The Frog King (1981)

• 58%
• 1981
• Tom Davenport

An upper-class, late 19th-century dining room where a wealthy industrialist presides as "king" sets the stage for this version of "The Frog King," the classic tale about a princess's promise to a frog. The frog invites himself to a formal family dinner, horrifying the princess by jumping from soupbowl to soupbowl.

"It's particularly satisfying to see a formal Victorian dinner party interrupted during the soup course by the arrival of a real live frog. After hopping under the table, the diminutive latecomer is gently retrieved by a butler, who "seats" him next to the paiunfully embarrassed young mistress of the house. From his perch on a stack of velvet cushions the frog proceeds to mingle in a delightfully froglike way, jumping into soupbowls and overturning wine glasses...little kids in particular may feel keen gratification when he splashes merrily around the table without suffering unpleasant consequences. Grown-ups may feel more amused by the aplomb of Ernest Graves in the role of the host and by the implications of the heroine's discomfort, which wittily evokes a good deal of the social and erotic panic associated with adolescence.