''Tale of Tales'' is a 2015 European

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

co-written, directed and co-produced by

Matteo Garrone Matteo Garrone (born 15 October 1968) is an Italian filmmaker. Born in Rome, the son of a theatre critic, Nico Garrone and a photographer, in 1996 Garrone won the ''Sacher d'Oro'', an award sponsored by Nanni Moretti, with the short film ''Silho ...

and starring

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...

Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He first achieved recognition for his performance as a troubled French Jewish youth in Mathieu Kassovitz's 1995 film '' La Haine (Hate)'', for which he received two César Award ...

Toby Jones Tobias Edward Heslewood Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 7 September 1966) is an English actor. Jones made his film debut in Sally Potter's period drama '' Orlando'' in 1992. H ...

, and

John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer, and writer. After his film debut in ''Casualties of War'' (1989), he gained exposure through his supporting roles in '' Days of Thunder'' (1990), '' ...

. An Italian-led production with co-producers in France and the United Kingdom, ''Tale of Tales'' is Garrone's only English-language film. It competed for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It is a screen adaptation based on collections of tales by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

poet and courtier

Giambattista Basile Giambattista Basile (February 1566 – February 1632) was an Italian poet, courtier, and fairy tale collector. His collections include the oldest recorded forms of many well-known (and more obscure) European fairy tales. He is chiefly remembere ...

: ''

Pentamerone The ''Pentamerone'', subtitled ''Lo cunto de li cunti'' ("The Tale of Tales"), is a seventeenth-century Neapolitan fairy tale collection by Italian poet and courtier Giambattista Basile. Background The stories in the ''Pentamerone'' were collec ...

'' or ''Lo cunto de li cunti'' (''Tale of Tales, or Entertainment for Little Ones''), which contains the earliest versions of famous fables like

Rapunzel "Rapunzel" ( , ) is a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm and first published in 1812 as part of '' Children's and Household Tales'' (KHM 12). The Brothers Grimm's story developed from the French literary fairy tale of '' Persinet ...

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

and

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

. The three tales are '' La Cerva Fatata'' (''The Enchanted Doe''), '' La Pulce'' (''The Flea''), ''La Vecchia Scorticata'' (''The Flayed Old Lady''), which have been freely adapted with elements of other tales by

as well as a touch of artistic license.

Plot

The Enchanted Doe

In the Kingdom of Longtrellis, the King and Queen cannot conceive a child. A

necromancer Necromancy () is the practice of magic or black magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions, or by resurrection for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future events ...

suggests that if the Queen eats a sea dragon's heart cooked by a virgin, she will be with child but this will cost a life. The King slays the sea dragon but dies from his wounds. The Queen eats the heart and the next day bears a son, Elias, with hair as white as the dragon. The cook also gives birth to a boy, Jonah. The boys are identical and inseparable friends. This so vexes the Queen that she attempts to murder Jonah, though he manages to escape. Jonah leaves the kingdom, plunging a knife into a tree root and telling Elias that as long as the root spouts clear water, he is alive and well. One day the water is clouded with blood. Elias leaves to find Jonah. The Queen has her subjects search for Elias to no avail. The necromancer blames the Queen and says the youths are truly inseparable, and that her violent desire can be achieved only through violence. Elias finds Jonah wounded in a cave. They are threatened by a monster, which wounds Jonah but hesitates to attack Elias, who kills the monster and returns Jonah to his wife. In the cave, the monster's corpse dissolves into that of the Queen. Castello di Roccascalegna

The Flayed Old Lady

The lustful King of Strongcliff is intrigued by the sound of a woman's heavenly singing. He courts her outside her home, unaware that she is one of two elderly sisters, Imma and Dora. Dora agrees to spend the night with him as long as it is in complete darkness. He is horrified when he sees her appearance the next morning, and has his guards throw her out of the window. She survives, entangled in the branches of a tree. A

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

rescues her and nurses her from her breast. Dora awakens as a young, beautiful maiden. The King comes upon her while hunting and decides to make her his Queen. Dora invites Imma to the wedding and promises to take care of her, but says she cannot stay in the castle. Imma refuses to leave, asking for the secret to her sister's youth and beauty. In annoyance, Dora says she got herself flayed. Finally thrown out after violating the royal couple's privacy in their bedroom, Imma finds someone willing to flay her, leaving her bloody and disfigured. Castel del Monte, Andria

The Flea

The King of Highhills becomes fascinated by a flea, which he hides in his room as a pet. It grows gigantic under his care. When it dies, the King decides to skin it. His daughter Violet tells him she wants to be married, so he offers her as a bride to whoever can guess from what beast the skin was taken, believing no-one can do so. However, an

ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

correctly identifies the hide by smell. Violet is horrified but her father says he cannot go back on his word. Violet goes through with the marriage but says her father never loved her. The ogre takes Violet to his cave, where she is raped and kept prisoner. A family of acrobats helps her to escape, but the ogre gives chase and kills the entire family. He is mollified by Violet, who then slits his throat. Violet returns to the castle, where the King has grown ill and reveals she has the head of the ogre, the husband he "chose" for her. The King falls to his knees crying and the courtiers follow suit. Violet, too, begins to cry. Elias, Dora and the King of Strongcliff are among the guests for Violet's coronation as Queen. There, Elias nods to her and the King of Strongcliff. As Violet's father walks her to the throne the crowd looks skyward, where an entertainer is walking a tightrope of fire. We see Dora's beauty begin to fade and, unnoticed, she flees the castle.

Themes

In an interview with ''Variety'', director Matteo Garrone emphasized that the three tales have contemporary themes: "plastic surgery; the frenzied desire to have a child; the conflict between generations; the painful passage from adolescence to adulthood." He has also said that although the three stories have distinct themes, they are all connected to the idea of desire that can lead to obsession. Although screenplays were written for other tales in the Basile collection, those filmed told the story of "a woman in three different stages of her life": youth, motherhood and advancing age.

Cast

as Queen of Longtrellis *

as King of Strongcliff *

as King of Highhills *

as King of Longtrellis *

Shirley Henderson Shirley Henderson (born 24 November 1965) is a Scottish actress. Her accolades include two Scottish BAFTAs, a VFCC Award and an Olivier Award, as well as BAFTA, BIFA, London Critics' Circle, Chlotrudis, Gotham, and Canadian Screen Award ...

as Imma *

Hayley Carmichael Hayley Carmichael is an English actress and theatre-director. She is co-founder of '' Told by an Idiot'' and has both devised and performed in almost all their productions. She won the TMA and Time Out awards in 1999 for Best Actress for her perfo ...

as Dora **

Stacy Martin Stacy Martin (born 20 March 1990) is a French actress. Her breakthrough role was playing Joe as a young woman in Lars von Trier's 2013 drama film ''Nymphomaniac''. Early life Martin was born in Paris, where she spent her early childhood. She m ...

as young Dora *

Bebe Cave Bebe Cave (born 22 July 1997) is an English actress. Early life Cave was born 22 July 1997 in London, England, the youngest of five siblings, to two general practitioners. Her older sister Jessie Cave is an actress and comedian. Career Cave mad ...

as Violet, Princess of Highhills * Christian Lees as Elias, Prince of Longtrellis. * Jonah Lees as Jonah * Laura Pizzirani as the virgin and Jonah's Mother * Franco Pistoni as Necromancer *

Jessie Cave Jessica Alice Cave Lloyd (born 5 May 1987) is an English actress, comedian and cartoonist, known for her role as Lavender Brown in the ''Harry Potter'' film series and for her shows in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe. She has also published ...

as Fenizia * Michael Martini as the 1st Circus Boy * Alessandro Campagna as the 2nd Circus Boy * Lorenzo Bernardi as Contortionist * Giselda Volodi as Lady-in-Waiting #1 * Giuseppina Cervizzi as Lady-in-Waiting #2 * Luisa Ragusa as Lady-in-Waiting #3 *

Kathryn Hunter Aikaterini Hadjipateras ( el, Αικατερίνη Χατζηπατέρας; born 9 April 1957), known professionally as Kathryn Hunter, is an American-born British actress and theatre director, known for her appearances as Arabella Figg in th ...

as Witch * Guillaume Delaunay as Ogre * Davide Campagna as Circus Performer *

Massimo Ceccherini Massimo Ceccherini (born 23 May 1965) is an Italian actor, film director, comedian and screenwriter. Biography Born in Florence, Ceccherini is the son of a plasterer, he seemed destined for the same profession, but his father was attracted to t ...

as a Circus Artist Father * Alba Rohrwacher as a Circus Artist Mother

Production

Development

According to

, he was drawn to

's stories for their mixture of the real and the unreal, and because he found the themes in many of them to still be highly relevant. Garrone had previously been best known for employing a naturalist style in films such as '' Gomorrah'', but argued that all his previous films also have a fairytale aspect to their narratives. An important source of inspiration was

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

's ''

Los caprichos ''Los caprichos'' (''The Caprices)'' is a set of 80 prints in aquatint and etching created by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya in 1797–1798, and published as an album in 1799. The prints were an artistic experiment: a medium for Goya's condem ...

'' collection of

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

s. For Garrone, they encapsulated the mood of Basile's tales. ''Tale of Tales'' had a budget corresponding to

USD$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

14.5 million. It was produced through Garrone's company Archimede Film, with co-production support from France's Le Pact and Britain's

Recorded Picture Company Recorded Picture Company is a British film production company founded in 1974 by producer Jeremy Thomas. History Recorded Picture Company (RPC) is an independent production company that makes feature films for worldwide theatrical release. Jere ...

. It received financing from

Rai Cinema RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terr ...

and additional support from MiBACT and

Eurimages Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in 1989. Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages ...

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

commenced on 15 May 2014 and lasted four months. The film was shot entirely on location in various parts of Italy, including

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

( Royal Palace,

Palace of Capodimonte The Royal Palace of Capodimonte ( it, Reggia di Capodimonte) is a large palazzo in Naples, Italy. It was formerly the summer residence and Jagdschloss, hunting lodge of the House of Bourbon, Bourbon kings of the Two Sicilies, one of the two royal ...

and its gardens); Apulia's Castel del Monte (octagonal castle appears in the poster near Vincent Cassel), Gioia del Colle (in particular the throne room), Laterza,

Mottola Mottola ( nap, label= Mottolese, Mòtele, ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto and region of Apulia in southeast Italy. It stands on a hill above mean sea level in the sub-region of Murgia. It is also called "The Ionian Spy" ...

Statte Statte (Tarantino: ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Taranto The province of Taranto ( it, provincia di Taranto; Tarantino: ; Salentino: ), previously known as the province of the Ionian, is a province in the Apulia region of Italy ...

;

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Donnafugata Castle Donnafugata Castle ( it, Castello di Donnafugata ) is from Ragusa in Sicily, Italy. Although the origins of Donnafugata Castle can be traced to the 14th-century most of its current Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic appearance belongs to the 19th. ...

(gothic castle, stone labyrinth and gardens) and ''Gole dell'Alcantara'' in Alcantara (mainly scenes of sea dragon);

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

Castello di Roccascalegna Castello di Roccascalegna (Italian for ''Castle of Roccascalegna'') is a medieval castle in Roccascalegna, Province of Chieti, Abruzzo, southern Italy. History The castle was principally constructed in the 15th and 16th centuries, at a time ...

(appears in the poster with Castel del Monte);

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

's Moorish castle of

Sammezzano Sammezzano, or the Castle of Sammezzano, is an Italian ''palazzo'' in Tuscany featuring Moorish Revival architectural style. It is located in Leccio, a hamlet of Reggello, in the Province of Florence. Description The original ''palazzo'' was ere ...

, the towns of

Sorano Sorano is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Grosseto, southern Tuscany ( Italy). It as an ancient medieval hill town hanging from a tuff stone over the Lente River. History Sorano was probably inhabited by Villanovan culture, but the f ...

and

Sovana Sovana is a small town in southern Tuscany, Italy, a ''frazione'' of Sorano, a comune in the province of Grosseto. History Etruscan by origin, Sovana became a Roman ''municipium'', and, from the 5th century, an episcopal see. Conquered by Lomba ...

(tuff caves); and

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

(''Bosco del Sasseto'' in

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early history ...

). "The movie is an epic tribute to the history of fairytales with great care to the style of their portrayal. The very locations reflect the director’s intention to create an artificial truth, a realistic craftsmanship. All locations had to be real but look as if the settings had been recreated in a studio set."

Release

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds a 83% approval rating based on reviews from 105 critics, with an average rating of 7 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Visually splendid and narratively satisfying, ''Tale of Tales ''packs an off-kilter wallop for mature viewers in search of something different''."'' On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has received a weighted average score of 72 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tale Of Tales 2015 fantasy films 2015 horror films British horror films 2015 films British fantasy films English-language French films English-language Italian films French dark fantasy films Italian fantasy films Films about dragons Films about royalty Films scored by Alexandre Desplat Films based on fairy tales Films directed by Matteo Garrone Films produced by Jeremy Thomas Films set in castles Films shot in Abruzzo Films shot in Apulia Films shot in Naples Films shot in Sicily Films shot in Tuscany HanWay Films films Recorded Picture Company films 2010s romantic fantasy films Films about witchcraft 2010s English-language films 2010s British films 2010s French films