Read Me A Storytime (Vol. 1)

In the first volume of this five-volume series of readings of the more well-known Brother's Grimm fairy tales, Jack Harper reads "Briar Rose" ("Sleeping Beauty"), "Rapunzel", and "The Old Sultan". Although competent, Mr. Harper is not particularly gifted as a storyteller, and both the format of the program, as well as its technical limitations leave a lot to be desired. Since, the narrator is reading from a book in his hand, he spends a good deal of the time looking into his lap-and the broken eye contact is distracting. Too, the tape uses two cameras - one set for a longshot, another for medium; and on the medium shot, the audio quality changes considerably. The idea for the series isn't terribly original, and the execution is strictly low-budget. Not recommended. (Available from: Relax Video, 2901 Broadway, Suite 12B, New York, NY 10025.)