The Storyteller
Jim Henson's The Storyteller
Genre	Children's drama
Created by	Jim Henson
Developed by	Anthony Minghella
Presented by	John Hurt
Starring	John Hurt Brian Henson
Voices of	Brian Henson
Narrated by	John Hurt
Theme music composer	Rachel Portman
Country of origin	United Kingdom  United States
Language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	13
Production
Producer(s)	Duncan Kenworthy
Location	Elstree Studios
Running time	22 minutes
Broadcast
Picture format	PAL
Audio format	Stereophonic sound
First shown in	1988
Original run	1988 – 1989
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Storyteller is a live-action/puppet television series. It was an American/British co-production which originally aired in 1987 and was created and produced by Jim Henson. Image File history File links StorytellerTitle. ... Jim Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was the most widely known American puppeteer in modern American television history. ... Anthony Minghella (born January 6, 1954) is an Academy Award-winning British film director, playwright and screenwriter. ... John Vincent Hurt CBE (born January 22, 1940) is an Academy Award-nominated English actor. ... Brian Henson (born 1963) is a puppeteer, director, and producer. ... Rachel Portman (born 11 December 1960, Haslemere, England) is a British composer, best known for her film work. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Duncan Kenworthy is a British film and television producer, and co-founder of the production company DNA Films. ... Historically, the name Elstree Studios refers to any of several film studios that were based in the town of Elstree and Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, England. ... Television encoding systems by nation. ... Label for 2. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... In film and video, live action refers to works that are acted out by human actors, as opposed to animation. ... Wayang shadow-puppet created in Bali, in the early 20th century. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Jim Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was the most widely known American puppeteer in modern American television history. ...

The series retold various European fairy tales, created with a combination of actors and puppets. The framing device had an old storyteller (John Hurt) sitting by a fire telling each tale to his talking dog (a realistic looking puppet, performed and voiced by Brian Henson). The series was scored by Rachel Portman. A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Wayang shadow-puppet created in Bali, in the early 20th century. ... John Vincent Hurt CBE (born January 22, 1940) is an Academy Award-nominated English actor. ... Brian Henson (born 1963) is a puppeteer, director, and producer. ... Rachel Portman (born 11 December 1960, Haslemere, England) is a British composer, best known for her film work. ...

Episode list

Series 1

Each half-hour episode was written by Anthony Minghella. Only nine were completed: Anthony Minghella (born January 6, 1954) is an Academy Award-winning British film director, playwright and screenwriter. ...

1. "The Soldier and Death"*
2. "Fearnot"
3. "The Luck Child"
4. "A Story Short"
5. "Hans My Hedgehog"
6. "The Three Ravens"*
7. "Sapsorrow"*
8. "The Heartless Giant"*
9. "The True Bride"*

* this episode first aired in the US as part of The Jim Henson Hour. Hans My Hedgehog is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. ... The Three Ravens is a folk ballad, recorded in the song book Melismata compiled by Thomas Ravenscroft and published in 1611, but it is doubtless older than that. ... The True Bride or The True Sweetheart is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimms Fairy Tales as tale 186. ... The Jim Henson Hour was a television show that aired on NBC in 1989. ...

Series 2

Henson later attempted a follow-up, The Storyteller: Greek Myths, which had a different story-teller (Michael Gambon), but the same dog. Only four episodes of this series were made: Sir Michael John Gambon, CBE (born October 19, 1940), is an acclaimed Irish-British actor who has worked in television, film and theatre. ...

1. "Daedalus and Icarus"
2. "Orpheus and Eurydice"
3. "Perseus and the Gorgon"
4. "Theseus and the Minotaur"

Daedalus and Icarus, by Charles Paul Landon, 1799 (Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, Alençon) In Greek mythology, Daedalus (Latin, also Hellenized Latin Daedalos, Greek Daidalos (Δαίδαλος) meaning cunning worker, and Etruscan Taitle) was a most skillful artificer, so skillful that he was said to have invented... Icarus and Daedalus by Frederic Leighton In Greek mythology, Icarus (Latin, Greek – Íkaros, Etruscan – Vicare, German – Ikarus) was son of Daedalus, famous for his death by falling into the sea when he flew too close to the sun, melting the wax holding his artificial wings together. ... The head of Orpheus, from an 1865 painting by Gustave Moreau. ... In Greek mythology, there were several characters named Eurydice (Eurydíkê, Ευρυδίκη). // The most famous was a woman — or a nymph — who was the wife of Orpheus. ... For the constellation, see Perseus (constellation); for the Macedonian king, see Perseus of Macedon Perseus with the Head of Medusa Perseus was the son of Danae, the only child of Acrisius king of Argos. ... See also Gorgona, for the Colombian/Italian islands. ... Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night. ... In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (Greek: Μινόταυρος, Minótauros) was a creature that was part man and part bull. ...

Episode guide

Series 1

The Soldier and Death

From an early Russian folk tale. A soldier returns from 20 years of war with nothing but three biscuits in his sack. In his way home he encounters a beggar asking for food. Being a kind-hearted soldier he offers him a biscuit and in repay for his generosity, the beggar gives him an extraordinary ruby whistle.

Continuing his way, he finds a second beggar. The beggar plays a drum and the soldier whistles to the rhythm. A terrible dancer, the soldier nonetheless makes a good effort. After enjoying themselves, the soldier gives him his second biscuit, and the beggar gives in return the ability to dance.

Continuing his way, the soldier finds one last beggar who plays marvellous tricks with cards. Watching with great enjoyment, the soldier bursts into applause. The old beggar asks if his tricks are worth a farthing. "More," says the soldier, "but I have nothing but this biscuit." He removes it from his pocket and breaks it in two to share, but as he does he decides it is not fair to give this beggar less than the others, so he hands over the whole biscuit.

The beggar realises the soldier's heart is kind and gives him his deck of cards explaining him that with this deck, he will never ever lose a single hand of poker. Then the beggar gives him an old and ugly sack, explaining that whatever he wanted to be inside the sack, he just needs to say the name out loud and then the order "Get in the sack!".

Soon the soldier arrives at a lake in which beautiful geese swim and rests there. Curious about his new gift, he calls, "Geese! Get in the sack!" and so the geese do. The soldier continues until he arrives in a town. He enters a tavern where the owner compliments him on his whistle and asks what he has in the sack. The soldier replies, "Four geese I trapped yesterday. If you will roast one for me, and give me a room, you may have the other three for your trouble." "I like a nice roast goose," says the tavern owner, taking the sack to the kitchen. "Be sure to bring back the sack!" calls the soldier, who relaxes whistling his ruby whistle.

Soon he must outwit devils, save a kingdom, and try to outwit death.

Fearnot

From an early German folk tale. The Storyteller recounts the adventures of a boy who goes out into the world to learn what fear is. The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. ...

The Luck Child

From an early Russian folktale. An evil king sets out to kill a 'luck child', the seventh son of a seventh son, whom it is prophesised will one day be king. The child's luck is a gift, and cannot be undone. The same is true of prophesies. And monsters...

A Story Short

An adaptation of the stone soup fable, the Storyteller tells of a harsh time when he was forced to walk the land as a beggar. Finding himself in sight of the castle kitchen, he picks up a stone and fools the castle cook into helping him make soup from a stone, by adding it into a cauldron of water and slowly adding other ingredients to improve the flavour. When the cook realises he has been swindled, he asks that the Storyteller be boiled alive. The King, as a compromise, promises to give the Storyteller a gold crown for each story he tells for each day of the year- and to boil him if he fails. The Storyteller does well at first, but on the final day he awakens and can think of no story... The fable of the stone soup is about co-operation amid scarcity. ...

Hans My Hedgehog

From an early German folk tale. A farmer's wife drives her husband mad with her desperate measures to have a baby. She wants a baby so badly that she doesn't care what she gets, even a hedgehog. That, of course, is what she gets: a baby covered in quills, as soft as feathers. His mother calls him 'Hans My Hedgehog' and she is the only one to love him; his father grows to hate him for shame. So eventually Hans leaves for a place where he can't hurt anyone and where no-one can hurt him. Deep inside the forest, for many years Hans dwells with his animals for companions. One day a king gets lost in Hans' forest and when Hans helps him to escape, then king promises that he will give to Hans the first thing to greet him at his castle - which the King secretly knows to be his dog. Instead, it turns out to be his daughter... Hans My Hedgehog is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. ...

The Three Ravens

Based on the early German folk tale, The Six Swans. After the Queen dies, an evil witch ensnares the King, and turn his three sons into ravens to rid herself of her rivals. The princess escapes and must stay silent for three years, three months, three weeks and three days in order to break the spell. But after she meets a handsome prince, this is suddenly not so easy... The Six Swans is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. ...

Sapsorrow

This is a variant on the Donkeyskin tale, with elements of Cinderella. The girl whose finger fits the ring will become Queen; the law decrees it. The girl whose foot fits the slipper will marry a handsome prince. What a lucky girl, you might think? Oh no...for when the princess slips on her mother's ring for safekeeping, the King finds out and must marry her: the law decrees it. The princess goes into hiding, becoming a creature of fur and feathers helped by her forest creature friends, until she meets the handsome prince... Illustration by Gustave Doré Donkeyskin is a French fairy tale told by Charles Perrault. ... Gustave Dorés illustration for Cendrillon Cinderella is a popular fairy tale embodying a classic folk tale myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. ...

The Heartless Giant

From an early German folk tale. A heartless giant, who once terrorised the land before being captured and imprisoned, is befriended by the young prince Leo who, one night, sets him free. His older brothers go after the giant to capture him, but do not return, so Leo sets off to find the giant himself. Once found, Leo decides to find the giant's heart, but this is no easy task - it sits in an egg in a duck in a well in a church in a lake in a mountain far away. No easy task indeed.

This is a variation upon the Norwegian tale The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body. The Giant Who Had No Heart in His Body is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe. ...

The True Bride

Based on an early German folk tale, The True Bride. A Troll had a daughter, but she left straight off. So the Troll took another to replace her to wait on him hand and foot. Her name is Anja and she has no father and she has no mother, so the Troll is her other. Setting her impossible tasks, then beating her with his "contradiction stick" when she invariably fails, she wishes one day. Her wish is heard by the Thought Lion, a wondrous beast all in white, who completes her impossible tasks for her. When she finds her true love, he disappears one day, so Anja sets out to find him...in the hands of the Troll's evil daughter, the Trollop... The True Bride or The True Sweetheart is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimms Fairy Tales as tale 186. ...

Media

The stories have been made available through a variety of media.

VHS

In the UK, all 9 episodes of series 1 were made available in 1989 on a set of 4 VHS tapes released by Channel 5.

In 1999 four of the stories were re-released by Columbia Tri-Star across two VHS tapes in both the UK and the US. These were "A Story Short", "The Luck Child", "The Soldier and Death" and "Sapsorrow".

DVD

Both series 1 and 2 are available in region 1 & 2 DVD format. They offer no extra features other than the original episodes in their original stereo format.

A more recent, Jim Henson's the Storyteller - The Definitive Collection, was released on DVD in the US in May 2006.

Books

Two versions of the book have been published; the text is the same but the pictures differ. The text, written as a series of short stories by Anthony Minghella, is adapted slightly to fit better the medium of "short story". One (ISBN 0-517-10761-9, Boxtree) features a photograph of the Storyteller on the cover; the illustrations within (by Stephen Morley) are the silhouettes as seen in the program, and photographic stills of the episodes alongside the text. The other version (ISBN 0-679-45311-3, Random House) has full colour hand illustrations by Darcy May, depicting the stories alongside the text.

Actors

The first series featured many actors who went on to become famous. These include Jane Horrocks as Anya (The True Bride), Sean Bean as the True Bride's love, Mark Williams as Fearnot 's brother, Alison Doody as Sapsorrow, Miranda Richardson as the witch in The Three Ravens, and Gabrielle Anwar as Fearnot 's love. Jane Horrocks Jane Horrocks (born January 18, 1964) is an English actress and singer. ... Sean Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959) is an English film and stage actor. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Alison Doody (born November 11, 1966 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish actress and the youngest of three children. ... Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an Academy Award nominated English actress. ... Gabrielle Anwar (born February 4, 1970) is an English actress, known for her roles in the 1990s films The Three Musketeers and Body Snatchers. ...

Awards

Series 1 was nominated for and won several awards.^[1]

An Emmy Award. ... Jim Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was the most widely known American puppeteer in modern American television history. ... Mark Shivas is a British television producer and executive. ... Duncan Kenworthy is a British film and television producer, and co-founder of the production company DNA Films. ... The British Academy Television Awards, also known as the BAFTAs or, to differentiate them from the BAFTA Film Awards, the BAFTA Television Awards, are the most prestigious awards given in the British television industry, analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States. ...

Trivia

• Series 1 was filmed at Elstree Studios in England.
• Sapsorrow featured the comedy duo French and Saunders as the bad sisters.
• The three "sun, moon and stars" dresses scene used as part of the Sapsorrow tale is actually from the original Brothers Grimm version of The True Bride.
• The number 3 appears as significant in every episode, in keeping with tradition in old Indo-European based folktales.

Historically, the name Elstree Studios refers to any of several film studios that were based in the town of Elstree and Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... French & Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show starring and written by comedy team Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, and is also the name by which they are known on the rare occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act. ... For information about the other uses of the name, see Brothers Grimm (disambiguation). ... The True Bride or The True Sweetheart is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimms Fairy Tales as tale 186. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies Indo-European is originally a linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. ...

References

1. ^ IMDB Awards. The Storyteller. IMDB. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ...

External links

• The Storyteller at the Internet Movie Database