flyingamon I tend to like the Cannon Movie Tales. This is not the best one but certainly not the worst. It is the retelling of the famous fairy tale Red Riding Hood but the story is stretched out. Red Riding Hood is named Linet but doesn't wear her red hood in most of the scenes. There is an explanation of why she should wear it though. I'm glad that they took a young girl for her role of 10-11 who still likes to believe in fairies and not a girl hitting puberty worrying about sexuality etc as they tend to do in the more adult versions. This is how I wanted the story to be displayed, the kids version of the fairy tale like I have read it. Of course it is elaborated or it would be over very quickly. There is given much more background info about Red's mother, grandmother and the wolf who is a man named Dagger. Dagger works for the evil uncle of Red who exploits his minions. And yes Red does have a father! The songs in here are maybe not the best, kind of cheesy, but it is a movie for kids. In general I'm pleased with the result and I think multiple viewings will make me appreciate it even more.

iwantsofia Once upon a time there was an unpublished writer who saw five versions of the Brothers Grimm classic tale "Little Red Riding Hood". Here's his review of number three.A curious young girl named Linet (Amelia Shankley) looks for elves in the woods, but only finds trouble. She lives with her mother (Isabella Rossellina) and a maid, as her father (Craig T. Nelson) is off fighting in a war. Her uncle and now king (also Nelson) wants to marry his sister-in-law (!), as seven years have passed since his brother left for the war. The evil king has used black magic to transform a wolf into a man to spy for him. The wolfman learns that Linet is not afraid of her cruel uncle, so uncle decides to do something about this.It takes 57 minutes for the story of Red Riding Hood / Linet traveling to Grandma's through the woods to happen, and Grandma isn't even sick or frail! And like most children's movies made for American audiences, this is a musical. This means people burst into song every five minutes for no apparent reason. Since the music is all synthesizer music, it really clashes with the 18th Century setting. Still, some of the songs aren't bad, and who knew Nelson could sing? The bad news is MGM's DVD is fullscreen. A note about this takes up ten seconds of the running time. Something like this should be separated from the movie, which should begin at all zeros. It's unlikely a demand for a widescreen version will create a reissue. At least the transfer is good, and there's a trailer.Shankley, by the way, debuted as young Alice Liddell in Dreamchild (1985), the quasi-biopic of the girl who inspired Rev. Charles Dodgson / Lewis Carroll to write "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland". Unfortunately, Red Riding Hood is not as good as that movie.The film's copyright is 1987, MGM's box has 1988 on it and IMDb lists 1989. Just once, can't we all agree on something?

phillindholm "Red Riding Hood" is yet another Cannon Movie Tale released in the eighties. Although, once again, the story has been stretched to the breaking point, but it's not bad. Linnet (Amelia Shankley) and her mother, Lady Jeanne (Isabella Rosselini) live near the edge of a forest and wait for Lady Jeanne's husband (and Linnet's father,Sir Percival (Craig T Nelson) to return to them. In his absence, his brother Godfrey, (Nelson again) has become Lord Of The Province. But he is evil and lusts after his brother's wife, while abusing the rest of the populace. He has also gained the power to transform his friend Dagger (Rocco Sisto) into a wolf. From here, the story follows the traditional more or less. Linnet's grandmother (Helen Glazary) whips up the red cape and hood, which she says will protect her granddaughter from harm. The songs are nice additions to the new storyline, and most are well performed, though, as the evil brother, Nelson even hams his musical number. Shankley has a beautiful voice, and she and Sisto have the best song "Never Talk To Strangers". All in all, a modest, pleasant film.

Lady Jasmine I saw this movie when I was a child, and it is still among the favourites in my video collection. I am shocked more people have not heard of it. This film is a fresh retelling of a story that has been told for generations, only this time it is told with genuine originality. The characters have motive and depth, especially Lynette (otherwise known as Red Riding Hood) a rebellious young girl who, just like her mother once did, shows no fear...even in the face of a cunning werewolf. The music in this version is enchanting, and will ring in your head for hours afterwards; it is a shame that they never released the soundtrack.This is most definitely a welcome addition to any collection, children's or otherwise.