The Singing, Ringing Tree [1957] (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant!.......2007-04-26

This is a real treat to those of us of a certain age who remember watching this as children. One of the first surprises for me was that it was in colour, as I saw it only on a black and white television set. The second surprise for me was just how much of it I remembered, everybody remembers the "evil dwarf" which is very non-PC for today's world and I guess now he would have the roots of his unhappiness explored, explained and resolved rather than the outcome that happens here.

What came as no real surprise was that the production was rather primative, but was fifty years ago so one has to expect that. I love the way that the events seem to happen in a linear world where all the travel seems to take place along a single axis. The transformation of the prince into a bear (and I don't think I am spoiling the story for anyone by revealing this) is great but it is supposed to look like a real bear, the King says this bear spoke to him and that it was a real bear when it very much looked like a man dressed up as a bear, the great thing being that in the context of the telling of this story it doesn't matter that we can tell that it is the prince, because it is such a stylised production we just accept that he is meant to look exactly like a bear.

This is much more that a nostalgia trip, which it is too, but a great bit of German film art from an era when a simple story told well could be made. Now it wouldn't stand a chance, which is sad.

Wonderful!.......2006-07-23

I have been trying to find this on DVD, at a reasonable price, for a number of years, so was very happy to finally be able to buy it on Amazon UK.
The quality is superb, and it was great fun to watch again - it brought back lots of childhood memories.
The DVD is better than my childhood experience, though, because it is filmed in such amazing colours.
The english narration is a new version, I believe, but still very good, and true to the original (as I remember it).

Good idea!.......2004-03-03

Well done our Greek friend! I had been looking for this DVD for ages so it was a real surprise to find that it was readilly available as an UK import at the German site!! Why not from the UK site? Beggars belief!

a real little nostalgia trip.......2004-02-01

Hands up all those who remember watching this on TV every summer holiday in the 70's?????? Here's a tip for those who wish to see it on DVD and don't possess a multi region DVD or the appropriate TV....buy it from the German branch of Amazon as I did. The English narration that you remember from all those years ago is available on the disc.....

So what is it like after all those years? Well, the quality of the picture is really good on DVD, really vibrant colours. I think the real problem is that it would be rather too slow for todays kids, who expect things to move at a much faster pace. Maybe we just had longer attention spans in those days. Also, the special effects were rather poor even for something made in 1950s Eastern Europe. The bear make up is really laughable. So do I recommend that you buy it???? ?Absolutely..but for yourself to wallow in the nostalgia and also the beauty of cinema of half a century ago made for kids with rather different expectations.

Average customer rating:
Singing Ringing Tree [1957] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Christel Bodenstein
Manufacturer: First Run Feature
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Categories | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | Children's DVD | Classics | Comedy | Crime, Thrillers & Mystery | Documentary | Drama | Fitness | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Interactive DVDs | Music DVDs | Musicals & Classical | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Sports | Television | World Cinema
DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
ASIN: 6306117946
Release Date: 2001-10-23

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