El flautista

The bubonic plague often began with the death of the rats before it spread to the people. This movie's version of the pied piper seems far closer to the origin of the story than anything else I've seen.

The original 303-line poem "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" was published by Robert Browning in 1842, and wow it's a doozy--thoroughly disturbing to the core and meant to be so. How we ended up with a cute bedtime fable is beyond me, but then again, in the original Sleeping Beauty, the Prince rapes her in her sleep. So.

Here in 1972, we get an excellent adaptation of the tale which retains much of the poem's disturbing nature but with a slightly softened tone, offering glimmers of goodness and hope despite the backdrop of 13th Century inhumanity, greed, religious murders and child marriages. Yea, did I mention this is not for kids?

What offsets the disturbing story is largely the wonderful performance and gentle voice of Donovan who plays the titular Piper. Whereas in the original poem the piper was sort of a mysterious opportunistic rogue, here we get a mysterious character who is more of a wise, savior figure. The songs he sings (written by Donovan) are not just beautiful to the ear, but the lyrics are tranquil and reassuring.

This contrasts brilliantly against the disturbing story which is about a small German village that is besieged not only by the plague but, even worse, besieged by a consortium of corrupt politicians, priests and landowners who would tax their own grandmother's false teeth. It gets even more disturbing as the plot revolves around a baron's shifty son who is preparing to wed an 11-year-old-girl so he can collect the dowry and fund his violent exploits, and all the while his father the baron is squeezing blood out of the villagers so he can build a cathedral in his own honor--much to the drooling approval of the local bishops. This is heavy stuff. This is not a children's fable. But it's a brilliantly done film.

Not only are the acting performances riveting, from Donald Pleasance as the tyrannical baron to John Hurt as his loathsome son to Michael Hordern as Melius the scholar who is the sole voice of reason, but the camera style is thoroughly engaging as it follows the action gracefully for long stretches without a cut. If you watch this film, notice how the camera moves through the scenery almost like a silent character in the film, and this draws us tighter into the drama in a voyeuristic way. The sets are enormous and authentic, and as I mentioned the music is first rate.

On a subtle note, the film also attempts to nudge history back toward the truth. In the original poem, as well as for centuries, it was commonly accepted and taught that rats were the cause of the Black Plague, but only in recent years have we learned that the plague was spread by people basically drinking water out of their own sewers (go figure). And in this adaptation, the rats are not shown to be the vile "vermin" which Robert Browning accused them of being, but instead they are shown to be more like symbolic warnings of what will befall man if man doesn't clean up his act.

There's a beautiful, sobering moment where the piper talks to a rat and says something like "I know you must treat each other much better than men treat each other" and that short scene summarizes the spirit of this film. Yes, it's disturbing, yes it shows the atrocities and cruelty that humans inflict upon each other, but there's a subtle undercurrent that tells us wisdom will eventually prevail. Will it? I dunno, nearly 50 years after the film's release we're still waiting.

I had seen this one ages ago on local TV, back in the early 1980s when our set was still in black-and-white! Naturally, I welcomed Paramount’s idea to let Legend Films release it on DVD albeit bare-bones, and I luckily happened upon it in (arguably) Malta’s best-stocked DVD rental store when it comes to vintage Hollywood movies.

I’ve been a fan of Fairy Tales every since early childhood when illustrated Maltese translations of the Brothers Grimm’s famous stories where constant companions during the Summer holidays and, when my main interest migrated to film, I eagerly sought out examples of this type. The French seemed to do the genre particularly well – Ladislaw Starewicz’s delightful pioneering puppet classic THE TALE OF THE FOX (1931), Jean Cocteau’s enchanting LA BELLE ET LA BETE (1946) and the charming animated fable LE ROI ET L’OISEAU (1979). Jacques Demy also tried his hand at this by bringing DONKEY SKIN (1970) to the screen with Catherine Deneuve, Jacques Perrin, Jean Marais and Delphine Seyrig. In fact, THE PIED PIPER was his next project and follows similar lines – even if it’s a British production shot in Germany, though still with an equally remarkable cast: Jack Wild, Donald Pleasence, John Hurt, Michael Hordern, Peter Vaughan, Roy Kinnear, Diana Dors and, in the titular role, folk singer Donovan! The general consensus about Demy is that his career peaked early (late 1960s) and progressed engagingly but unremarkably towards an untimely end (early 1990s); actually, I haven’t seen any of his acknowledged masterpieces yet – I do own THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964) on R2 DVD, though, and also have the ultra-rare LADY Oscar (1979) in my unwatched pile.

While Maltin gives this version of THE PIED PIPER (incidentally, the 1957 TV-film with Van Johnson and Claude Rains is also available for rental over here) a very generous , most other reviews of the film I’ve come across were usually mixed and less enthusiastic. In fact, I’d say that its unexpectedly grim tone got to be a bit much at times and left one with a sour taste in the mouth; besides, in spite of Demy’s detached approach (with very few close-ups throughout), the whole still felt somewhat claustrophobic. Even so, the actors, the décor, the costumes and the music eventually save the day: Wild has probably his most significant role after OLIVER! (1968) as Jewish alchemist Hordern’s lame assistant; Pleasence and Hurt are truly despicable as greedy father and son and the town’s chief citizens; Kinnear and Dors as the burgomaster and his wife who want to marry off their teenage offspring (Cathy Harrison, Rex’s daughter) to Hurt; Peter Vaughan is a bloodthirsty Bishop who eventually has Hordern burned alive at the stake.

The troupe of traveling players in a plague-ridden medieval town cannot help but raise comparisons with Ingmar Bergman’s THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957), while the onslaught of the rats (at one point coming out of the wedding cake!) might well have influenced a similar scene in Werner Herzog’s NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (1979). Finally, Donavan’s score is pleasant if not quite memorable – his performance is equally decent even if, the film’s title notwithstanding, he is not really the main character!

Jacques Demy, at his best, was one of those directors who, like Charlie Chaplin, Akira Kurosawa, Jim Jarmusch, or Ernst Lubitsch, could ascend to the ranks of the greats without possessing the immense intellectual and artistic faculties of many of his contemporaries (i.e. Bergman, Tarkovsky, Godard, Pasolini, Antonioni, Buñuel, Bresson, et cetera). Unfortunately, Demy was never as consistent or as prolific as Chaplin or Kurosawa, for instance, who released one good-to-great film after another for such an extensive career. Nevertheless, films like "Lola" and particularly "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" showed that cinema could be masterful without being artistically ambitious. Like Ozu, Demy proved that a true masterpiece could derive from emotional expressiveness, not only intellectual expressiveness.

In addition to this emotional depth, the other impressive facet of Demy's cinema was, of course, his stylistic abilities. "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is truly one of the most stylistically impressive films ever made; visually sumptuous on a level entirely of its own. "The Young Girls of Rochefort" also demonstrates Demy's capacity for stylistically rich and luxurious cinema. We can even see it as early as "Le bel indifférent", his 1957 short film based on a Cocteau play.

Resplendent visuals and extreme emotional potency — these two things Demy did as well as just about anyone to ever sit in a director's chair. "The Pied Piper", therefore, was a bit perplexing to me. It wasn't by any means poorly filmed, but like "The Model Shop", Demy's other previous film made outside of France, it simply lacked his usual flare for lush and lavish visuals. By comparison to his French films, "The Pied Piper" is very mundane, aesthetically speaking.

As for the emotional potency, there is very little. There's not much plot, which in and of itself is absolutely fine by me, but the film seems to lack the emotional punch that we're used to from Demy, although naturally that will vary from person to person, to some degree.

Furthermore, although the film is definitely a fantasy, which is in keeping with Demy's last film, "Donkey Skin", it is really quite gloomy in its mood. Demy, who is usually so filled with life and energy, is quite dreary here. Of course, "The Model Shop", an American film, was also rather dull in tone and lifeless compared to his usual work, so perhaps Demy is a product of his environment. Perhaps his milieu determines the nature of his films. Working in France, his films tend to be filled to the brim with warmth and vibrancy. Outside of France, he seems to be another filmmaker all together.

"The Pied Piper" is also extremely cynical. Demy, who has always been the classic romantic, takes a completely different look at humanity in this film. Instead of his characteristic enthusiasm for life and romantic fervor, "The Pied Piper" is deprived of anything that could be perceived as the kind of life-affirming fun and joyousness that permeated most of his previous films. Truly, he is unrecognizable here.

The film, which is set in Germany in the 1300s, satirizes the Catholic Church and politicians, among other things, and paints a very grim portrait of humanity. It stars Jack Wild, John Hurt, Donald Pleasence, and others, including Donovan, who composed and performed the music for the film. As far as that goes, let's just say he's no Michel Legrand. One of the most ridiculous aspects of the film was the way that '60s/'70s culture so obtrusively pervaded a film that was meant to be set in the 14th century. Throughout the film, Donovan plays music on a style of six-string guitar that I'm almost certain did not exist at the time, and the music he plays sounds so laughably like the '60s/'70s that it became difficult to take anything I was seeing seriously. Generally a period piece makes an effort to disguise the modernity of its production, but not here.

At times this film reminded me of the later work of Roberto Rossellini, such as "Blaise Pascal", "Cartesius", and especially "The Age of the Medici". Needless to say, those were historical films, and Demy's film is a fantasy, but the style and tone of the films are similar in some ways.

While "The Pied Piper" is not truly a musical, Donovan's score and the songs he plays on a few occasions during the film certainly are a large part of defining the overall feel of the film, and he simply can't do for "The Pied Piper" what Legrand was able to do for "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" or even "The Young Girls of Rochefort". Donovan's music here just isn't very good, and it contributes nothing of any real value to the film.

At the end of the day, this film represents to me the paragon of mediocrity. It is certainly not a bad film, and certainly not a good one. The most interesting parts of the film are the social commentary and satire that Demy delivers with a surprisingly scathing and uncompromising bluntness, but even there, the film doesn't really say anything new or different than what we've seen many times before in cinema: Authority is corrupt and human vice takes root where man attempts to attain or maintain power. Demy exposes religious officials' use of apparent piety and ecclesiastical values as a thinly veiled disguise for greed and immorality. This really isn't anything original or profound in terms of new ideas in cinema, but it's interesting coming from Demy, who I wouldn't have pegged for this kind of cynicism.

I can't say I'd recommend this film, but I don't think it's a real waste of time either. There will inevitably be those with whom the film clicks, but I'm guessing that the majority of experienced filmgoers won't take much away from this one.

RATING: 5.00 out of 10 stars

The Pied Piper of Hamelin (also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The Pied Piper uses his musical talents to lure the pesky rodents away from a small German town. The legend dates back to the Middle Ages, the earliest references describing a piper, dressed in multicolored ("pied") clothing, who was a rat catcher hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe. When the citizens refuse to pay for this service as promised, he retaliates by using his instrument's magical power on their children, leading them away as he had the rats. This version of the story spread as folklore and has appeared in the writings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Brothers Grimm, and Robert Browning, among others. The phrase "pied piper" has become a metaphor for a person who attracts a following through charisma or false promises. Our starring (Donovan) goes in search of fortune, equipped only with his inseparable guitar on his back. He stumbles upon a family of strolling players and a Jew alchemist called Melius (Michael Hordern) and his supporter , a teen (Jack Wild) , who helps him attain success and notoriety in a town called Hamelin . But rats invading Hamelin in droves; a magical piper, whose music only children (and rats) can hear, strikes a bargain...which, once the rats are gone, the Mayor and council renege on, to their subsequent regret. Come children of the universe, let Donovan take you away, far far away. Now! A giant color spectacle! From the pages of the immortal classics comes this famous story!.. The Enchanting Musical Version of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. A film classic for children. No rats in Hamelin! Just us adorable white mice kids'll love...

Known and classic story about a medieval town overwhelmed by rats, a medieval town hires a magical piper who can rid the town of the pest in exchange for gold but the crooked mayor has no intention of honoring the deal . This rendition The Pied Piper(1972) contains a sour critique to ambition , corruption, intolerance, racism ignorance, stupidity, and bigotry . Originally produced by David Puttman , this interesting picture boasts of a fabulous British cast with known actors such as John Hurt , Michael Hordern Peter Eyre , Jack Wild, David Leland , Roy Kinnear , Keith Buckley and Donald Pleasence . Agreeable songs by Donovan as the musician who leads away the town's rodents, and children, with his music in this rock and roll adaptation of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. The motion picture was well directed by Jacques Demy., though this adaptation isn't for kiddies due to its disturbing and grim events.

There are many contradictory theories about the Pied Piper. Some suggest he was a symbol of hope to the people of Hamelin, which had been attacked by plague; he drove the rats from Hamelin, saving the people from the epidemic. A number of theories suggest that children died of some natural causes such as disease or starvation, and that the Piper was a symbolic figure of Death. Analogous themes which are associated with this theory include the Dance of Death, Totentanz or Danse Macabre, a common medieval trope. Some of the scenarios that have been suggested as fitting this theory include that the children drowned in the river Weser, were killed in a landslide or contracted some disease during an epidemic. Another modern interpretation reads the story as alluding to an event where Hamelin children were lured away by a pagan or heretic sect to forests near Coppenbrügge (the mysterious Koppen "hills" of the poem) for ritual dancing where they all perished during a sudden landslide or collapsing sinkhole .

There're several renditions about this classy fairy-tale : The Pied Piper (1942) by Irving Pichel with Monty Woolley , Roddy McDowall , Anne Baxter, Otto Preminger. The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1957) by Bretaigne Windust with Van Johnson , Claude Rains, Lori Nelson , Jim Backus. Hamelin (1969) by Luis Maria Delgado with Miguel Ríos , Roberto Camardiel, Luchy Soto , Margaret Peters , Matilde Muñoz Sampedro.