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Revolting Rhymes

Free to all who bring their favorite Roald Dahl book
$5 Weekend Matinee Admission or Free with Cambridge Public Library Card
Directed by Jan Lachauer and Jakob Schuh.
With Tamsin Greig, Dominic West, Rob Brydon.
UK, 2016, DCP, color, 58 min.
DCP source: Gkids

Roald Dahl’s 1982 poem collection Revolting Rhymes, a retelling of classic fairy tales with different twists and endings, comes to life when directors Jakob Schuh (The Gruffalo, 2009) and Jan Lachauer (Room on the Broom, 2012) expertly retell and weave together new combinations of Dahl’s tales. Inspired by Quentin Blake’s original illustrations, the beautifully animated film is broken into two parts, both narrated by the Big Bad Wolf (voiced by an enchanting Dominic West) and largely determined by unconventional, daring female characters. The first segment features the story of Little Red Riding Hood fused with Snow White and the Three Little Pigs, ending in a wicked cliffhanger and an Academy Awards nomination for Best Animation in the short film category. The next part rings Jack and the Beanstalk around the Cinderella story and questions the notion of a happily ever after. Preceded by fairy tale shorts from the Harvard Film Archive collection. 

Age recommendation: 8+. Content Advisory: Coarse language, dark humor and some stylized Dahl-inspired cartoon violence.

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