One of Jim Henson's finest hours was the Storyteller series that aired on HBO in 1987. As with his other non-Muppet creations (Labyrinth), Henson fills the screen with wonderful creature...( read more  read more... )s that have a wisp of a J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy. Half of the eight-part series was adapted from Greek myths by Anthony Minghella, who became an Oscar-winning filmmaker a decade later with The English Patient. Minghella weaves the narration of the storyteller (a sturdy and wonderful Michael Gambon, accompanied by a scene-stealing dog) with dialogue from the stories to beguiling effect.

By nature, the Greek myth episodes are a bit more mature and downbeat (ages 8 and older) than the rest of the series, yet give the audience lasting impressions of oft-quoted tales. In "Perseus and the Gorgon," King Argos locks away his wife when it is foretold his future son will kill him. Soon mother and son (Perseus, fathered by none other than Zeus) are washed ashore and another angry king looks to take away Perseus's mother. How can Perseus win the day? By killing the evil Gorgon whose snake-covered head includes eyes that turn humans into statues. Derek Jacobi stars as the brilliant Greek designer in the second tale, "Daedalus and Icarus." The father goes through many hardships, including the famous episode of his son flying too close to the sun. All is not well and does not end well. John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) directs the tale of "Theseus and the Minotaur." A young man reunites with his father, King Aegeus, but is cursed by his witch of a stepmother (literally). When Theseus tries to stop the regular sacrifice to the half-bull, half-man Minotaur, a new curse awaits the young prince. The magical musician Orpheus (Art Malik) finds his muse in "Orpheus and Eurydice." Unfortunately, she soon dies and goes to Hades where Orpheus follows, attempting to win her soul from the devil himself. --Doug Thomas

Flixster Users

72% liked it

1,359 ratings

Unrated, 95 min.

Directed by: John Madden, Tony Smith (III), Paul Weiland, David Garfath

Release Date: November 2, 1997

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DVD Release Date: September 7, 2004

Stats: 84 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (84)


  • January 22, 2009
    Average miniseries...
  • January 13, 2009
    This is totally Awsome!
  • June 9, 2008
    Not as well produced as the TV-series.
  • November 24, 2007
    I used to watch The Storyteller when I was around eight years old, so when I bumped into the tales in Youtube last week, I was stunned & all sort of pleasant memories came back to me!! I looked for the series on dvd everywhere, until I finally found a copy of "Jim Henson's The St...( read more)oryteller -The Definitive Collection" at "The World's Biggest Bookstore" here in Toronto!! containing the complete series, which consists of thirteen episodes, nine from the first season & four from the second season "Greek Myths". If u grew up watching this, u should definitely have this marvelous series in ur collection!! it is very affordable & the quality is pretty good considering how old this series is!!
  • August 18, 2007
    Not as good as the original Storyteller, but it has a charm to it.
  • August 14, 2007
    Awesome Short Stories on europian folklore, Great for all ages.
  • June 17, 2007
    I love the story teller
  • May 28, 2007
    holy crap!!! loved the original series! John Hurt was fantastic as the storyteller, excellent voice, diction and great narration!
  • May 3, 2007
    I enjoyed this movie. They may have cheanged the original stories around a bit, but I loved the fact that they didn't try to make everything lite and flowery. The stories are how they were supposed to be... dark.

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  • zarala233
    November 24, 2007
    I used to watch The Storyteller when I was around eight years old, so when I bumped into the tales in Youtube last week, I was stunned & all sort of pleasant memories came back to me!! I looked for the series on dvd everywhere, until I finally found a copy of "Jim Henson's The Storyteller - The Definitive Collection" at "The World's Biggest Bookstore" here in Toronto!! containing the complete series, which consists of thirteen episodes, nine from the first season & four from the second season "Greek Myths". If u grew up watching this, u should definitely have this marvelous series in ur collection!! it is very affordable & the quality is pretty good considering how old this series is!!

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