7/10
Nice but sinister rendition in which Donovan is hired by the mayor to rid the town of a plague of rats.
11 July 2022
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The Pied Piper uses his musical talents to lure the pesky rodents away from a small German town. The legend dates back to the Middle Ages, the earliest references describing a piper, dressed in multicolored ("pied") clothing, who was a rat catcher hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe. When the citizens refuse to pay for this service as promised, he retaliates by using his instrument's magical power on their children, leading them away as he had the rats. This version of the story spread as folklore and has appeared in the writings of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the Brothers Grimm, and Robert Browning, among others. The phrase "pied piper" has become a metaphor for a person who attracts a following through charisma or false promises. Our starring (Donovan) goes in search of fortune, equipped only with his inseparable guitar on his back. He stumbles upon a family of strolling players and a Jew alchemist called Melius (Michael Hordern) and his supporter , a teen (Jack Wild) , who helps him attain success and notoriety in a town called Hamelin . But rats invading Hamelin in droves; a magical piper, whose music only children (and rats) can hear, strikes a bargain...which, once the rats are gone, the Mayor and council renege on, to their subsequent regret. Come children of the universe, let Donovan take you away, far far away. Now! A giant color spectacle! From the pages of the immortal classics comes this famous story!.. The Enchanting Musical Version of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. A film classic for children. No rats in Hamelin! Just us adorable white mice kids'll love...

Known and classic story about a medieval town overwhelmed by rats, a medieval town hires a magical piper who can rid the town of the pest in exchange for gold but the crooked mayor has no intention of honoring the deal . This rendition The Pied Piper(1972) contains a sour critique to ambition , corruption, intolerance, racism ignorance, stupidity, and bigotry . Originally produced by David Puttman , this interesting picture boasts of a fabulous British cast with known actors such as John Hurt , Michael Hordern Peter Eyre , Jack Wild, David Leland , Roy Kinnear , Keith Buckley and Donald Pleasence . Agreeable songs by Donovan as the musician who leads away the town's rodents, and children, with his music in this rock and roll adaptation of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. The motion picture was well dit¡rected by Jacques Demy., though this adapatation isn't for kiddies due to its disturbing and grim events.

There are many contradictory theories about the Pied Piper. Some suggest he was a symbol of hope to the people of Hamelin, which had been attacked by plague; he drove the rats from Hamelin, saving the people from the epidemic. A number of theories suggest that children died of some natural causes such as disease or starvation, and that the Piper was a symbolic figure of Death. Analogous themes which are associated with this theory include the Dance of Death, Totentanz or Danse Macabre, a common medieval trope. Some of the scenarios that have been suggested as fitting this theory include that the children drowned in the river Weser, were killed in a landslide or contracted some disease during an epidemic. Another modern interpretation reads the story as alluding to an event where Hamelin children were lured away by a pagan or heretic sect to forests near Coppenbrügge (the mysterious Koppen "hills" of the poem) for ritual dancing where they all perished during a sudden landslide or collapsing sinkhole .

There're several renditions about this classy fairy-tale : The Pied Piper (1942) by Irving Pichel with Monty Woolley , Roddy McDowall , Anne Baxter, Otto Preminger. The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1957) by Bretaigne Windust with Van Johnson , Claude Rains, Lori Nelson , Jim Backus. Hamelin (1969) by Luis Maria Delgado with Miguel Ríos , Roberto Camardiel, Luchy Soto , Margaret Peters , Matilde Muñoz Sampedro.
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