Tale of Tales is a damn gorgeous film. Scene by scene, it is stylistically interesting, with lush colors and a dreamlike composition. Led by director Matteo Garrone and cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, the set design, costume design, cinematography, etc. all come together in a very cohesive way so that, at least visually, every scene is compelling. You want to keep looking. Beyond the looking though, there’s not much else to the film. So, I have to ask, does being beautiful make a good film?

Tale of Tales tells three stories, all of which are based on fairy tales from the Pentamerone by Italian poet Giambattista Basile. The first tells the story of a queen so desperate for a child, and love from that child, that she makes gruesome sacrifices. The second concerns a king whose obsession with a flea overshadows his duties as both a father and a king. Finally, the third is about a lustful king and two old, withered sisters who desire wealth and beauty.

Although the three are separate tales, they are told simultaneously, which becomes this film’s weakness. The film is made of three vignettes broken up and edited together. Each story is told part by part, but with no sense of character or pacing, and no real thematic relationship between scenes. The screenplay offers no assistance either, adding no real depth to what is appearing onscreen. Although this could be in part because of the source material. Altogether, one cannot engage with either the characters or the story. The only compelling aspect becomes the appearance of the film.

The appearance of a film is wildly important of course. Film is a visual medium at its core, but it is also a storytelling medium. Even if a film was purely abstract, it is in our very nature to discern story, discern meaning. Tale of Tales though is neither abstract nor avant garde. It is a story that is telling some of the oldest stories we have. The style choices do fit the story and make the film look like a fairy tale but offer no sort of emotional resonance, no depth, and no substance. It tells these fairy tales badly, but does so prettily. This is the flaw of many movies, in which the director confuses style for substance. For instance, Tarsem Singh and Tim Burton (post-Big Fish) tend to sacrifice story in favor of bright colors and digital lacquers. These directors’ precise vision comes at the sacrifice of major storytelling elements, like character and plot, which are the essence of a worthwhile story.

In a different film or medium, Tale of Tales tells stories that I would love. Unfortunately, being broken up as they are does a disservice to the wonderful stories being told. It’s hard for me to recommend Tale of Tales. I think its value is the way it looks, but I struggle to recommend films on looks alone. When Avatar came out, many reviews focused on the technology behind the film and the way it looked because of that technology, while only briefly mentioning its quality or lack thereof. Tale of Tales is similar in this regard. Great visuals are important to a film, but if you’re trying to tell a story that resonates with an audience, one needs some sort of substance to back it up. So, if you’re looking for an insubstantial but beautiful movie, Tale of Tales is perfect.

Full Disclosure:

• I might have approached the film differently if I had a better sense of the source material, which I don’t really have any relationship to beyond the standard fairy tales (e.g. Rapunzel and Cinderella)
• This is a BEAUTIFUL film. I can’t stress that enough. It looks so good, but still feels empty when you finish. That being said, I’ll probably check out the director’s and cinematographer’s other films
• John C. Reilly, Salma Hayak, and Vincent Cassel are not in nearly enough films and definitely help make this one marginally better
• Am I being crazy hating on Avatar? Is it that good? Like, is it even memorable or culturally significant? The only respect I can give it is that it’s an original movie that made a crapload of money. Maybe I should watch it again …

Verdict:

Watch this one on TV. But like a really nice HDTV.

Tale of Tales
2015
dir. Matteo Garrone
133 min.