Starring Tahnee Welch, Morgan Fairchild, David Holliday, and Kenny Baker
Directed by David Irving
Music by Michael Berz; Lyrics by Michael Berz and others
This is the last Cannon Movie Tale - low-budget musical fairy tales made by B movie specialists The Cannon Movie Group - I hadn't gotten around to, mainly because it's also currently the only one that isn't free somewhere. The story of the princess who pricks her finger and falls into an enchanted sleep has been told in many adaptations over the years, from Disney's exquisitely animated version in 1959 to The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, a cheesy horror film, in 2016. Where does Cannon's version fall? Let's start with an elf (Baker) who wants to help a queen (Fairchild) have a baby and find out...
The Story: After the queen drinks a potion made of roses, she does have the desired baby. They name her Rosebud, for the flower that made her birth possible. All the fairies of the kingdom are invited to give gifts at the little princess' christening to bestow gifts upon the baby. To the king's horror, they discover there's only enough golden plates for eight of the nine fairies. He eventually decides the Red Fairy (Sylvia Miles) is seen so rarely, they can leave her out. She shows up furious over the snub and curses the princess to die on her sixteenth birthday when she pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. The White Fairy (Jane Wiedlin) amends the curse to let the girl fall into a deep sleep instead.
Rosebud (Tahnee Welch) grows up beautiful, smart, and curious as to why everyone in her kingdom dresses in rags and there's not a bit of cloth to be found. Her parents had all the spindles destroyed to save her, and now everyone's tired of not having new clothes. They have far worse problems when Rosebud is lured to a tower where she does prick her finger on a spindle and the curse comes to pass. The little elf is distraught and convinces the White Fairy to put her whole kingdom to sleep and protect it with rose thorns, until the day when a handsome prince (Nicholas Clay) finds his way to the castle to awaken his sleeping beauty.
The Song and Dance: Baker's having a wonderful time as the little elf who first helps the queen have her longed-for child, then plays matchmaker and aids the prince in finding his slumbering maiden. The almost adorably quaint special effects used for when he jumps over the mountains are especially funny. Miles isn't bad as the vengeful fairy during the few times we see her. Considering the fuss over the lack of spun cloth, the costumes aren't bad, both before the wedding and after they've fallen to rags.
Favorite Number: We open with the seamstresses of the kingdom performing how they "Spin, Spin, Spin" and create lovely gowns for the queen. The lady in question isn't as happy, admitting in "The Queen's Lament" that she wishes for a child of her own. The King cheers "How Good It Is" with his couriers and wife as they celebrate the coming of the princess. "Rip" is the mildly catchy chorus number for the king's citizens as they complain about the lack of cloth in the kingdom. After sixteen years, their clothing is in disrepair and has ripped into rags.
Trivia: Only Cannon Movie Tale made entirely in Isreal.
Filmed back-to-back with Hansel & Gretel, which caused a lot of trouble when the two had to share equipment and productions.
What I Don't Like: More than any other Cannon Movie Tale, this very obviously reveals its B-movie origins in the cheap sets, tinny synthesizer music, and silly or non-existent special effects. There's also the very obvious padding with the side story about everyone's clothes falling to pieces that adds nothing to the film. Baker's the only one having any fun. Neither Welch nor her prince have much to do besides look attractive. Welch's two songs are dull, her acting is worse, and she was dubbed to boot.
The Prince doesn't fight a dragon, as in the Disney cartoon or Fairy Tale Theatre episode. He isn't even seen until the final ten minutes of the film. We hear many princes died trying to rescue Rosebud, but given the thorns easily move aside, it's hard to believe it. And what happened to the Red Fairy? She vanishes after Rosebud falls asleep. I wish they'd done a lot more with her, or at least brought her back in to try to get rid of the prince.
The Big Finale: My least-favorite Cannon Movie Tale by a long shot. Bad acting, boring songs, a silly story, and cheap production make this for the youngest and least-discerning fairy tale fans.
Home Media: On streaming and on DVD paired with other Cannon Movie Tales.
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