The Pied Piper | |
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![]() Film Poster | |
Directed by | Jacques Demy |
Screenplay by | Mark Peploe Andrew Birkin Jacques Demy |
Produced by | Sanford Lieberson David Puttnam |
Starring | Donovan Jack Wild Donald Pleasence John Hurt |
Cinematography | Peter Suschitzky |
Edited by | John Trumper |
Music by | Donovan Kenny Clayton |
Production companies | Sagittarius Productions Inc. Goodtimes Enterprises |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Countries | United States United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.5 million[1] |
The Pied Piper is a 1972 British musical fantasy film directed by Jacques Demy and starring Jack Wild, Donald Pleasence and John Hurt and featuring Donovan (who also composed music for the film) and Diana Dors.[2] It is loosely based on the legend of the Pied Piper.[3]
Plot
Germany, 1349. As the Black Death looms, the little town of Hamelin hires a pied piper (Donovan) to lure the rats away with his magic instrument. When the town refuses to pay, the Piper turns his power on their children.
Cast
- Jack Wild as Gavin
- Donald Pleasence as The Baron
- John Hurt as Franz
- Donovan as The Piper
- Michael Hordern as Melius, Alchemist
- Roy Kinnear as Burgermaster Poppendick
- Peter Vaughan as Bishop
- Diana Dors as Frau Poppendick
- Cathryn Harrison as Lisa
- Keith Buckley as Mattio, Gypsy Leader
- Peter Eyre as Pilgrim
- John Welsh as Chancellor
- Hamilton Dyce as Papal Nuncio
- Arthur Hewlett as Otto
- Sammie Winmill as Gretel
- André van Gyseghem as Friar
- Roger Hammond as Burger
- John Falconer as Priest
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a "rotten" approval rating of 44% based on reviews from 9 critics, with an average rating of 6.1/10.[4]
References
- ^ In the Picture Sight and Sound; London Vol. 40, Iss. 4, (Fall 1971): 187.
- ^ The PIED PIPER (1971), BFI website
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (7 September 2020). "A Tale of Two Blondes: Diana Dors and Belinda Lee". Filmink.
- ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pied_piper