La bella durmiente

Cannon Movie Tales are film adaptations of classic stories which were made in the late 1980s. Because the first, "Rumpelstiltskin" received mostly mediocre reviews (though it wasn't bad) the rest were never released theatrically, debuting on video instead. "Sleeping Beauty" is one of the lesser ones. It was directed by David Irving , who also directed "Rumpelstiltskin" and the worst one, "The Emperor's New Clothes". The script meanders all over the place, introducing two "Elves"(who stop the story dead in it's tracks every time they appear) and a silly subplot involving the lack of available spindles which only serves to introduce a tacky and irrelevant "production number" which is, by far, the worst of all the songs. The acting, by Morgan Fairchild (the Queen) and Tahnee (daughter of Raquel) Welch, is bland to the point of somnambulence. Only Sylvia Miles, as the Evil Fairy makes much of an impression, and she has only a few scenes. Most of the singing voices are dubbed, including Fairchild and Welch, who can't possibly have had a worse singing voice than the off-key substitute (Linda Lopresti) used for her songs, (or CAN she?) The sets and costumes evoke the proper mood,which, unfortunately, the script and direction consistently undermine. Producer Menahem Golen reportedly loved fairy tales, so how could he let them get away with this? It is watchable, but what a disappointment.

I recorded this for my 9 y-o daughter so she could watch it. She hasn't moved from watching it ....about an hour ago!

The cast is good. There isn't a whole lot of dialog. The music is synthesized (not a true orchestral soundtrack) So...if that bothers you, like it does me....be forewarned.

The songs are mediocre at best. If you have a musical "ear", the songs (and the singing) will sometimes make you cringe.

On the up-side, the scenes are beautifully shot. Very colorful and the costumes are wonderful.

However, like I said....it's a good movie for the little ones.

Now I can't imagine Kitty from "Cocoon" as being Rosebud anymore, she just barely seems like the same woman... but this is a pretty good film. I loved it as a kid, and the Red Fairy ... needless to say... scared the bejeezus out of me. The prince in the end has such a small role that it's pathetic -- but I love the little people. This version I dislike the most out of the Cannon Tales as an adult, but I still adored them as a child.

I remember loving this movie as a kid, and of course always asking my parents, "Why didn't they just make another golden plate? They are the king and queen, they have to have gold." .... As an adult, I still think that lol.... But I guess that may be part of the moral of the story or something, who knows.... But I prefer the Grimm's version to the older one where she is basically raped while asleep and has twins but never wakes up.... I dug too far on that one and wish I had stopped with the Grimm's version.... But anyways, the acting is not great, out of these Cannon series fairy tale movies I think Rumpelstiltskin is my favorite, although it has plenty of its own issues. As a kid you don't realize how shallow fairy tales really are... That said, it was fun watching this once for old times sake.... I doubt I will be watching it ever again though after seeing it through adult eyes, maybe I am just jaded as an adult... But it is what it is.

Elf (Kenny Baker) is told by his master to do some good for the kingdom. He decides to give a gift to the Queen (Morgan Fairchild). The Queen asks for a child and the Elf collects ingredients for a magic potion. The King throws a party for the new princess Rosebud and invites all nine fairies. However, they only have eight golden plates. The King invites everybody except for the Fairy of Red. She takes offense and curses the princess. At 16, Princess Rosebud (Tahnee Welch) will get prick by a spindle to kill her. The White Fairy is able to modify the curse to put her to sleep for 100 years until she's awaken by a prince. To stop the curse, the King decrees all spinning wheels to be destroyed.

This is a Golan-Globus production which means saving money is key. The sets look good enough. It is definitely not top level. The story is told in a very flat manner. The actors are professional but they aren't used well. The movie has no flow. It may be better served to get rid of the elfs and concentrate more on either the Queen or Rosebud.