Here are the scenes that captivated us from “Into The Woods”:

1. The opening scene where The Witch tells of the magic spell she has put on the baker and its consequences.

2. “Agony” The two Prince Charmings, Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen(The East, 2013), The Brass Teapot (2012), perform an hilarious duet in the woods where they compare each others virtues and bare their hearts. They perfectly capture the absurdity of their worlds.

3. Johnny Depp, the lascivious wolf, fiendishly trying to seduce hapless Red Riding Hood on the way to Grandmother’s House.

4. Anna Kendrick’s “On The Steps Of The Palace” as a neurotic, conflicted Cinderella.

5. The Witch (Meryl Streep) entreats the luscious Rapunzel held captive in her tower, not to leave her with the heart-wrenching song ‘Stay With Me’.

6. Emily Blunt, the baker’s wife, a willing participant in the seduction scene with the Handsome Prince.

7. James Corden, Emily Blunt, and Daniel Huttlestone singing a tear jerker of a song about family.

8. The opening scene where The Witch tells of the magic spell she has put on the baker and its consequences.

I am a sucker for a well told tale and “Into The Woods” is certainly that. The smart use of an omniscient narrator moves the story along and integrates the songs so that the story moves flawlessly forward. Here are some other screen adaptations of fairy tales and musicals that have been block busters, showing the power of these forms of story telling. ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987) directed by Bob Reiner won TIFF’s coveted People Choice Award that year. A fabulous award winning ensemble cast, music, costumes and solid story telling were the ingredients. Of course it helped to have two-time Academy Award Winner, William Goldman, as the author and screenwriter. Musicals adapted to screen can instantly invoke doubts but a string of award winners including; Cabaret (1972), ‘Chicago’ (2002), The Phantom of the Opera’ (2004), ‘Les Miserables’ (2012), Jersey Boys (2014) should dispel those doubts. “Into the Woods” both fairy tale and musical is a strong contender to join this elite award winning group of films. Screenplay by James Lapine.

Moira Romano