eric@parallel.UUCP (Eric Griswold) (07/26/84)
_The Never Ending Story_ is a marvelous piece of filmmaking written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen (who, I believe also did _Das Boot_). He is on par with Lucas and co. _The Never Ending Story_ is essentially The Wizard of Oz, The Phantom Tollbooth, Double Exposure, Time Bandits, Dark Crystal and many others all rolled into one big allegory told in a manner so well and so aesthetically as to nearly seduce you into believing it all. Petersen handles cute with incredible taste understanding. He is careful to always juxtapose it with just enough grimness and tension to not let it take the story (as Lucas has done with Ewoks and Spielburg does with everything). The story is actually two well-known tales that are slowly and gracefully weaved together. The two protagonists are reflections of the same person. It begins in this world. We meet a small boy (damn, why do I always forget names?) who is taunted in school by bullies, is having a difficult time coping with the death of his mother, and finds escape through fantasy and adventure novels. One day while being chased by bullies, he ducks into a dusty shop with strange volumes scattered throughout. The keeper of the shop tells the boy to stay away from a particular book (entitled "The Never Ending Story") because it is not always possible to return back to real life from that book. The shopkeeper, using a sort of reverse psychology, persuades the boy to take the book away. Reading in the attic of his school, our hero discovers Fantasia; the world of fantasy. There are problems in Fantasia, though. The empress is sick and the whole land is being overcome by a 'nothing'. Emptyness is engulfing the world. Only one great warrior can save Fantasia -- and he looks quite like our friend who is reading the book. Slowly as the quest to save Fantasia continues, our real-world hero starts truly empathizing with the fantasy hero and near the end the worlds juxtapose in a last-ditch effort to save Fantasia. And who do they need to save Fantasia? Our friend the reader of the story, of course. Fantasia is a gorgeous place with enchanting good creatures, truly nasty baddies, and some of the most curious beings this side (or that side) of Lucas' cantina. Pay $5.00 to see this film -- or $6.00 if there is a good loge at your theatre. eric