Faerie Tale Theatre (TV Series) Princess and the Pea (1984) User Reviews

A classic addition to a classic series

[gerry-russell-139 · 8/10 · 4 October 2000]

I love the "Faerie Tale Theatre" series! I finally obtained several episodes last May through the z-shops at amazon.com. Among the fifteen that I have purchased "The Princess and the Pea" is one of my top three favorites (following "Little Red Riding Hood" at #1 and "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" following in place at #3). Oscar-winner* Liza Minelli is PERFECT as Princess Alicia and Tom Conti makes for a lovable, "mixed-up" Prince Richard. Rounding out the cast are Tim Kazurinsky as the comic court Fool, Oscar-winner* Beatrice Straight is delicious as the control-freak Queen Veronica and Pat McCormick as the cuckoo-headed King Frederico (referred to his wife as "Fredicans"). A nice added touch is the opening and closing of the film which takes place in a museum where McCormack and Straight play a married couple who discover the famous pea inside a glass case and Kazurinsky, playing a museum guard tells them the tale of how it became famous. The costumes and sets are beautifully designed and the acting and the script are 100% first rate!!! Although it is currently discontinued from video it is soon to be made available hopefully within a year or two. In the meantime, it can still be rented in video stores and I sincerely suggest it to anyone who has seen at least three episodes of this remarkable series!!!

*Minelli, 1972-Best Actress, "Cabaret"; Straight, 1976- Best Supporing Actress, "Network"

Gotta Love Liza

[rachelrachel-33431 · 7/10 · 30 December 2021]

Liza Minnelli is at her kooky best as the princess who is put to the test by a neighboring prince and his scheming mother to see just how much of a princess she really is. She has great chemistry with Tom Conti. It suffers from a little bit of padding, but Minnelli and Conti keep things interesting.

Why aren't these shown more?

[hartnsoul-11713 · 10/10 · 26 June 2020]

I own the whole Faerie Tale Theatre series on DVD and always wondered why 1: Why we don't air these on TV anymore? and 2: Why don't school's or local theaters use them (the scripts) as fun stock shows to put on? This one: The Princess and the Pea is a perfect example of a simple script that could easily be adapted to the stage as a (at most) 10 person play. It could be seen as the non-musical equivalent of Once Upon a Mattress. Liza Minnelli is a no nonsense, smart princess who knows that even though her cute prince (Tom Conti) is a mama's boy - he has potential. The cast is very supportive of each other and the dialogue is quick witted. Out of the whole series this is one of my top five favorites.

Wasn't sure as to whether it would work...but it did...brilliantly

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 22 June 2017]

There is a lot to like about the 'Faerie Tale Theatre' series. Many of their adaptations of various well-known and well-loved fairy tales are charming, clever and sometimes funny, a few even emotionally moving. 'Faerie Tale Theatre' puts its own magical spin on the best of the episodes while still capturing the essence of the stories, while also giving further enjoyments in seeing talented performers in early roles or in roles that are departures from their usual roles.

Although an absolutely lovely story and its popularity is justified, 'The Princess and the Pea' is somewhat slight and like some 'Faerie Tale Theatre' episodes on paper there was the worry as to whether the content would be enough to fill the just under an hour length. Also, as talented as Liza Minnelli is, if you saw other roles of hers she seemed an unlikely choice for the princess.

Needn't have worried however. All doubts as to whether "The Princess and the Pea" would work were cast aside very quickly. It worked brilliantly, completely agree that "The Princess and the Pea" was a complete delight and one of the best of the series.

"The Princess and the Pea" does do some expansion, but actually it contributed in giving the story and characterisation depth and nothing felt like padding at all. Everything had a point and nothing was unnecessary, avoiding all the potential pitfalls in adapting a slight story. "The Princess and the Pea" is a perfect example of putting its own spin on the original story while also capturing the basic details and spirit of it.

It looks good, with Minnelli's period costumes very pleasing on the eye. The sets and scenery are suitably picturesque and it's well photographed. The music is lush and jaunty.

Writing is some of the funniest of the entire series, with a lot of laugh-out-dialogue from particularly the King and Queen, without resorting to overuse of clumsy innuendo that would have spoilt things completely. Amidst the fun and humour though, the basic details and such are played straight, a good thing seeing as the fairy-tales that 'Faerie Tale Theatre' generally work better being played straight.

Minnelli is at her loveliest and her nuanced and entertaining performance is perhaps up there among his best. Tom Conti provides some priceless facial expressions and gestures that are in perfect keeping with the tone of the episode, without overdoing it. Beatrice Straight is an absolute hoot as the Queen and a joy to watch. Also enjoyed Pat McCormick, despite the King being written as a dolt (nowhere near as jarringly so though as the Giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk"). Nancy Allen avoids making her snobbish and stuck-up character annoying.

Overall, brilliant and one of the best of the series. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Delightful

[Capboy · 10/10 · 28 September 1999]

I finally obtained a copy of this extremely witty, wonderfully performed installment of Shelley Duvall's "Faerie Tale Theatre" series. It's great for kids and adults should enjoy it as well. Liza looks dynamite in the period costumes.