DVD Director(s): John Henderson DVD Release Date: Released the 14 March 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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