# Recommend some fairy tale inspired lit, movies, etc. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162 "2006-05-10T02:11:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/21 "2006-05-10T14:54:05Z")
[QUOTE=Jess] Has anyone mentioned Tanith Lee? [/QUOTE] You’re the first & I’ll gladly second the motion. Her “Red As Blood or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer” is a witty, grim retelling of several famous tales. Truly excellent. Her newer “White as Snow” is in my “to be read” pile & will be moved to the top. Thanks for the reminder. Ms. Lee is one of my favorite writers. Fantasy, science fiction, etc. She can do it all. If only Ann Rice could write so well. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/22 "2006-05-10T15:06:25Z")
The Ellen Datlow/Terri Windling collections are wonderful, I think, including [Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380778726/sr=1-1/qid=1147273456/ref=sr_1_1/104-6338753-5973564?%5Fencoding=UTF8), [Snow White, Blood Red](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380718758/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-6338753-5973564?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance), and[Black Thorn, White Rose](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380771292/qid=1147273522/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6338753-5973564?s=books&v=glance&n=283155). [This page lists some similar books](http://www.amazon.com/gp/explorer/0380771292/1/ref=pd_sexpl/104-6338753-5973564). Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/23 "2006-05-10T15:16:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Beauty by Sheri Tepper. Great book! Lots of different fairy tales woven together. A huge book, and not a light read. Good book. McKinley is wonderful (I am a little biased, since my username makes it obvious I’m a McKinley fan), and as well as _Deerskin_, \*Spindle’s End[/ii], and _Beauty_, read _Rose Daughter_. _Fire and Hemlock_, by Diana Wynne Jones, is a retelling of Tamlin. Very good, too. George MacDonald’s _The Princess and the Goblin_ is a classic. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/24 "2006-05-10T18:02:52Z")
I’m writing a fairy tale inspired sonnet sequence. Does that count? 😃 Just wanted to second or third or whatever McKinley. She’s wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/25 "2006-05-10T19:30:54Z")
I loved reworked fairy fiction - so I’ve appreciated this thread. I’ve recently read three good ones, all from the YA (young adult) section of the library: Breath by Donna Jo Napoli East by Edith Pattou and The Witch’s Boy by Michael Gruber. If I were to rework a fairy tale, I think The Pied Piper has lots of potential. I’ve read 3 re-done versions, and it still intriques me, esp. the concept of the lives of the parents & one child left behind at the end. Here is a link to a website with lots of reworked traditional stuff: [http://library.campbellhall.org/secondary%20pages/Looking%20for%20a%20Good%20Book/fairytales.htm](http://library.campbellhall.org/secondary%20pages/Looking%20for%20a%20Good%20Book/fairytales.htm) ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/26 "2006-05-10T20:00:27Z")
Dang – I really outdid myself with all those typos in my previous post. And I forgot to mention one of my favorites, Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I liked Jane Yolen’s Briar Rose also. There’s probably many more, but my mind’s shooting blanks. Getting away from the YA versions, check out Lauren Slater’s new book, Blue Beyond Blue, a collection of fairy tales she wrote exploring psychological themes. ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/27 "2006-05-10T20:03:19Z")
[Freeway](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116361/) with Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland. Great retelling of the Red Riding Hood story. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/28 "2006-05-10T20:07:29Z")
_The Princess Bride_, either in [movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/) or [book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345348036/qid=1147291575/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-5102539-9755811?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) form. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/29 "2006-05-10T20:17:41Z")
The overlooked Tom Cruise classic, [Legend](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089469/) ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/30 "2006-05-11T02:36:32Z")
[QUOTE=Jess] Has anyone mentioned Tanith Lee? [/QUOTE] One of her stories is included in the collection I mentioned in my previous post (Spells of Enchantment, edited by Jack Zipes). I think it was a rewriting of Cinderella. Her writing is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/31 "2006-05-11T03:30:55Z")
> [@](#): > > East by Edith Pattou Good book. I just started it. _The Neverending Story_, Michael Ende. Very great book. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/32 "2006-05-11T04:14:53Z")
I thought I was going to have to mention _The Neverending Story_. (The first movie as well is a classic, of course, even if it only covers half the book. In case you didn’t know, the other movies are terrible. ) While not exactly fairy tales per se, Terry Gilliam’s fantasy movies might work. _The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen_ is the most fairy-tale like, as it tells some of the various tall tales associated with Munchausen. _The Brothers Grimm_ is difficult to like (but you might). Since he wasn’t explicitly ruled out, Hans Christian Andersen. Especially if you haven’t read the less popular stories, or the original forms of the well-known ones. In the vein of the more elaborately fantastic, there are the tales of E.T.A. Hoffman and Ludwig Tieck. ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/33 "2006-05-11T04:18:23Z")
I have to whole-heartedly second the previous recommendations for [Fables](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1563899426/qid=1147320864/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/002-4648243-3143263?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) It just keeps getting better. Also, try Neil Gaiman’s [Stardust](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060934719/qid=1147321033/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4648243-3143263?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) It’s a great modern fairy tale. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/34 "2006-05-11T04:48:08Z")
Thirding Pattou’s _East_. Remarkable book. And my favorite fairy tale movie is _Ever After_, with Drew Barrymore doing a creditable job as Cinderalla and Angelica Huston chewing the scenery as the wicked stepmother. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/35 "2006-05-11T05:01:42Z")
[QUOTE=Ol’Gaffer] [Freeway](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116361/) with Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland. Great retelling of the Red Riding Hood story. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. [/QUOTE] A second on [this movie](http://imdb.com/title/tt0116361/). The Red Hiding Hood character, Vanessa (Witherspoon) is leaving her crackaddicted recently arrested prostitute mother (Amanda Plummer) and stepfather to go live in her Granny’s trailer, but along the way she falls prey to a serial killer, big bad Bob Wolverton (Sutherland- get it, Big Bad Wolverton) and things take a detour. It’s irreverent and funny, you get to hear Brooke Shields say really bad words and it’s violent and gross (like the fairy tale) but really good. Here’s a blip that will tell you whether or not you like it, but it contains a fairly big spoiler [though it’s not from the final scene or anywhere near it]: [spoiler] Vanessa has wrestled Wolverton’s gun from him and is holding it on him. Vanessa: This is a crucial question, Bob. Do you believe in the lord Jesus Christ and take him for your personal savior? Bob: WHAT?! Vanessa: Goddamn it Bob this is IMPORTANT! Now answer me! Do you believe in the lord Jesus Christ and take him for your personal savior? Bob: I… yes! Vanessa: Good! [empties the gun into him] [/spoiler] If you laughed, you’ll like the movie. If you’re offended, stay away. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/36 "2006-05-11T06:09:38Z")
There’s [Daughter of the Forest](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765343436/qid=1147327587/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-7746930-8123219?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) by Juliet Marillier, which is a decent retelling of the tale about the girl who had to weave shirts to turn her brothers from swans back into humans. I don’t care for the rest of the trilogy however. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/37 "2006-05-11T06:10:40Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Purl McKnittington] I was watching _The Tenth Kingdom_ this weekend while studying for finals… [/QUOTE] I meant to say, hey me too! ---
**Author:** ![baronsabato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@baronsabato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baronsabato)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/38 "2006-05-11T07:06:08Z")
In high school, we read a short story that was a highly erotic/sexualized retelling of “Little Red Ridinghood” for sophomore English. I seem to remember it was called “In the Company of Wolves”, but I don’t remember who wrote it. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/39 "2006-05-11T07:35:52Z")
[QUOTE=baronsabato] In high school, we read a short story that was a highly erotic/sexualized retelling of “Little Red Ridinghood” for sophomore English. I seem to remember it was called “In the Company of Wolves”, but I don’t remember who wrote it. [/QUOTE] That’s Angela Carter’s version. There is also a film version, as mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2006, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162/40 "2006-05-11T07:52:18Z")
[QUOTE=Achren] I meant to say, hey me too! [/QUOTE] I lurve _The Tenth Kingdom_ so much. One of my friends loves it too, so all we have to do to get the other one to laugh is say, “It’s perfectly natural to want to touch it,” or “Only my girlfriend touches me there!” (Yes, yes, penises entertain us endlessly.) Singing “Saturday Night Fever” is good for a giggle, too. Wolf is definitely my favorite character, though I’m fond of the blind woodsman. Have you ever seen a tree move? So many that I’d forgetten–for some reason, I hadn’t put _The Adventures of Baron von Munchausen_ into the fairy tale category, probably because of Vulcan and company. I liked _Brothers Grimm_ quite a bit, though some of it did seem a bit half-hearted and the ending unsatisfying and a little muddled. I wish it could be re-done, as I really do adore movies like that and it hurts when they aren’t entirely good. I grew up on _The Neverending Story_ movie and _Willow_ and that sort, so movies like that are definitely on my like list. _Freeway_ sounds hilarious, and I’ll have to see if I can track down a copy. Keep it coming, guys. With my goal of getting a head start this summer on the reading list of the grad school I want to get into and delving into critical works, I think my to-read list is hovering around 200 books. Let’s see if we can get it to break three hundred. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-fairy-tale-inspired-lit-movies-etc/356162.md?page=3)