A rock opera version of the Pied Piper tale, set in the late 1960's. A Jimi Hendrix-like guitarist exterminates the rats from the "perfect" suburban community of Hamlin, and takes revenge when the Mayor reneges on his reward: a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Director: Raymie Muzquiz
Stars: Wayne Brady, Rodney Dangerfield, Christine Ebersole, George Segal.
Watched online, good print.
No songs in the Soundtracks, but plenty in the film, both played by the "piper" and sung by characters.
After reading a Wikipedia article about the fable of the Pied Piper, this is fairly close, since the revenge is leading the children out of the town.
This adds the parents aging rapidly while the children are gone, and the children learn that and want to return. While they were gone, the piper gave them everything they wanted, and even taught one of them to play the guitar to the same magical effect as the piper did. So when they return, they restore the town and the people to their prior age/condition, and everyone is happy.
Somehow the 1960s setting and pseudo-psychedelic animation don't appeal to me, nor does the magical ease with which so many things happen: the guitar music provides insta-paths to far-off places, burrows holes in mountains, seals them up again, provides customized food for everyone, etc. Besides, I'm tense wondering what evil intent this piper might have, and wonder at the quick and optimistic resolution to the story.
It's not just me.
Rated 5.8 (42)
distr. Nickelodeon, dir. Muzquiz; 5
