The Storyteller 

An old storyteller tells European folk tales to his sarcastic dog.

Creator:

Jim Henson

Stars:

John Hurt, Brian Henson, Frederick Warder

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
John Hurt	...	The Storyteller 9 episodes, 1987-1988
Brian Henson	...	Storyteller's Dog / ... 9 episodes, 1987-1988
Frederick Warder	...	Giant / ... 3 episodes, 1987-1988
David Greenaway	...	Badger / ... 3 episodes, 1988
Robert Tygner	...	Badger / ... 3 episodes, 1988
Alistair Fullarton	...	Death / ... 3 episodes, 1988
Mak Wilson	...	Badger / ... 3 episodes, 1988
Diana Payan	...	Miller's Wife / ... 2 episodes, 1988
Robin Summers	...	Jailer / ... 2 episodes, 1987-1988
Michael Kilgarriff	...	Lion / ... 2 episodes, 1987-1988
Peter Marinker	...	Devil / ... 2 episodes, 1988

Storyline

A variety of European folk tales are retold in nine new stories. A soldier captures Death in a magic sack. A fearless young man sets out to learn to shudder. A boy with a destiny that frightens a tyrant is sent on an impossible task that will see him wed the princess, or dead. A storyteller must spin tales to stay alive. A woman bears a hedgehog-child who grows up to live alone in a castle until he does a king a favor and gets the princess's hand in return. A princess must keep silent while she works to free her brothers from an evil spell. A princess runs away from wedding her father and disguises herself as an ugly forest creature. A young boy must overcome a heartless giant. A princess searches the earth for her stolen bridegroom.

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Plot Keywords:

storyteller | dog | dark fantasy | storytelling | talking animal | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Horror

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jim Henson's The Storyteller

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Henson Associates (HA),TVS Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

225 min (9 episodes) 25 min (9 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve Barron was selected to direct the pilot, "Hans My Hedeghog". Jim Henson was already familiar with his work, because Barron directed two music videos for Labyrinth (1986). Barron persuaded Henson to shoot the series on 35mm film rather than video, and developed its unique visual style. All subsequent directors were told to absorb this style before directing their own installments. Series Writer Anthony Minghella even incorporated Barron's use of silhouettes years later when he directed The English Patient (1996).

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Quotes

The Storyteller: [opening lines] When people told themselves their past with stories, explained their present with stories, foretold the future with stories, the best place by the fire was kept for... The Storyteller.

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #34.11 (2005)

User Reviews

Magical. Breathtaking.

I wish I could remember more of this fabulous series. My memory is patchy, but I DO remember it being one of the most inventive, beautifully made and acted series ever shown on British television. It is insanity that they don't repeat