An old storyteller tells European folk tales to his sarcastic dog.
Creator:
Jim Henson
Popularity
4,825
( 543)
Top-Rated Episodes
S1.E1
An honest soldier receives a ruby whistle, a comparable dance, an unbeatable deck of cards and a magic sack for being kind to three beggars. He defeats a bunch of devils by playing cards and catches ...
S1.E6
A witch has set her eyes on the widower king and manages to turn his three young sons into ravens. Their sister escapes the curse and vows to remain silent for three years, three months, three weeks,...
S1.E3
When a cruel, cold-hearted king hears about the birth of a luck child prophesied to one day rule in his stead, he seeks out the child and tries to get rid of him. But luck is with the baby and ...
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Title: The Storyteller (1987–1989)
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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 |
|
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Robert Tygner | ... | Badger / ... 3 episodes, 1988 |
|
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Alistair Fullarton | ... | Death / ... 3 episodes, 1988 |
| Mak Wilson | ... | Badger / ... 3 episodes, 1988 | |
|
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Diana Payan | ... | Miller's Wife / ... 2 episodes, 1988 |
|
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Robin Summers | ... | Jailer / ... 2 episodes, 1987-1988 |
| Michael Kilgarriff | ... | Lion / ... 2 episodes, 1987-1988 | |
| Peter Marinker | ... | Devil / ... 2 episodes, 1988 | |
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Plot Summary
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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. Written by Kathy Li
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
28 April 1989 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Jim Henson's The Storyteller See more »Filming Locations:
Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UKCompany Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
(9 episodes) | (9 episodes)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Sir John Hurt loved working on this series, and wished it could've lasted for more than one season. See more »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.See more »
Despite its pedigree, the most interesting things about this series are not the animatronics or puppetry, which, while charming, are little more than sideshows, at least in the story I saw, A STORY SHORT. In fact, loathe though I am to admit it, the programme's chief pleasure lies in that most ancient art, storytelling.
John Hurt, in Rowley Birken QC-mode, grotesque, medieval make-up, relates a story about story telling, seated by the fire, accompanied by a cynical dog. One winter's day, starving and poor, he spots a fellow beggar thrown out of the Royal Kitchen by the nasty cook. The Story Teller tricks this latter into giving them an excellent soup. Furious, the Cook pleads with the King for permission to boil the villain, but, pleased with the Story Teller's wit, the monarch offers him a reprieve - for 100 nights, he must tell the King a new story: if he fails to do so, he will hand him over to the cook.
The story may be old, but it's told with great gusto. Anthony Minghella's script is excellently dramatic (as befits a playwright), witty, and with some disturbing concerns beneath the fun, such as fears for the self, or the culturally self-generating power of storytelling, linked to the continuation of ideological power. For a programme aimed at children, it is bracingly self-reflexive (with little nonsense about film being the new oral culture); despite the Americanised style, there is a charming sense of medieval bustle, its grotesqueness and arbitrary terror, as well as its magic and power.