The Little Prince
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Movie Reviews of The Little Prince
Movie Review: Great Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this movie for my son. He loves the movie. The movie got here relatively quickly and he enjoyed it. The movie brings to life the book that it is based on. The movie has great actors, and the boy who plays the little prince does an unbelievable job. I would recommend this movie to anyone.Movie Review: Fine Family Fare
Summary: 3 Stars
I remember this movie opening to very mixed reviews back in 1974, and so I avoided it for over 30 years. But I recently reread the book (highly recommended for adults as well as children, by the way) and became curious about this adaptation. Although there are a couple of serious problems with this film, it is, on the whole, a surprisingly enjoyable and moving viewing experience. For the most part, the problems are limited to the first half of the film, so if you stick with it that long, the payoff is worth your while.
First of all, that Lerner and Lowe score is a mixed bag at best. But the score improves remarkably in the second half of the film, and the best of it is winning. Secondly, the depiction of the rose is flawed. Gene Wilder's Fox and Bob Fosse's Snake, both wonderful here, are able to step out of their animal skins once their characters are economically established. This frees up their performances considerably. We see their faces clearly, they interact with the Little Prince directly, movement helps define their characters. But the great dancer Donna McKechnie's entire performance as the Rose is horribly ill-conceived. Her image is projected onto a red petal, and as a result, she's murky, small, and, worst of all for a dancer, straight-jacketed. The fact that the connection between the Prince and his Rose is not more persuasive is problematic, since the Little Prince's love for the beautiful but petulant Rose informs almost all his actions.
That being said, the look and feel of this film is pitch-perfect. Stanley Donen wisely avoided the typical bloat to which most Hollywood musicals are susceptible. This Little Prince is intimate in scale. The musical numbers are mostly solos or duets. Nothing here overpowers the delicate plot. The art direction and special effects, particularly during the Prince's interplanetary travels, catch the eye. The performances, with the exception of the Rose (whose deficiencies are more the fault of the director than Ms. McKechnie), are praiseworthy. Richard Kiley is appealing and in fine voice as the Pilot. And Steven Warner is absolutely beguiling as The Little Prince.
Everything pulls together successfully for the last 45 minutes of this film and drives the audience to a touching finale. And about that snake bite: it is certainly meant to be transformative and transporting rather than suicidal. It makes complete sense within the context of this tale, and all but the youngest child will grasp this easily. The Little Prince's peals of laughter filling the night sky make it clear that he has arrived at home safely.
This is, overall, a winsome, faithful adaptation of the beloved children's book.
Movie Review: It's ok.
Summary: 3 Stars
I couldn't remember if I had seen the movie. I guess if I did it wasn't so memorable.
It is an okay movie, I expected more than what was provided. Considering Gene Wilder had been in Willy Wonka wow... this one is much different. There is a good moral to the story and it was cute, but not enough visual stimulation for me, I think most would be bored with the film fairly quickly.
Movie Review: Not a great film, but still a classic
Summary: 3 Stars
This is not a great film, but it's a classic story and the little boy who plays the Little Prince is terrific. Also, it's just great to see Bob Fosse on screen...and Gene Wilder. The score is less than memorable. But there are moments when the beauty of the book comes through. Really, the book is the true art.Movie Review: I Gave This a Chance despite the first viewing
Summary: 2 Stars
I saw this film with my grandmother at Radio City Music Hall as a child back in 1974 (I think this is the year). I had not read the book at that time, and certainly did not like the movie. Since falling in love with the soundtrack of Le Petit Prince (Richard Cocciante's and Elisabeth Anais's French version), I decided to give this film another look. Also, it's considered a classic, so I thought maybe I'd like it better now.
I did like the main cast. I think Richard Kiley as the aviator was excellent and I very much enjoyed Steven Warner as the Little Prince. Gene Wilder (the Fox) like always, was great.
The movie was really bad, though. And, the musical score was appalling (I do not use this term lightly)! The Little Prince, too, is filled with poor melodies and lyrics. I am not a huge fan of Lerner and Lowe's, but these songs are just really atrocious. I wound up fast forwarding halfway through most of the songs since they sounded horrid and repetitive. Worse, they seemed to come out of nowhere with no real transition from dialogue to music. The Prince's Rose, for instance, said goodbye coyly yet gently but then belted out her obnoxious and brash goodbye song. And, it was HORRIBLE as were most all the tracks. Really atrocious stuff. I'm surprised it even passes as music.
The main message here is wonderful. The film does keep the main message, but if you don't know the book, some of the lessons learned and taught are lost in this film. You reach the same conclusion, because it's spelled out for the watcher, but some lessons (vanity, too much work-not enough play, focus on money) are lost along the way. In addition, the troubled yet charming lamplighter is absent here. Really, if time was an issue, why not cut out the horrendous musical numbers? These planetary visits the Prince makes in the book are pretty integral to the story.
Again, the scenes between the aviator and the prince were wonderful. Gene Wilder was excellent. The supporting cast was okay, but they didn't get the book's points across.
I'm surprised anyone thinks this is a classic. I have not seen the Rachel Portman's operatic version, but I can't sing the praises of Richard Cocciante's and Elisabeth Anais' version (LE PETIT PRINCE) enough. Although it's not available with English subtitles, it is absolutely wonderful. And, the lyrics to the songs are almost the exact words that Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, set to music. So, if you have the book in English, you can follow along with the dvd film version without any issue. In fact, the first song, Dedicace, is the exact dedication that Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, set to music. And, Daniel Lavoie is perfect as the aviator. The music to this is truly sublime.