FairyTale: A True Story (1997)

In 1917, two children take a photograph, which is soon believed by some to be the first scientific evidence of the existence of fairies.First of all, much praise to Harvey Keitel in his portrayal of Harry Houdini. Whether there were camera tricks or not, his on-screen illusions look great. He also portrays the character rather well. Keitel, much better known for his foul-mouthed cop-and-gangster roles, really shines here.As a whole, I liked the movie, and I think it presented a fairly accurate account of what happened in this case. I am a bit disappointed that it left open the idea that believing in fairies is a good, rational thing to do, but I guess that's just the cynic in me. I should be praising them for giving kids a sense of wonder.

When it comes to family movies, it has to be thoughtful, entertaining and capable enough to hold on to the audience between age 1 and 101. "Fairy Tale: A True Story" takes that challenge and it really succeeds.In 1917 England, two girls, Elsie {Florence Hoath} and her cousin Frances {Elizabeth Earl} discover real fairies in a garden. Later, they take photographs to give proof that the fairies are real. Soon, they become famous when Arthur Conan Doyle {Peter O'Toole} publishes the photos in Strand magazine."Fairy Tale" has the conflict of Human vs. Fantasy. The conflict connects with the film's theme, which is you must believe it unless you see the real thing. The center of the film's story is Elsie and Frances. They're two girls who really see things as it happen. They grab our attention along with the story.Ernie Contreras's unpredictable script makes the characters feel as human beings, not as cardboard people. There's even a cliché in the film with a reporter trying to get the real story behind the photographs, but it never gets annoying. Plus, there's a subplot with Frances's missing father which is handled well.Hoath and Earl each give fine performances. The supporting roles are handled nicely with O'Toole as Doyle and Harvey Keitel as magician Harry Houdini.Zbigniew Preisner's score gives a dreamy feel to the proceedings and Shirley Russell's World War period costumes are luscious.Delightfully photographed and wonderfully acted, Charles Sturridge's film is a charming, perfect and winning family film. This is a movie come true for all ages.Rating: ****

Fairytale A True Story tells the real life story of two cousins Elsie Wright(Florence Hoath)and Frances Griffiths(Elizabeth Earl)who in 1917 took some pictures that captivated the world and had England divided in discussion of their authenticity.Even more attention was drawn to the cousins and their home when two very high profile and well known figures took an interest.They are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(Peter O'Toole)the author best known for creating the character of Sherlock Holmes and his close friend the illusionist Harry Houdini(Harvey Keitel).Conan Doyle believes the photos are genuine whereas Houdini is a little more sceptical.However tests on the photos proved that there had been no photographic trickery involved.To this day people are still divided about whether they are pictures of real fairies or a clever and very impressive hoax.With a great cast including Paul MGann as Elsie's father and Phoebe Nicholls as her mother who are grieving for their dead son(who claimed to have seen the fairies as well)moving and uplifting this is well worth watching.

The story is true about the girls and the photos. The story is true about the photos and how they tricked people. But the fairies flying around and bathing with fins and dodging cigarettes while carrying suitcases is not true. The ghost of a child blocking a doubting reporter from framing these girls after breaking into their room is also not true. This movie should not have "A True Story" at the end. It would be like "Titanic: A True Story", simply because the ship sinking is true. This is a good movie at times, has a lot of charm and the magic shines through. Harvey Keitel seems more like a downtown New York thug than a famous magician. The two leads who play the girls are charming, sweet, and talented. But my problem goes back to the "truth"; if they are going to show fairies they should have only showed them when the girls were present, so then it would be assumed that they might be only in the girl's imagination... or not. Showing the fairies flying around without the girls turns this "true story" into a "fairy tale", as in... it ruins the entire mystique that the pictures raised in the first place. The movie should center more on the hoax, on how the girls did what they did to trick scholars, famous writers and basically an entire continent. That would be interesting. Instead we get a fairy tale within a fairy tale with a false premise of the entire thing being true, that is, a movie that is telling us that fairies actually exist by tagging this "a true story". It's not true, it's merely based on truth. Just like "The Titanic", which didn't have "A True Story" added to the title; this movie should only be called "FairyTale", or better yet, "The Cottingley Hoax", or something based on actual history, not manipulation.