‘Fairytale’ Less About Fantasy Than About Wonders Of Real Life
Moviegoing is an act of faith. Hunkering down in those seats is a way of saying we are willing to believe in a world that doesn’t really exist. That’s why movies about faith, such as the enchanting “Fairytale: A True Story,” work so well.
The movie’s one glaring flaw is its title, which tries to be two things at once. The gritty subtitle is an attempt to convince little boys this isn’t a girl movie, but nobody’s going to be fooled (it’s like calling a movie “Beanie Babies: First Blood” or “Barbie With a Vengeance”).
“Fairytale” is not a true story, but it was inspired by one. Near the end of World War I, two English girls claimed not only to have seen fairies, but to have photographed them. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini were called in to verify the photos, and the girls became celebrities. In real life, they later admitted the photos were fakes, but continued to insist the fairies were genuine.
“Fairytale” is less interested in those mundane details and more interested in why people come to believe in things on faith. Doyle has recently lost a beloved son, one of the girls is separated from her father, the other girl’s brother has died and she and her family (especially the outstanding Phoebe Nicholls as her mom) can’t deal with their grief.
Coupled with the uncertainties of wartime, the characters’ troubles give them a need to believe there is more to life than just life on Earth (the movie comes too late to hop on the angel trend, but it fits right in).
There’s a gorgeous shot of an owl in flight, and a clever scene in which a father searches for his hiding daughter - he knows where she is because he can see that her hastily discarded umbrella is still moving.
These scenes remind us there are wonders all around us that have nothing to do with the supernatural, and that we don’t always need to see things to believe in them.
No matter how good it is, I’m worried about “Fairytale.” It’s exactly the kind of heartfelt, exquisitely beautiful movie that “A Little Princess” was a couple of years ago, and “A Little Princess” bombed.
Unlike “A Little Princess,” “Fairytale” has some big-name actors (Peter O’Toole is a spry, authoritative Doyle, and Harvey Keitel has fun as Houdini).
But its strength is its smallness - an attention to detail and a delicacy that suggest that when you’re confronted with something wonderful, it doesn’t matter if it’s real or not. Because it never hurts to believe.
xxxx “Fairytale: A True Story” Location: Newport Credits: Directed by Charles Sturridge, starring Florence Hoath, Peter O’Toole Running time: 1:49 Rating: PG