Everybody knows the story of Little Red Riding Hood. I grew up with her story and many other folktales and legends. But it never occurred to me that the story could actually be real. There is no smoke without a fire. Every legend has a hidden, true, basis story. My child mind could not think of the story behind the Red-hood tale. When I grew up, as any adult I did not return to childhood tales.
They say the legend is as old as 700 years. The story involves forest, wolf, little girl, grandma who lives on the other side of forest and the village. When it comes to the real story behind the story, my damaged mind and 21st-century imagination goes as far as into another pedophile story: France, medieval ages, small provincial village. Man who likes children, but he is a respected man in the village and nobody knows about his clandestine passion. He hunts little girl, kills her grandmother and just when he gets her, some people come over, kill him and save her.
I am glad I watched 'Red riding hood'. It has produced food for my imagination. Though Amanda Seyfried is a big girl and all intersecting love stories of both older and younger generations are screenwriter's figment of imagination, still story could have had similarity with the "real" medieval tale.
The beginning of film was not enough gripping for me, though I kept watching and enjoyed the twist of story and the way it grew into mystery thriller. Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is in love with woodcutter Peter who she grew up with. But her parents arrange for her to marry wealthy blacksmith Henry. Peter and Valerie plan to runaway from the village. Soon after, they find out, that Valerie's sister Lucy was killed by wolf. For many years villagers offered monthly animal sacrifice to wolf and it did not attack people.
Valerie's mother convinces Peter to break up with Valerie in order to provide her with better and wealthier life. Angry villagers, Valerie's father, her fiancee, future father-in-law and Peter go to the woods to hunt for wolf. Henry's father gets killed and villagers manage to kill and behead a wolf, thinking it is the same creature they were hunting for.
During mourning for Henry's father, Valerie discovers that her mother and Henry's father had an affair. Lucy was actually Henry's sister, therefore Valerie's mother could not allow their marriage to happen whereas Lucy was desperately in love with Henry.
Back in the village, villagers decide to celebrate wolf's death though Father Solomon, who is invited to the village to hunt the wolf, claims, that what they killed is an ordinary wolf. He killed once his wife who was a werewolf. Upon death, she changed back to her human form. He demonstrates her hand to the villagers. During the celebrations real wolf arrives, kills a couple of people and bites one of the guards. Later this guard is killed by Father Solomon who also claims, because of blood moon the guard will turn into another werewolf. Valerie and her friend Roxanne are caught by wolf. To her surprise, she understands what wolf growls while Roxanne does not.
Father Solomon arrests Roxanne's brother. In order to save him Roxanne tells Father Solomon about werewolf and Valerie's interaction. He captures Valerie and uses her as a bait to catch the wolf. United, Henry and Peter rescue her from capture. Peter is caught after setting the tower on fire and placed inside the brazen bull. Wolf appears when Father Solomon's people are about to shoot Valerie and Henry. Valerie and Henry head for church. Father Solomon attacks wolf with sword and wolf bites his hand off. Wolf cannot enter the church and burns its right paw. It promises Valerie to leave villagers alone, if she comes with him. People shield her from the wolf until sun rises and wolf runs away. Father Solomon is executed by the brother of the guard whom he killed before.
Later, Valerie has a dream. It must be only part closely matching medieval folktale: Red hood asks her grandmother why her ears and teeth are so big. After this dream, she believes, that her grandmother is werewolf. Valerie decides to visit her grandmother and stops by the church to pick up Father Solomon's bitten off silver-nailed hand. In the woods, she meets Peter who is wearing glove and she slashes him with knife, thinking Peter is werewolf and runs off. In her grandmother's house, situation takes unexpected route: werewolf is the person she least expected.
Amanda Seyfried played her role perfectly well. She was convincing and magnetic. The colours in the film were magnificent. Valerie's red lips, red cloak, white snow all contrasted prettily and made film not only interesting to watch, but also beautiful. I cannot say the same about two men who were in love with her. For me, Peter was not convincing. The ending reminded me of Twilight (not surprisingly the movie was directed by Twilight's director Catherine Hardwicke) and I have to admit - I did not like the ending. In my opinion, the ending would be more interesting if Valerie turned into werewolf.
Overall, the film is a nice evening watch. It is good for imagination and for breaking away from the modern world.
Reviewer's rating: 6.5 out of 10
Interesting views on that!
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