Search - The Little Prince on DVD


The Little Prince
The Little Prince
Actors: Richard Kiley, Steven Warner, Joss Ackland, Clive Revill, Victor Spinetti
Director: Stanley Donen
Genres: Indie & Art House, Kids & Family, Musicals & Performing Arts
G     2004     1hr 28min

A wandering child from a faraway place comes upon a pilot who crashlanded in the Sahara. Genre: Feature Film Family Rating: G Release Date: 6-APR-2004 Media Type: DVD

     

Larger Image

Movie Details

Actors: Richard Kiley, Steven Warner, Joss Ackland, Clive Revill, Victor Spinetti
Director: Stanley Donen
Creators: Christopher Challis, Stanley Donen, George Hively, Peter Boita, A. Joseph Tandet, Alan Jay Lerner, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Genres: Indie & Art House, Kids & Family, Musicals & Performing Arts
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Science Fiction, Family Films, Musicals
Studio: Paramount
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen,Anamorphic - Closed-captioned,Dubbed,Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 04/06/2004
Original Release Date: 11/07/1974
Theatrical Release Date: 11/07/1974
Release Year: 2004
Run Time: 1hr 28min
Screens: Color,Widescreen,Anamorphic
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 15
MPAA Rating: G (General Audience)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English

Similar Movies


Similarly Requested DVDs

Finding Neverland
Widescreen Edition
Director: Marc Forster
   PG   2005   1hr 46min
   
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Widescreen Edition
Directors: Tim Burton, Mike Johnson
   PG   2006   1hr 17min
   
The Dark Crystal
Directors: Jim Henson, Frank Oz
   PG   1999   1hr 33min
   
Labyrinth
Director: Jim Henson
   PG   1999   1hr 41min
   
The Lion King 1 1/2
   G   2004   1hr 17min
   
The Lion King
Disney Special Platinum Edition
Directors: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
   G   2003   1hr 29min
   
The Brothers Grimm
Director: Terry Gilliam
   PG-13   2005   1hr 58min
   
The Princess Bride
Special Edition
Director: Rob Reiner
   PG   2001   1hr 38min
   
Down with Love
Widescreen Edition
Director: Peyton Reed
   PG-13   2003   1hr 41min
   
 

Member Movie Reviews

Christine E. (Scaper) from SAINT LOUIS, MO
Reviewed on 9/12/2009...
Beautifully filmed story, with an exceptional cast. Bob Fosse was unbelievable as the snake. Music by Lerner and Loewe, was "delightful"
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Kendra M. (KendraM) from NASHVILLE, TN
Reviewed on 1/13/2008...
I saw this film with my grandmother at Radio City Music Hall as a child back in 1974 (I think this is the year). I had not read the book at that time, and certainly did not like the movie. Since falling in love with the soundtrack of Le Petit Prince (Richard Cocciante's and Elisabeth Anais's French version), I decided to give this film another look. Also, it's considered a classic, so I thought maybe I'd like it better now.

I did like the main cast. I think Richard Kiley as the aviator was excellent and I very much enjoyed Steven Warner as the Little Prince. Gene Wilder (the Fox) like always, was great.

The movie was really bad, though. And, the musical score was appalling (I do not use this term lightly)! The Little Prince, too, is filled with poor melodies and lyrics. I am not a huge fan of Lerner and Lowe's (I love My Fair Lady, but not all the music), but these songs are just really atrocious. I wound up fast forwarding halfway through most of the songs since they sounded horrid and repetitive. Worse, they seemed to come out of nowhere with no real transition from dialogue to music. The Prince's Rose, for instance, said goodbye coyly yet gently but then belted out her obnoxious and brash goodbye song. And, it was HORRIBLE as were most all the tracks. Really atrocious stuff. I'm surprised it even passes as music.

The main message here is wonderful. The film does keep the main message, but if you don't know the book, some of the lessons learned and taught are lost in this film. You reach the same conclusion, because it's spelled out for the watcher, but some lessons (vanity, too much work-not enough play, focus on money) are lost along the way. In addition, the troubled yet charming lamplighter is absent here. Really, if time was an issue, why not cut out the horrendous musical numbers? These planetary visits the Prince makes in the book are pretty integral to the story.

Again, the scenes between the aviator and the prince were wonderful. Gene Wilder was excellent. The supporting cast was okay, but they didn't get the book's points across.

I'm surprised anyone thinks this is a classic. I have not seen the Rachel Portman's operatic version, but I can't sing the praises of Richard Cocciante's and Elisabeth Anais' version (LE PETIT PRINCE). Although it's not available with English subtitles, it is absolutely wonderful. And, the lyrics to the songs are almost the exact words that Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, set to music. So, if you have the book in English, you can follow along with the dvd film version without any issue. In fact, the first song, Dedicace, is the exact dedication that Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, set to music. And, Daniel Lavoie is perfect as the aviator. The music to this is truly sublime.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Movie Reviews

This charming and faithful film thoroughly "tamed" me.
RENS | Dover, NH USA | 04/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I cannot too highly praise this 1974 film of "The Little Prince" produced and directed by Stanley Donen. The presentation is rather that of an American musical or a "Singspiel": spoken dialogue interspersed with musical numbers. The lyrics and music of Lerner and Loewe do not terribly impress me but they are suitable and essentially effective. To my surprise and delight, everything else works: Richard Kiley is absolutely convincing as The Pilot. His acting is first rate, he sings very well indeed, and his handsome, expressive face and athletic body present a Pilot who is at the same time very strong and very gentle. I think of the exuberance of the scene in which he and the Little Prince playfully splash about in the water of the oasis or of the final moments when his sense of loss and sorrow comes across so powerfully as he carries the Little Prince in his arms after the snake has given its gift of transformation and the essence of the child is no longer in his body. Stephen Warner somehow speaks to me as The Little Prince, Saint-Exupery's Little Prince himself, incarnate in his every word and movement, and in the costuming as well.

The irrepressible Gene Wilder brilliantly zips about as a hyper-active and most loveable fox who allows himself (indeed desires)
to be tamed at last by love. The great choreographer Bob Fosse, at the height of his career, dances a shifty, jazzy snake, even if the length of the dance is a bit self-indulgent. The visual movement back and forth between animals and human actors is very effective. The ballet of the roses is delightfuly reminiscent of a production number in a 1930s Busby Berkley musical.

I should mention, in light of an earlier review, that since very ancient times the desert viper has been seen as a creature that both takes and gives life. The snake is an agent of transformation. Two snakes entwined on the staff of Hermes (Mercury) still signify the art of the physician and the science of medicine. The Little Prince does not, in effect, commit suicide; instead, with the help of the snake he ascends to a higher plane; he returns to his beloved planet with its rose and three volcanos. I have always found that children intuitively understand this, perhaps more easily than many of us adults who have been trained to fear snakes as harbingers of evil rather than as the wonderfully beautiful, lithe and complex creatures that they are.

All in all, I find this film a source of great joy and personally prefer it to the more recent operatic version of "The Little Prince" also available on DVD."
The Spirit of the Little Prince
gotta_hava_dog | Colorado United States | 10/28/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie captures the spirit of the book, The Little Prince. It is utterly captivating and charming. The music is outstanding, of course, Frederick Loewe. Richard Kiley is excellent as the Pilot. The direction is worthy of Broadway by Stanley Donen. Bob Fosse is amazing as the Snake. Gene Wilder sitting in the wheat field is heart-wrenching; and his dance scene with the Prince is delightful. The slightly surreal atmosphere only adds to the magic and truth of the story. The Little Prince himself is truly this little boy. What a great job everyone does! Kids will enjoy this movie, but I think it's the adults that will get the most out of it. Who has not had a childhood vision crushed by grown-ups? This movie will restore your vision and dreams."
I Gave This a Chance despite the first viewing
Kendra | 08/07/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this film with my grandmother at Radio City Music Hall as a child back in 1974 (I think this is the year). I had not read the book at that time, and certainly did not like the movie. Since falling in love with the soundtrack of Le Petit Prince (Richard Cocciante's and Elisabeth Anais's French version), I decided to give this film another look. Also, it's considered a classic, so I thought maybe I'd like it better now.

I did like the main cast. I think Richard Kiley as the aviator was excellent and I very much enjoyed Steven Warner as the Little Prince. Gene Wilder (the Fox) like always, was great.

The movie was really bad, though. And, the musical score was appalling (I do not use this term lightly)! The Little Prince, too, is filled with poor melodies and lyrics. I am not a huge fan of Lerner and Lowe's, but these songs are just really atrocious. I wound up fast forwarding halfway through most of the songs since they sounded horrid and repetitive. Worse, they seemed to come out of nowhere with no real transition from dialogue to music. The Prince's Rose, for instance, said goodbye coyly yet gently but then belted out her obnoxious and brash goodbye song. And, it was HORRIBLE as were most all the tracks. Really atrocious stuff. I'm surprised it even passes as music.

The main message here is wonderful. The film does keep the main message, but if you don't know the book, some of the lessons learned and taught are lost in this film. You reach the same conclusion, because it's spelled out for the watcher, but some lessons (vanity, too much work-not enough play, focus on money) are lost along the way. In addition, the troubled yet charming lamplighter is absent here. Really, if time was an issue, why not cut out the horrendous musical numbers? These planetary visits the Prince makes in the book are pretty integral to the story.

Again, the scenes between the aviator and the prince were wonderful. Gene Wilder was excellent. The supporting cast was okay, but they didn't get the book's points across.

I'm surprised anyone thinks this is a classic. I have not seen the Rachel Portman's operatic version, but I can't sing the praises of Richard Cocciante's and Elisabeth Anais' version (LE PETIT PRINCE) enough. Although it's not available with English subtitles, it is absolutely wonderful. And, the lyrics to the songs are almost the exact words that Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, set to music. So, if you have the book in English, you can follow along with the dvd film version without any issue. In fact, the first song, Dedicace, is the exact dedication that Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, set to music. And, Daniel Lavoie is perfect as the aviator. The music to this is truly sublime."