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Fairy Tale - A True Story (1997)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 21
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 10

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 6.7/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 3

No consensus yet.

audience

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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 10,099

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Movie Info

Two young girls who believe that fairies are real attempt to prove it to the world in this drama based on actual events. In 1917, there is little to be happy about in the Wright household in West Yorkshire, England. Polly (Phoebe Nicholls) and her 12-year-old daughter Elsie (Florence Hoath) are still grieving over the death of Elsie's younger brother, and Polly's niece Frances (Elizabeth Earl) has come to stay with them after her father was declared missing in action during World War I. Polly

PG, 1 hr. 39 min.

Drama, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Charles Sturridge

Written By: Ernie Contreras

In Theaters: Oct 24, 1997 Wide

On DVD: Mar 31, 1998

Paramount Pictures

Fairy Tale - A True Story Trailer & Photos

Cast

Florence Hoath
Elsie Wright
Elizabeth Earl
Frances Griffiths
Paul McGann
Arthur Wright
Phoebe Nicholls
Polly Wright
Peter O'Toole
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Harvey Keitel
Harry Houdini
Bill Nighy
E.L. Gardner
Bob Peck
Harry Briggs
Tim McInnerny
John Ferret
Mel Gibson
Frances' Father
Jason Salkey

Critic Reviews for Fairy Tale - A True Story

All Critics (42) | Top Critics (13) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (10) | DVD (2)

Flits, falters and falls flat.

January 1, 2000 Comment

Susan Wloszczyna

USA Today

Top Critic

It's good, but it ought to be better and it isn't.

June 23, 2010 Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

| Comment

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

A film with no discernable point of view that's directed at no definable audience.

July 16, 2007 Full Review Source: Film Journal International

| Comment

Maria Garcia

Film Journal International

Charming special effects and appealing heroines, and truly an ambitious meditation on the nature of fantasy and reality and growing up.

May 22, 2003 Full Review | Comment

Nell Minow

Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

An enticing drama about the eternal clash between reason and the magical realm of enchantment.

February 28, 2002 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice

| Comment

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

It's Arthur Rackham vs the Adult/Capitalist/Industrial Revolution - the obsession with exploiting the extraordinary and making it ordinary.

June 15, 2001 Full Review | Comment

Karina Montgomery

Cinerina

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Fairy Tale - A True Story

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If you have faith, anything is possible. I saw this Movie long time ago. It is Amazing even Adults believe in Fairies, but we even believe in Angels why not Fairies. Very inspiring Movie. Even though they revelead that the Pictures the girls shot were fake, I still think Children see more than us Adults. It makes you believe in Magic so hardly.

December 16, 2009

Wahida K

Super Reviewer

Another film off the list from the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival, from the Galas. Again a Movie that I missed when it came out and the only reason I saw it was because of this list. This movie is not only for children or adults with children, anyone with a open mind should see this, or anyone one who enjoys

April 18, 2009