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User:Slgrandson/Tales of Beatrix Potter

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Tales of Beatrix Potter
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DVD cover
Directed byReginald Mills
Written byBeatrix Potter (stories)
Christine Edzard
Richard B. Goodwin
Produced byRichard B. Goodwin
StarringRoyal Ballet dancers
CinematographyAustin Dempster
Edited byJohn Rushton
Music byJohn Lanchbery
Distributed byMGM-EMI (UK)
MGM (USA)
Release date
30 June 1971
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Tales of Beatrix Potter (promoted as Peter Rabbit and Tales of Beatrix Potter on the U.S. posters and soundtrack LP)[1][2] is a 1971 ballet film with a plot based on the children's stories of English author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. The film was directed by Reginald Mills, choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton, and starred artists of the Royal Ballet. The musical score was arranged by John Lanchbery from various sources such as the operas of Michael Balfe and Sir Arthur Sullivan, and performed by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

Cast edit

Production edit

According to Henry Herx in his Family Guide to Movies on Video, "Director Reginald Mills frees the work from the stage by photographing it in a picturesque English countryside and patterns the costumes on the soft, cuddly textures and pale pastels of the famous Potter sketches."[3]

Release edit

Tales of Beatrix Potter was released in the United Kingdom in early 1971. At that time, the film's advanced bookings were the highest since 1939's Gone with the Wind, at over £1,000 per day.[4]

In December 1986, the film was released on videocassette in the United States by HBO/Cannon.[5] It was re-issued on Region 1 DVD in February 2004 by Anchor Bay Entertainment, as The Tales of Beatrix Potter.[6]

Reception edit

Among those who gave the film a positive review was Henry Herx. "[The] British ballet production conjures up Beatrix Potter's delicate animal fables and through Frederick Ashton's chereography enables them to dance and pantomine their way into the hearts of story lovers," he wrote, while also commending it "A beautiful way to introduce youngsters to the world of Peter Rabbit and the art of the ballet."[3]

The staff of Halliwell's Film Guide awarded it two stars out of four with this comment: "A charming entertainment for those who can appreciate it, though hardly the most direct way to tell these stories."[7] Wally Hammond of London's Time Out magazine found it a "[l]argely unimaginative retelling" of the tales; "the muted photography," he added, "evokes the original Potter drawings."[8] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "It is with a small sense of fear and trembling that I say "Peter Rabbit and Tales of Beatrix Potter" succeeds neither as ballet nor film."[9]

The film was nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards.[verification needed]

References edit

  1. ^ "Peter Rabbit and Tales of Beatrix Potter". 1971 Movie Poster Gallery. Internet Movie Poster (IMP) Awards. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  2. ^ "Jim" (October 26, 2009). "Peter Rabbit and Tales of Beatrix Potter". LP Cover Art for Soundtracks. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Herx, Henry (1988). "Peter Rabbit and Tales of Beatrix Potter". The Family Guide to Movies on Video. The Crossroad Publishing Company. p. 208 (pre-release version). ISBN 0-8245-0816-5. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ Whittier, Isabel (August 6, 1971). "Beatrix Potter Won Fame with Peter Rabbit Tales". Lewiston Evening Journal. p. 4A. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  5. ^ "Next Week in Video" (Registration required to read article). The Miami Herald. December 5, 1986. p. 3B. Retrieved September 4, 2010. Here is a sampling of video cassettes scheduled for release today through Thursday:...Tales of Beatrix Potter, 1971, HBO/Cannon.
  6. ^ "Timon, Pumba[a] film isn't half bad" (Registration required to read article). Deseret News. February 12, 2004. Retrieved September 4, 2010. "The Tales of Beatrix Potter" (Anchor Bay, 1971, not rated, $14.98). This performance by the Royal Ballet is staged as a movie...
  7. ^ Gritten, David, ed. (2007). "Tales of Beatrix Potter". Halliwell's Film Guide 2008. Hammersmith, London: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 1166. ISBN 0-00-726080-6. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ Hammond, Wally (2008). "Tales of Beatrix Potter (aka Peter Rabbit and Tales of Beatrix Potter)". In Pym, John (ed.). Time Out Film Guide 2009 (17th ed.). Time Out Group Ltd. p. 1051. ISBN 978-1-84760-100-9. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  9. ^ Siskel, Gene (November 19, 1971). "'Peter Rabbit' film and ballet" (Registration required to read article). Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. p. A9. Retrieved September 4, 2010.

External links edit

 

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