A beautiful princess seeking to escape an arranged marriage, flees to a distant kingdom and disguises herself as a loathsome hag. But then she falls in love with the new kingdom's prince.A beautiful princess seeking to escape an arranged marriage, flees to a distant kingdom and disguises herself as a loathsome hag. But then she falls in love with the new kingdom's prince.A beautiful princess seeking to escape an arranged marriage, flees to a distant kingdom and disguises herself as a loathsome hag. But then she falls in love with the new kingdom's prince.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe story is based on the early German folk tale "All-Kinds-Of-Fur", collected by the Brothers Grimm, and on other variants of the same tale type in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther catalog of folklore: #510B "The Father Who Wanted to Marry His Daughter", classified as a "Cinderella" subvariant.
- Quotes
The Storyteller: Next day, a proclamation rings out around the palace:
Storyteller's Dog: The prince will marry the girl who fits the golden slipper. Feh!
The Storyteller: Well, she thinks, what was true of the finger, is true of the foot. She was cursed by the ring, can she be blessed with the slipper?
- ConnectionsEdited into MuppeTelevision: Garbage (1989)
For me, "Sapsorrow" is one of the best episodes of 'The Storyteller' which is a show where none of the episodes are bad. It may not be one of the darkest episodes, in the same way that for example "The Heartless Giant", or one of the most emotional, like "The Soldier and Death" (my personal favourite). "Sapsorrow" is though tonally a contender for the most accessible 'The Storyteller' episode, and is definitely one of the best looking in costumes and sets and in the effects work. All of the show is a must, even the weakest episodes like "The Luck Child" is great, and "Sapsorrow" is one of the strongest examples of why.
"Sapsorrow" is one of the best looking episodes, looking splendid. Absolutely love the atmosphere present in the sets and the episode is beautifully shot, with them especially shining at the ball (the most visually beautiful sequence of 'The Storyteller'). Some of the show's best effects are here as well, especially for Sapsorrow's Straggletag form, the very definition of a spooky looking creature with a lot of heart underneath. The music score similarly enchants, is hauntingly beautiful and its melancholic tone fits like a glove with the story's atmosphere.
Was also surprised at how light hearted some of the episode is, with some genuinely funny and not misplaced humour from Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. Writing always engages with a wide mix of emotions evoked, neither feeling too hammy or too wordy and instead poetic and witty. The story is charming with a lot of atmosphere, and while there are more emotionally investable episodes of 'The Storyteller' the emotion is still there.
The characters are spot on, loved how the princess is easy to root for and sympathise with and how smart she is. Sapsorrow is a very powerfully done creation, spooky at times but also heartfelt. The acting is all fine, particularly from John Hurt (perfect as the Storyteller) and Alison Doody in the title role.
Overall, wonderful. 10/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 20, 2023