Rumpelstiltskin (1987 film)

Rumpelstiltskin is a 1987 musical fantasy film, based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. In the United States, it was the first installment of Cannon Films' Movie Tales series.

Rumpelstiltskin
Movie Poster
Directed by	David Irving
Screenplay by	David Irving
Based on	Rumpelstiltskin by the Brothers Grimm
Produced by	Menahem Golan Yoram Globus
Starring	Amy Irving Clive Revill Priscilla Pointer Billy Barty
Music by	Max Robert
Production company	The Cannon Group
Distributed by	The Cannon Group
Release dates	April 1987 (1987-04) (United States)[1] May 1987 (1987-05) (Cannes)[2]
Running time	84 minutes
Countries	United States Israel
Language	English
Budget	$2 million

Production and release

Rumpelstiltskin was part of the Cannon Movie Tales series, a US$50 million project initiated by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus to adapt sixteen fairy tales into live action.^[3][4] The film featured Billy Barty in his only lead role (as the title character),^[5] and also starred Amy Irving (as Katie, the miller's daughter)^[3] and Clive Revill as the villainous King Mezzer. Amy Irving's brother, David Irving (not the British author of the same name), scripted and directed;^[3] their mother, actress Priscilla Pointer, portrayed the Queen.^[3]

Cannon Films screened Rumpelstiltskin as the opening night attraction of its "family film festival" at 1987's Cannes Film Festival.^[2] It was the first Cannon Movie Tale released in the U.S.;^[1] though originally scheduled for November 21, 1986,^[4] it premiered in April 1987.^[1] The film was not well-received critically; Richard Harrington of The Washington Post said, "[A]ll Cannon has done...is to make a short story long. And long and longer."^[1] In his Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin gave it two stars out of four and commented, "[This] threadbare musical adaptation...[is] likely to bore even the small fry."^[6]

MGM released Rumpelstiltskin on DVD in 2005.