THE PIED PIPER
by Jacques Demy
synopsis
Greed, corruption, ignorance, stupidity, and disease. Midsummer, 1349: the Black Death reaches northern Germany. A family of strolling players travel to Hamelin for the Mayor's daughter's wedding to the Baron's son. He wants her dowry to pay his army, while his father taxes the people to build a cathedral he thinks will save his soul. A local Jewish apothecary tries to find a treatment for the plague. The Priests charge him with heresy and witchcraft. A mysterious minstrel (Donovan), who joined up with the players and who has soothed the Mayor's daughter with his music, promises to rid the town of rats for a fee. The Mayor agrees, then reneges after the rats have been dealt with. In the morning, the plague, the Jew's execution, and the Piper's revenge come at once.
original title: | The Pied Piper |
country: | United Kingdom, United States, Germany |
year: | 1972 |
genre: | fiction |
directed by: | Jacques Demy |
film run: | 86' |
release date: | UK 17/12/1972, FR 31/12/1975, SE 25/12/1976, ES 10/06/1978, IT 23/12/1988 |
screenplay: | Andrew Birkin, Jacques Demy, Mark Peploe |
cast: | Keith Buckley, Patsy Puttnam, Arthur Hewlett |
cinematography by: | Peter Suschitzky |
film editing: | John Trumper |
art director: | Assheton Gorton |
costumes designer: | Evangeline Harrison |
producer: | Sanford Lieberson, David Puttnam |
associate producer: | Gavrik Losey |