"The 10th Kingdom" (2000) TV mini-series

Directors:

David Carson
Herbert Wise

Writer (WGA):

Simon Moore (written by)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

27 February 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

The Most Magical Event of the Millennium!

Plot:

A father and daughter are caught in a parallel universe where the great queens Snow White, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood have had their kingdoms fragmented by warring trolls, giants and goblins.

Plot Keywords:

Kingdom | Snow White | Fairy Tale | Magic | Fairy

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Kimberly Williams-Paisley	...	Virginia Lewis (9 episodes, 2000)
Scott Cohen	...	Wolf (9 episodes, 2000)
John Larroquette	...	Tony Lewis (9 episodes, 2000)
Dianne Wiest	...	Evil Queen (9 episodes, 2000)
Daniel Lapaine	...	Prince Wendell (9 episodes, 2000)
Ed O'Neill	...	Relish the Troll King (7 episodes, 2000)
Rutger Hauer	...	Huntsman (6 episodes, 2000)
Dawnn Lewis	...	Blabberwort the Troll (6 episodes, 2000)
Hugh O'Gorman	...	Burly the Troll (6 episodes, 2000)
Jeremiah Birkett	...	Blue Bell the Troll (6 episodes, 2000)
Robert Hardy	...	Chancellor Griswold (6 episodes, 2000)
William Osborne	...	Lord Rupert (6 episodes, 2000)
Edward Jewesbury	...	Old Retainer (6 episodes, 2000)
Warwick Davis	...	Acorn (4 episodes, 2000)

Also Known As:

Das 10te Königreich (Germany) (DVD title)
Das zehnte Königreich (Germany)
The Tenth Kingdom (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

417 min | 45 min (9 episodes) | 85 min (5 episodes) (original version)

Country:

UK | Germany | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby Surround)

Certification:

Spain:T | USA:Not Rated (DVD rating) | Canada:PG (Canadian Home Video rating) | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alice Holt Forest, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Babelsberg Film und Fernsehen

Trivia:

The Fairy Tale "Beauty and the Beast" is never mentioned, but it is referenced through Wolf and Virginia.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In the scene with the gypsies the Huntsman shoots a tree with his crossbow, to send a note that all poachers will be killed. Later, when Virginia is in the tree, the Huntsman tells her that the arrow from his crossbow will not stop until it hits the heart of a living being. However, the arrow would be able to pierce the tree to its core, also called its "heartwood", when delivering the note.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Virginia: [voice over] My name is Virginia... And I live on the edge of the forest.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Strongbad_email.exe: Disc Five (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Wishing on a Star

Hmmm.....

I think I'm going to have to disagree with the critics on this one- I thought it was pretty good. When 'The 10th Kingdom' opened to universally negative reviews and plummeting ratings back in February, I wasn't even sure I was going to take the time to watch it. I remember, about two months before it opened, reading a newspaper article on the miniseries, and laughing at it. The article wasn't very flattering, and I was looking forward to seeing it fail. As the next two months passed I saw it advertised heavily on NBC, and I thought it looked pretty good. I did some looking around on the internet, and I became intrigued by it. I was still convinced it would fail, but I found myself counting down the days until it began.

After the first installment, I was hooked. Despite being downright silly much of the time, the scenery was absolutely extraordinary, ditto for the special effects. I ended up watching all five two hour installments, and I can't think of anything better that I could have spent it on.

Granted, the series still has several problems. The one thing I was disappointed most by was the lack of screen time of many of the *name* actors. Ann-Margret had only a few minutes, and Camryn Manheim appeared in only one installment. Also, Rutger Hauer had only about twenty minutes on screen spread over several installments. While still good, John Larroquette and Kimberley Williams didn't quite have either the talent or drawing power to hold the series.

Still, it was surprisingly engaging, and very well photographed. If you have the time, watch the series, I doubt you'll be disappointed

7/10