The Pied Piper

The Pied Piper eschews the romanticism of Robert Browning's poem and returns to the grim Grimm Brothers source. Pop singer Donovan plays the 14th century piper hired by duplicitous burgomaster Donald Pleasance to rid the town of Hamelin of its rats. The piper does what he's asked, but is denied the ...more

A curious and fascinating take on the familiar legend, Jacques Demy's The Pied Piper is darkly pessimistic and not really for children. Gone is the director's fondness for extraordinarily bright color schemes, replaced with a palette that seems to have been dropped in the mud and trampled upon. Demy's Middle Ages are dank and dirty, gloomy and oppressive. While respecting the basic ingredients of the tale's plot, Demy sprinkles in other elements that are intended to add an extra layer, such as ...more