A beautiful Italian production that can take you to a far away time, filled with magic and romanticism. Great characters, locations and costumes. I would like to know if the story is based on a legend or something but anyway, it's great. The other 3 parts are also good, but not THAT good. If you liked this movie I recommend you to look for the other three parts and another movie called "Sorellina e il principe del sogno", starring Raz Degan (he is so hot) and Veronica Logan. Not recommended for too serious or pretentious people, it's just a fairy tale, but if you are like me and you enjoy dreaming of princes, kingdoms, horses and archery, then this movie is for you.
Fantaghirò: Cave of the Golden Rose (TV Mini Series)
Fantaghirò (1991)
User Reviews
Review this title12 Reviews
The best film I have ever watched
ithinkslim28 February 2001
I first started to watch this show 2 years ago. After watching the first part I fell in love with this show. To me, it is the most touching and loving film I have ever watch. Recently, the show had been repeated once more and I recorded the whole 4 series and I never get bored watching this show. In fact, it is so touching that I have to use couple sheets of tissue paper to wipe of my tears. I introduce this to all my friends and my friends agree with me that this great film. I like the character of "Fantaghiro" so much and sometimes I wish that my past life was that interesting and romantic. And not forgetting "Romualdo" with that charming and handsome look of yours. It's killing me. Just joking! Anyway, to me, it is the best film I have ever see and will always be.
Critique
dravidian_sentinel17 January 2008
The Cave of the Golden Rose or Fantaghiro may hold a handful of cliché's found in the most popular of fairy tales yet somehow it also gives off a nostalgic appeal. Ironically, it is also unconventional at the same time.
Many portions may be predictable, maybe even to an extent far too surreal for a realist, a critic of the entire concept of love at first sight yet somehow all of these are balanced off by an "out of the box" storyline, a beautiful cast, a highly memorable soundtrack (Der Prinz un Fantaghiro as an example)and an often intelligently planted lighting.
Special effects and cinematography-wise, it may not compare to films that have been digitally manipulated such as The Lord of the Rings and all the others that have impressed us tremendously with three-dimensional graphics. It draws interest through its flowing narrative that is rather old-fashioned, episodic and reminiscent of chronicled epics. It's the sort that one would appreciate due to its ability to develop gracefully its main character, a trait that is a rarity to most films these days.
Recently we have come to know of female heroines who could parallel their male counterparts in a duel yet most of them lose their grace, their radiance, their ethereal majesty within their leather tights and lashing whips. Most certainly they have proved themselves to be worthy adversaries and valued allies yet we hardly see them employ that breathtakingly feminine charm that Fantaghiro has successfully maintained in an intriguing balance. I will not speak of it further as my thoughts might spoil your entertainment. ;) Overall however, The Cave of the Golden Rose is a masterpiece not meant to be described through words. It is the kind that is worthy of being experienced.
Many portions may be predictable, maybe even to an extent far too surreal for a realist, a critic of the entire concept of love at first sight yet somehow all of these are balanced off by an "out of the box" storyline, a beautiful cast, a highly memorable soundtrack (Der Prinz un Fantaghiro as an example)and an often intelligently planted lighting.
Special effects and cinematography-wise, it may not compare to films that have been digitally manipulated such as The Lord of the Rings and all the others that have impressed us tremendously with three-dimensional graphics. It draws interest through its flowing narrative that is rather old-fashioned, episodic and reminiscent of chronicled epics. It's the sort that one would appreciate due to its ability to develop gracefully its main character, a trait that is a rarity to most films these days.
Recently we have come to know of female heroines who could parallel their male counterparts in a duel yet most of them lose their grace, their radiance, their ethereal majesty within their leather tights and lashing whips. Most certainly they have proved themselves to be worthy adversaries and valued allies yet we hardly see them employ that breathtakingly feminine charm that Fantaghiro has successfully maintained in an intriguing balance. I will not speak of it further as my thoughts might spoil your entertainment. ;) Overall however, The Cave of the Golden Rose is a masterpiece not meant to be described through words. It is the kind that is worthy of being experienced.
Fantaghirò cave of the golden rose
laudejong12 December 2006
About ten years ago in Holland we saw the international production of Fantaghirò(cave of the golden rose and the sequel, of which I cannot remember the name right now) in English with Dutch subtitles as Saturday morning series. We loved it then and it's a shame there's never been a rerun. We tried to purchase the video or DVD in English with Dutch subs but they aren't out there(only a few smart as*es who have taped it from the TV are now selling these tapes for far too much money and in poor quality) so if anyone can help me get these series in English with Dutch subtitles on DVD(preferably) or video please contact me. If you've never seen the series, make sure you do, it's an international masterpiece! It's a blend of fantasy and romance which makes it fantastic to watch and dream away with it.
The best movie
robinhut23 February 1999
I'm now 19 years old and I've watch many movies. But, I think that Cave of the Golden Rose (Fantaghiro) sequels are the best movies I've ever watched in my life!!! It has the best storyline, the best music and special effects, and most important of all, it has the best actress, Alessandra Martines. She really brought up the fabulous Fantaghiro character with full of emotions and feelings. Personally, I think that Alessandra Martines is the most beautiful actress in the world. Whatever she do in Fantaghiro; whether she smile, she cry, she was angry, or whatever, she is so beautiful that I watch over the movie again and again. Honestly, until now, I've watched Fantaghiro for 7 times, Fantaghiro 2 for 5 times, Fantaghiro 3 for 3 times and Fantaghiro 4 for 8 times. I am still searching for the last sequel, Fantaghiro 5 but I still couldn't find it. Wish me luck.
I Love This Show!!!!!!!
oh_doroubo23 May 2005
My most favorite is the first movie. Fantaghiro is truly my inspiration of my dream princess in my book.
Although I prefer watching it in Italian but TV2 only had it in English. I want to buy the full movies but it is rare in Malaysia. Maybe I go to Italy and went through all their DVD stores.
I watch this... when I was 7 or 8.... the TV2 made re-runs every year but it stop when I was about 10.. sad...
The perks in the first movie is when Fantaghiro disguise as a man. My favorite part is at the swimming competition, when she wore a lot of clothes and made a desperate sigh. So cute.
Although few awkward scene like, How come her hair grew long after she cut it? And how come the short hair style is the same through ALL the movies? And grew back LONG?!?!?!? She wear a wig or something??? After the first movie, the second movie seems nice but I don't like the puppet part and the White Witch actress had change.
In the third movie, I don't like Tarabas much and Romualdo part in the movie only in a few minutes.
What worst in the forth, THERE ARE NO ROMUALDO!!! My interest dull around Tarabas parts. Still hanging around with a married woman?? I accept if the producer gave him a love interest but Fantaghiro is Romualdo's!! I don't like much a lot of new characters as I prefer the old ones. As the movies grew, the lesser the original characters is.
There's a lot of voice castings, re-scene and so on.
But still, The Cave of The Golden Rose 1 is worth the full stars.
Although I prefer watching it in Italian but TV2 only had it in English. I want to buy the full movies but it is rare in Malaysia. Maybe I go to Italy and went through all their DVD stores.
I watch this... when I was 7 or 8.... the TV2 made re-runs every year but it stop when I was about 10.. sad...
The perks in the first movie is when Fantaghiro disguise as a man. My favorite part is at the swimming competition, when she wore a lot of clothes and made a desperate sigh. So cute.
Although few awkward scene like, How come her hair grew long after she cut it? And how come the short hair style is the same through ALL the movies? And grew back LONG?!?!?!? She wear a wig or something??? After the first movie, the second movie seems nice but I don't like the puppet part and the White Witch actress had change.
In the third movie, I don't like Tarabas much and Romualdo part in the movie only in a few minutes.
What worst in the forth, THERE ARE NO ROMUALDO!!! My interest dull around Tarabas parts. Still hanging around with a married woman?? I accept if the producer gave him a love interest but Fantaghiro is Romualdo's!! I don't like much a lot of new characters as I prefer the old ones. As the movies grew, the lesser the original characters is.
There's a lot of voice castings, re-scene and so on.
But still, The Cave of The Golden Rose 1 is worth the full stars.
Not for me.
sNate8728 March 2020
I seem to be in the minority here, so let me give some brief background information about myself. I am in my 30's and have been an avid horror fan for most of my life. I know Lamberto Bava from his films such as Demons, Demons 2, Blade in the Dark, Macabre, etc. It wasn't until a couple days ago that I found out he directed a bunch of fantasy films for Italian television throughout the 90's. Luckily, I found the first eight chapters (four films) of Cave of the Golden Rose on YouTube in their English dubbed versions.
I also grew up with a bit of the fantasy genre, ranging from everything like the old Sinbad films, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, and TV shows like Hercules The Legendary Journeys. So Lamberto Bava taking on the fantasy genre had lots of potential for me.
Unfortunately, this is not the type of fantasy I really enjoy. I get the most enjoyment out of the imaginitive sets and creature designs in fantasy worlds, which I felt this film was severely lacking. The one scene I liked the most was near the very beginning when the princess wanders into the forest and realizes the trees, rocks and fish can all talk. This was the most creature design I saw in the film's 3+ hour runtime (aside from a giant mouth). It was also lacking in action, in my opinion.
That isn't to say that the story wasn't engaging. I did somewhat enjoy the first chapter of this film, it was mostly fun, so I was hoping it'd end with a more thrilling climax. If I had to rate just the first chapter alone it'd probably be a 4 or 5 out of ten. I absolutely hated the second chapter though, which explains why I ended up gaving this a 2 instead. It turns into nothing but a love story. Love stories are not my thing, and I almost completely tuned out at this point.
I will still continue on with this series, in hopes that maybe they get a bigger budget to create more interesting creatures with, and stray from the romance stuff. I see the user ratings drop every time a sequel was released, which is a good sign for me, seeing as how I usually end up liking the stuff that's generally disliked. No offense to fans of this series! It's just not for this horror buff (so far).
I also grew up with a bit of the fantasy genre, ranging from everything like the old Sinbad films, Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, and TV shows like Hercules The Legendary Journeys. So Lamberto Bava taking on the fantasy genre had lots of potential for me.
Unfortunately, this is not the type of fantasy I really enjoy. I get the most enjoyment out of the imaginitive sets and creature designs in fantasy worlds, which I felt this film was severely lacking. The one scene I liked the most was near the very beginning when the princess wanders into the forest and realizes the trees, rocks and fish can all talk. This was the most creature design I saw in the film's 3+ hour runtime (aside from a giant mouth). It was also lacking in action, in my opinion.
That isn't to say that the story wasn't engaging. I did somewhat enjoy the first chapter of this film, it was mostly fun, so I was hoping it'd end with a more thrilling climax. If I had to rate just the first chapter alone it'd probably be a 4 or 5 out of ten. I absolutely hated the second chapter though, which explains why I ended up gaving this a 2 instead. It turns into nothing but a love story. Love stories are not my thing, and I almost completely tuned out at this point.
I will still continue on with this series, in hopes that maybe they get a bigger budget to create more interesting creatures with, and stray from the romance stuff. I see the user ratings drop every time a sequel was released, which is a good sign for me, seeing as how I usually end up liking the stuff that's generally disliked. No offense to fans of this series! It's just not for this horror buff (so far).
Simply the best :)
movie_director29 January 2003
I'm from Milan and I saw the five episodes (in Italy Fantaghirò is divided in 5 movies) of this beautiful film at least ten times. It's so simple, but even so touching... It's a mix of romance and fantasy that only this director can make up! Great actors for great characters: if you want to see the most romantic-fantastic story ever played, well you MUST watch this creation!
Quiet excellence
BluDiMado19 October 2012
From a technical point of view, it is not one of the greatest movies. It is a movie for nostalgic fable lovers. The actors are great, especially Alessandra Martines (just check out the last scene).
And of course Romualdo, played by Kim Rossi Stuart has been every girl's fantasy for the last two decades. (!) Interesting, too, is that the actors are all from different countries. I would give the movie a 10/10 for the story/idea, 10/10 for the characters/development, 10/10 the actors, 10/10 for the scenery, 9/10 to director Lamberto Bava (it would be too much to say , that he's perfect too, just because I like his movies), 7/10 technology (it's the 90ies/small budget).
And of course Romualdo, played by Kim Rossi Stuart has been every girl's fantasy for the last two decades. (!) Interesting, too, is that the actors are all from different countries. I would give the movie a 10/10 for the story/idea, 10/10 for the characters/development, 10/10 the actors, 10/10 for the scenery, 9/10 to director Lamberto Bava (it would be too much to say , that he's perfect too, just because I like his movies), 7/10 technology (it's the 90ies/small budget).
a magical phenomenon indeed
charmed_halliwells6 October 2007
Never have I thought of writing a review which contains biased and partial opinions. Nevertheless, neither a typical review which scrutinizes the show's technical aspects namely the acting, directing and plot, nor one that appraises it from a literary point of view, would give you a comprehensive picture of what this show is truly about.
Frankly, I've seen an array of movies with a much more poignant plot and entrancing acting but have never given any a 9 out of 10 rating. Perhaps it is the concoction of a simple but elegant plot, casual and unexaggerated acting, beautifully coordinated music, a not too original but not too cheesy storyline, and a touch of magic which makes Fantaghiro worthy of a nine out of ten rating.
I believe if given a chance, all four installments (I don't particularly like the fifth) would make every child's day, arouse bittersweet memories in every teenager, and provide a perfect escapist fantasy for every adult who has long embedded in bitter reality.
Fantaghiro is indeed an enchanted piece of art -- a true magical phenomenon.
Frankly, I've seen an array of movies with a much more poignant plot and entrancing acting but have never given any a 9 out of 10 rating. Perhaps it is the concoction of a simple but elegant plot, casual and unexaggerated acting, beautifully coordinated music, a not too original but not too cheesy storyline, and a touch of magic which makes Fantaghiro worthy of a nine out of ten rating.
I believe if given a chance, all four installments (I don't particularly like the fifth) would make every child's day, arouse bittersweet memories in every teenager, and provide a perfect escapist fantasy for every adult who has long embedded in bitter reality.
Fantaghiro is indeed an enchanted piece of art -- a true magical phenomenon.
If you are into fairy-tale movies, you can do nothing wrong here.
Astroblitz12 January 2023
The main character (Fantaghiro) of this movie is a young woman, which is into male activities (reading, practical cloth, self-determination, weapons) within the given circumstances of this specific fairy-tale world. This motive is not uncommon in the literature. The creators of this movie picked their main character out from the short novel "Fanta-Ghirò, persona bella" with just around 2000 words and extended this character and added many fairy-tale elements to this world. It becomes obvious, that the creators are really into their variation and want you to like her as well.
The creators produced later other movies regarding the main character with new content, but nevertheless, the first movie already got its own unique story. For example, the short novel contains multiple challenges for the main figure Fantaghiro, which are suggested by the opponent king's mother. The movie does not contain this mother and the movie only uses the idea of one challenge, executes it differently and also has a different result. The movie got additional ideas on its own, like the white witch, the opponent king's friends, the general, new challenges, talking to animals, prophesiers, main character's childhood, etc.
In my opinion, the story doesn't need 200 mins to get told, but that is no serious problem. The creators obviously had budget issues, which you can observe a few times on the setup, the cloth or the technical execution, but it is not disturbing. If you are into fairy-tale movies, you can do nothing wrong here. It is comfortable to watch this movie. Most people should find no serious reason to take offense.
The creators produced later other movies regarding the main character with new content, but nevertheless, the first movie already got its own unique story. For example, the short novel contains multiple challenges for the main figure Fantaghiro, which are suggested by the opponent king's mother. The movie does not contain this mother and the movie only uses the idea of one challenge, executes it differently and also has a different result. The movie got additional ideas on its own, like the white witch, the opponent king's friends, the general, new challenges, talking to animals, prophesiers, main character's childhood, etc.
In my opinion, the story doesn't need 200 mins to get told, but that is no serious problem. The creators obviously had budget issues, which you can observe a few times on the setup, the cloth or the technical execution, but it is not disturbing. If you are into fairy-tale movies, you can do nothing wrong here. It is comfortable to watch this movie. Most people should find no serious reason to take offense.
childhood emotions
Kirpianuscus19 November 2023
Difficult to not love this fairy tale adaptation , in which all is more than predictable and the love wins.
The beautiful girl, the evil wich, the king and the enloved prince. Enough for adventures, twists and italian flavors in beautiful, charming, childish manner, because it is exactly a film for inner children ( if not for adultescentes ).
The grace and the eulogy of basic virtues are the gifts of this film without high ambitions, except a trip across the childhood emotions. And, in my case, it just works in well way .
For story, indeed, but, especially, for actors and their nice job.
So, Fantaghiro.
The beautiful girl, the evil wich, the king and the enloved prince. Enough for adventures, twists and italian flavors in beautiful, charming, childish manner, because it is exactly a film for inner children ( if not for adultescentes ).
The grace and the eulogy of basic virtues are the gifts of this film without high ambitions, except a trip across the childhood emotions. And, in my case, it just works in well way .
For story, indeed, but, especially, for actors and their nice job.
So, Fantaghiro.
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