"Il racconto dei racconti", a.k.a. "Tale of Tales" is composed by three dark and weird entwined tales:
First: In a Kingdom, the Queen (Salma Hayek) is sad in her marriage with the King (John C. Reilly) since she cannot get pregnant. One day, a strange man offers an alternative that would depend on bravery and sacrifice: the King should kill a sea monster and take his heart out; a virgin should prepare the heart alone; and the Queen should eat it. Then she would be pregnant. Will it work?
Second: In another Kingdom, the libertine King (Vincent Cassel) overhears a voice of a woman singing in the village and he falls in love with the voice. However, the woman is Dora (Hayley Camichael), who lives alone with her sister Imma (Shiley Henderson), and both are old and ugly women. What can Dora do to avoid the King's harassment?
Third: In another Kingdom, the King (Toby Jones) raises a giant flea and his daughter Violet (Bebe Cave) that is reaching the age of getting married. When his flea dies, he shows its skin and promises the hand of Violet to the one that guess what the skin is. When an Ogre (Guillaume Delaunay) correctly responds the question, Violet shall move to the mountains with him. What will happen with the couple?
The film is extremely dark and original without use of cliches, and the best tale if certainly Vicent Cassel's one. The others are intriguing, but pointless. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Conto dos Contos" ("The Tale of The Tales")
First: In a Kingdom, the Queen (Salma Hayek) is sad in her marriage with the King (John C. Reilly) since she cannot get pregnant. One day, a strange man offers an alternative that would depend on bravery and sacrifice: the King should kill a sea monster and take his heart out; a virgin should prepare the heart alone; and the Queen should eat it. Then she would be pregnant. Will it work?
Second: In another Kingdom, the libertine King (Vincent Cassel) overhears a voice of a woman singing in the village and he falls in love with the voice. However, the woman is Dora (Hayley Camichael), who lives alone with her sister Imma (Shiley Henderson), and both are old and ugly women. What can Dora do to avoid the King's harassment?
Third: In another Kingdom, the King (Toby Jones) raises a giant flea and his daughter Violet (Bebe Cave) that is reaching the age of getting married. When his flea dies, he shows its skin and promises the hand of Violet to the one that guess what the skin is. When an Ogre (Guillaume Delaunay) correctly responds the question, Violet shall move to the mountains with him. What will happen with the couple?
The film is extremely dark and original without use of cliches, and the best tale if certainly Vicent Cassel's one. The others are intriguing, but pointless. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Conto dos Contos" ("The Tale of The Tales")