Fabulous Films have released Jim Henson’s The Storyteller on DVD.
From the creators of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, this complete collection comprises of all 9 episodes of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller series narrated by John Hurt (The Elephant Man), plus all 4 episodes of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Greek Myths narrated by Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore). Featuring both human actors and creations from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, The Storyteller won 2 BAFTA Awards and 1 Primetime Emmy Award.
Jim Henson’s daughter Lisa studied folklore as an undergraduate at Harvard, and suggested to her father that his creature shop could bring the European folk tales to life. It took 2 years for Academy-Award winning writer/director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) to write, and perfect the nine original episodes. The series included the darker, scarier side of these traditional tales with their often bleak endings.
Jim Henson funded the pilot Hans My Hedgehog with his own money. It was directed by Steve Barron (director of A-Ha’s “Take On Me” video as well as two music videos for Labyrinth). Barron shot the episode on 35mm film rather than video, setting the style for the directors that followed.
Henson planned more episodes after the first series in 1987, but despite critical acclaim, the darker retelling of these fairytales meant low ratings and the show was cancelled for being too scary for children. Shortly before he died and continuing after his death in 1990, Jim Henson started producing The Greek Myths series. Having been deemed too frightening first time around, NBC refused to air the series in the US until 1997, when it ran the full 13 episodes from both series. This didn’t stop the UK and Netherlands who aired the 4 episodes in 1991.
Cast: Both series have a stellar cast with The Storyteller including Miranda Richardson, Jane Horrocks, Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, Brenda Blethyn, Jennifer Saunders, Joely Richardson and Dawn French with the Greek Myths including Derek Jacobi, Pat Roach and Art Malik.
Synopsis: Narrated by John Hurt and aided by his cynical dog, the original series cleverly retells classic folk tales, fables and legends such as The Three Ravens and The Heartless Giant.
The Storyteller: Greek Myths retells Daedalus and Icarus, Orpheus and Eurydice, Perseus and Gorgon, and Theseus and the Minotaur and is narrated by Sir Michael Gambon once again aided by his talking dog.
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