The tale of the Cottingley Fairy hoax is an endearing - and enduring - one that's been passed down over the ages. The nation was entranced by photographs taken by a pair of girls which apparently showed them playing with fairies at the bottom of their garden. Soon, the scientific community was deriding the photographs as a joke, but others, including Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, remained convinced of their veracity.
FAIRY TALE: A TRUE STORY is anything but a true story, taking as it does huge liberties with the original story. These range from the minor and rather enjoyable - Harry Houdini plays a significant role here, not that he did in real life, although I appreciated Harvey Keitel's performance nonetheless - to the extreme, i.e. the sight of CGI fairies floating around. I appreciate that the latter scenes were included to pander to the kids, but I think the film would have done a lot better by leaving it up to the viewer to make his or her own mind up rather than being so blatant about it.
Otherwise, attention to period detail is good, and the child performers give strong turns. There's an exemplary supporting cast including Peter O'Toole and Paul McGann. The production values are evidently strong and it's hard to dislike a film telling such a vivid and memorable tale. Another, more adult version of the same story came out at the same time, PHOTOGRAPHING FAIRIES, although I haven't had the pleasure of that one yet.
FAIRY TALE: A TRUE STORY is anything but a true story, taking as it does huge liberties with the original story. These range from the minor and rather enjoyable - Harry Houdini plays a significant role here, not that he did in real life, although I appreciated Harvey Keitel's performance nonetheless - to the extreme, i.e. the sight of CGI fairies floating around. I appreciate that the latter scenes were included to pander to the kids, but I think the film would have done a lot better by leaving it up to the viewer to make his or her own mind up rather than being so blatant about it.
Otherwise, attention to period detail is good, and the child performers give strong turns. There's an exemplary supporting cast including Peter O'Toole and Paul McGann. The production values are evidently strong and it's hard to dislike a film telling such a vivid and memorable tale. Another, more adult version of the same story came out at the same time, PHOTOGRAPHING FAIRIES, although I haven't had the pleasure of that one yet.