I remember it well, Jim Henson's The Storyteller aired in the evening on Channel 4 and scared the bejeezus out of 7 year old me. The year was 1987 and the show had been heavily advertised for a few months so the anticipation had been building. When finally the show aired it became an instant classic in my mind, the stuff of wonderful nightmares. The show presented nine lesser known northern European fairytale with a a mixture of live acting, animatronics, muppetry and surreally stylish imagery. With excellent production values, marvellous special effects and stunning matte paintings the various fantasy settings all came to life and drew me in.
John Hurt played the role of the eponymous Storyteller, and next to a hearth he would tell a story with relish, accompanied by his muppety canine companion. There would be occasional interludes where the Storyteller would elaborate or expand upon a point and his verbosity and wordplay would be like music to my young ears, even if a lot of his wordplay went over my head. Even after 30 years, The Storyteller fills my heart with warmth and joy, and a little bit of a chill, but in a good way.
So, what is less well known is that there was a shorter follow up series in 1991 created by Anthony Minghella (of The English Patient fame) which looked at the Greek myths. The 4 part series swapped out Hurt and instead placed Michael Gambon into the eponymous role. He is ably supported by seasoned theatre performers such as Derek Jacobi and Art Malik and this gives the show added gravitas. With the wonderfully emotive music the show really does shine with that early 90s glow. The soft focus and fuzzy recording make the show seem like a wondrous dream and even now fill my heart with warmth.
The 4 episodes include:
Daedalus and Icarus- the classic tale of the inventor who's son reached too close to the sun is ably retold and expanded to include what happened after the death of the progeny. It is deliciously dark and arresting and Jacobi gives it his all in the title role.
Orpheus and Euridyce- the tale of a man whose music moves a wood nymph to the world of man. After getting married the nature of the wood nymph reveals itself and she dies after being bitten by a snake. Orpheus challenges the Gods to bring Euridyce back from the underworld but just as he is about to succeed a twist prevents her return. Malik is solid in the main role but the music is the real star, being equal parts joyful and mournful. I really enjoyed this episode, especially and production values of Hades.
Theseus and the Minotaur- The classic tale of man versus beast. The minotaur is well designed and the maze is suitably creepy in this well directed retelling.
Perseus and the Gorgon- The best visually arresting and special effect heavy story is saved for last. We get the tale of a hero fighting the monstrous lady who turns anyone who witnesses her visage to stone. The special effects on Medusa are amazing for the time and production costa.
The Greek tales presented are quite mature and darker in essence than much of the sanitised, Disney-fied versions out there. I would recommend it for ages 7 and above as many of the themes touched upon are to do with the human condition and the tales are, in large part, part of the European monomyth but they do cast a wondrous spell. The love, care and attention of the production comes through on the screen and even though some of the special effects have aged, this ethereal other-worldliness leaves the show an almost timeless quality. The show is well worth the short time investment and will leave its glow long after you've stopped watching.
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