Rethinking "The Black Cauldron"

In 1985 Disney made a bold, really bold and innovative decision. They were going Dark. It was the determination of the studio's powers to be that their most recent projects were coming out a bit on the weak side. Since Walt's death in 1966, the studio was taking longer to produce films, the theme parks were the only things keeping them a float, and there was a lot of fat in the Animation department's bones. Plus, it seemed that the public was moving towards a more adult driven audience. Like 1979's Lord of the Rings, which was commercially very successful, if critically disappointing.



The Rescuers was the sole film that studio produced that seemed to bring in the kind of revue that Disney had once enjoyed. So some how it was decided to adapt The Black Cauldron from the book series The Chronicles of Prydain.



Now here is the summary and you tell me if this sounds like the kind of tale disney would usually produce

In the land of Prydain, Taran is an "assistant pig-keeper" on the small farm of Caer Dallben, home of Dallben the Enchanter. Dallben learns that the Horned King is searching for a mystical relic known as the Black Cauldron, which is capable of creating an invincible army of undead warriors, the “Cauldron Born”. Dallben fears the Horned King may try to steal his pig Hen Wen, which has oracular powers, and use her to locate the cauldron. Dallben directs Taran to take Hen Wen to safety; unfortunately, Taran's foolish daydreaming causes Hen Wen to be captured by the Horned King's forces.



Taran follows them to the Horned King's stronghold. Along the way, he encounters the small, pestering companion Gurgi, who joins Taran on his search. Taran leaves Gurgi to sneak into the castle and rescues Hen Wen, who flees, but all too soon he is finally captured himself and thrown into jail. A fellow captive, Princess Eilonwy, frees Taran as she is trying to make her own escape. In the catacombs beneath the castle, Taran and Eilonwy discover the ancient burial chamber of a king, where Taran arms himself with the king's sword. It contains magic that allows him to effectively fight the Horned King's minions and so to fulfill his dream of heroism. Along with a third prisoner, the comical, middle-aged bard Fflewddur Fflam, they escape the castle and are soon reunited with Gurgi.

Following Hen Wen's trail, the four stumble into the underground kingdom of the Fair Folk—a group of small fairy-like beings who reveal that Hen Wen is under their protection. When the cheerful, elderly King Eiddileg reveals that he knows where the cauldron is, Taran resolves to go destroy it himself. Eilonwy, Fflewddur, and Gurgi agree to join him and Eiddileg's obnoxious right-hand man Doli is assigned to lead them to the Marshes of Morva while the Fair Folk agree to escort Hen Wen safely back to Caer Dallben. At the marshes they learn that the cauldron is held by three witches—the grasping Orddu, who acts as leader; the greedy Orgoch; and the more benevolent Orwen, who falls in love with Fflewddur at first sight, which causes a frightened Doli to abandon the group. Orddu agrees to trade the cauldron for Taran's sword, and he reluctantly agrees, although he knows that to yield it will cost his chance for heroism.


Before vanishing, the witches reveal that the cauldron remains indestructible, and that its power can only be broken by someone who climbs in under his own free will, which is likely to kill him. Although Taran feels foolish for aspiring to destroy the cauldron alone, his companions show their belief in him; and it seems that Eilonwy and Taran will kiss. Suddenly, the glorious reverie is broken when the Horned King's soldiers interrupt, having finally reached the marshes all by themselves. They seize the cauldron and everyone but Gurgi, and take their prisoners back to the castle. The Horned King uses the cauldron to raise the dead and his Cauldron-born army begins to pour out into the world.



BLAH BLAH BLAH so you can see its a bit of a mixed bag of some of the source material and whatever Disney found compelling. So does it work? Well not for what it cost them. Reportedly it was made for 25 million, but figures say the number is closer to 40 million. It was met with a terrible series of negative reviews and the movie had to be cut because it was deemed too violent.


With their gums bleeding, Disney decided to cut the party short and it was years before the movie was released on VHS. It was in this second life in the Video and then DVD market that the movie finally received some much needed love.

It was this cult following that has made the film linger in the minds of many fans of Animation. Personally I was always a fan of this movie and its more serious tone. The visuals have always been deemed as innovative yet a bit rough around the edges. To me its in the realm of Characters that has always left this movie wanting. Where the hell are they? There is no depth, interest, or growth in them. Nothing to make them interesting and nothing to make you care if they live or fall off a freaking bay.

The film even has John Hurt as the villain and somehow manages to misuse him. Yet, there is a lot in the film to be happy about, at least for younger kids. I'd definitely watch it with a remote.

ANDY AND DON: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show

//Andy and Don// by Daniel de Vise is a revealing biography with the kind of sweeping narrative and premium placed on detail, that its impossible for it not to become a definitive telling. De vise's book attempts and largely succeeds as a behind the scenes account of the Andy Griffin Show and the complex lives of its stars. Most striking is the author’s access to the subject matter; he was after all the brother in law of Don Knotts and the vastness of his research. Every single living member of the cast was extensively interviewed as was countless friends and family. ||The book is a both an exploration into the surprisingly spirited personal lives of its two titled characters and their own personal friendship that helped create an American Television Classic. A perfect gift for any lover of American comedy or celebrity biographies of course, but also a wonderful read for any lover of Non fiction. Or anyone looking to take a leisurely stroll down memory lane and take a dip into the nostalgic waters of long ago.

Publisher Simon & Schuster
Imprint
Price (use $) $ 26.00
Page Count (type "pages" after number) 320 pages
Category N02 Biographies & Memoirs

In defense of Fuller House

Okay so by now the wave of public opinion has washed all hope of extended glory away from this 1990's reboot. But here's the thing, all the negative reviews for "Fuller House" seem to be limited to its pilot episode. Now this is quite justified, and if I wasn't binge watching the show with my wife, I would have probably stopped right there. The most commonly referenced description was from the The AV Club’s review, saying that Fuller House felt like “a porn parody without the sex,” implying both bad dialogue and horrible characters.
Don't get me wrong, I work three different jobs and have a new born. When I want to relax, I want to relax. Sure I have re watched "Wolf Hall" more times than most. But for the most part I enjoy light heart-ed programs for my pre-bedtime moments of chill. That being said, I really disliked the first episode, and think its universal negative appraisal is very justified. But, heres the thing, the show gets better.. a whole lot better, surprisingly better as it goes on.
To the point that I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. Actually going to sleep later, denying myself the few hours of sleep I get while my young child isn't losing his head, just to watch this silly, stupid, and refreshingly amusing show. Look this ain't groundbreaking entertainment people and it never ever claimed to be. This was and remains simple predictable family television.



Plus there is the added bonus that the new characters on the show are used wisely. The new  male children in particular are fully formed characters that at their best moments steal whole sections of the show.  Middle Child Max, I would even go so far as to describe him as the show's best virtue.
And yes I get the comments made about Stephanie's appearance and I do find it a bit off-putting at first. yet, this too improves as the show moves forward, and her "taters" as my wife calls them get put away in less revealing outfits.



My point = This is a good show and one that you can easily binge. Plus I'm pretty sure it won't be going anywhere.

The Hobbit Animated Cartoon

A great adaptation for a 78 minute cartoon. The script received a Peabody award and the picture itself was nominated for a hugo award. It is usually regarded as the most acclaimed of Rankin/Bass non Christmas cartoons.


Orson Bean is wonderful in the title role and his interaction with the dwarves is a highlight. The battle scenes could be improved, this is the only area where the film's sequel Return of the king is superior. The score and the backgrounds are rightly praised for there quality, and lift the film towards classic status. Overall a great starter film for anyone interested in tolkien.




 The studio's regular producer Romeo Muller worked on a script, which is faithful to Tolkien's story; far more than Jackson's series. Besides Bean there is a great voice cast the wizard Gandalf, voiced by John Huston. Otto Preminger is the voice of the Elven king of Mirkwood, Richard Boone is Smaug, Hans Conreid is Thorin. Conreid as usual is outstanding and remains one of the best performance of a Dwarf ever,



The landscapes are so rich and so unlike anything that was being created by the mainstream animators of the day. When you look at some of the cutaways, you can actually get lost in the details.



Sure the folk music gets a bit old, yet some of the songs are surprisingly uplifting at points. There isn't too much violence in the battle scenes, mainly because there is a focus on Family friendly entertainment. But, it is a interesting character study on friendship and courage.
I highly recommend it.