Into the Woods (2014)
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A childless couple must navigate a series of fairy-tale consequences after attempting to break a witch's curse.
The story
The film follows a childless couple who seek to break a curse placed upon their family by a vengeful witch. To lift the curse and allow them to have a child, the witch demands four specific items for a potion: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. Their quest leads them into the paths of various fairy-tale characters, including Jack, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. As they navigate these encounters, the couple and the other characters must face the consequences of their actions and the complexities of their desires in a world where fairy tales collide.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
A Baker and his wife seek to break a curse by a Witch who demands four items: a white cow, a red cape, yellow hair, and a gold slipper. They encounter Jack, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella. After gathering the items, the Witch regains her youth, and the characters initially receive 'happy endings': the Baker and his wife have a son; Cinderella marries a Prince; Rapunzel is freed; Jack finds riches; and Red Riding Hood is saved from the Wolf. However, these endings turn sour: the Baker worries about his parenting, the Baker's wife is tempted by the Prince, Cinderella is abandoned by her cheating Prince, and the Witch is rejected by Rapunzel. A second beanstalk allows the Giant's widow to threaten the kingdom. During a desperate attempt to protect Jack, several characters are killed, and the Baker's wife is killed. The survivors blame each other and the Witch. After the Witch melts into a tar pit, the survivors confront the Giant's widow, eventually killing her. The film ends with the Baker telling his son the story, emphasizing the importance of parental guidance.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Rob Marshall
- Writers
- James Lapine · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Meryl Streep · Witch; Emily Blunt · Baker's Wife; James Corden · Baker; Anna Kendrick · Cinderella; Chris Pine · Cinderella's Prince; Tracey Ullman · Jack's Mother; Christine Baranski · Cinderella's Stepmother; Johnny Depp · Wolf
- Genres
- musical; fantasy
- Themes
- consequences of actions; parental responsibility; the cost of desire
- Tone and mood
- dark; whimsical; tragic
- Premise and plot tags
- fairy-tale; musical; curse; consequences
- Source material / true-story basis
- Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's 1987 Broadway musical
- Reception
- The film was commercially successful and received generally positive reviews, praised for its acting, visual style, and musical numbers, though it faced criticism for its tone in the final act.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 70% · scale: percentage · review count: 222; Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 41
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actress · nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was one of the top-eleven best films of 2014 by the American Film Institute.; The production used a 30-foot braid of real hair for Rapunzel's hair.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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