Il racconto dei racconti (2015)
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A dark fantasy film weaves together three interconnected tales of desire and obsession based on the fairy tales of Giambattista Basile.
The story
Based on the fairy tales of Giambattista Basile, the film weaves together three distinct narratives: 'The Enchanted Doe,' 'The Flayed Old Lady,' and 'The Flea.' In the Kingdom of Longtrellis, a desperate Queen seeks a child through a dangerous ritual involving a sea dragon's heart. In the Kingdom of Strongcliff, a king's lust leads to a mysterious woman's transformation. In the Kingdom of Highhills, a king's obsession with a giant flea leads to a tragic fate for his daughter. These stories, while distinct, are linked by the theme of desire and the progression of a woman's life through youth, motherhood, and old age.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows three interconnected tales. In 'The Enchanted Doe,' a Queen who cannot conceive consumes a sea dragon's heart, resulting in a son with white hair. Her son, Elias, becomes inseparable from a boy named Jonah, the son of the cook who prepared the heart. The Queen attempts to kill Jonah, but he escapes. Later, Elias finds a wounded Jonah in a cave, where they face a monster that turns out to be the Queen. In 'The Flayed Old Lady,' a king is seduced by a woman's voice; he unknowingly sleeps with one of two sisters, Dora, who is later transformed into a beautiful maiden by a witch after being cast out. Her sister, Imma, seeks the secret to her beauty and ends up disfigured. In 'The Flea,' a king keeps a giant flea as a pet and offers his daughter, Violet, to anyone who can identify the beast's skin. An ogre claims the skin, and Violet is imprisoned until she escapes and kills him. The film concludes with the three main characters—Elias, Dora, and the King of Strongcliff—attending Violet's coronation as Queen, where they acknowledge one another as the stories converge.
- Original title
- Tale of Tales
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 134
- Production countries
- Italy; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Matteo Garrone
- Writers
- Edoardo Albinati · writer; Ugo Chiti · writer; Matteo Garrone · writer; Massimo Gaudioso · writer
- Cast and characters
- Salma Hayek · Queen of Longtrellis; Vincent Cassel · King of Strongcliff; Toby Jones · King of Highhills; John C. Reilly · King of Longtrellis; Shirley Henderson · Imma; Hayley Carmichael · Dora; Stacy Martin · young Dora; Bebe Cave · Violet, Princess of Highhills
- Genres
- fantasy; horror
- Themes
- plastic surgery; maternal desire; generational conflict; transition to adulthood; obsession
- Tone and mood
- dark; fantasy
- Premise and plot tags
- fairy tales; dark fantasy; horror; mythology
- Source material / true-story basis
- Pentamerone by Giambattista Basile
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, being described as visually splendid and narratively satisfying for mature viewers.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 84% · scale: percentage · review count: 105; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 7.1 · scale: 10; Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 24
- Awards and nominations
- Palme d'Or · Cannes Film Festival · 2015 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film is the only English-language film directed by Matteo Garrone.; The production was inspired by Francisco Goya's Los caprichos collection of etchings.; The film was shot entirely on location in various parts of Italy.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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