This 1974 musical fantasy film from Stanley Donen, now a half-century old, is an adaptation of one of the most popular children’s novels in the world, Antoine de Saint-Expury’s whimsical The Little Prince.
Although a child's tale on the surface, The Little Prince is famous for its social critique of a failing world. Specifically, the author based the story on his own plane crash in the Saraha during World War II, and created characters based not merely upon his life story, but upon the threat of Nazism spreading across the civilized world. In particular, the Little Prince in the story seeks to keep a kind of perfidious weed from overrunning his small world, for which he requires the help of a sheep. It’s not difficult to interpret that rapidly-growing and malevolent weed as the fascist tide spreading in Europe, which threatened France, England and eventually the world.
Other characters in the book (and film) similarly represent mankind’s failings in the face of peril: a king who has no subjects but insists on “borders,” a businessman who thinks he owns the stars, and a historian who believes he is the best, in fact, in history.
The story commences when a fighter pilot (Richard Kiley) in World War II crashes in the Sahara desert and unexpectedly finds that he has a companion, a small boy (Steven) Warner) who claims to be from another world, the asteroid B-612.
This child the Little Prince, recounts his unusual journeys to other worlds, as well as his visit to Earth thus far. The pilot also learns that Snake (Bob Fosse) -- a devil-like figure -- possesses an interest in the boy, and has a way to send him home to his world: murder.
The 1974 musical is a sweet and emotional rendering of the tale, and like its literary counterpart is a highly symbolic film. Everywhere the Little Prince travels, he learns a lesson about life on Earth, and about mankind itself.
Separated from the original 1940s context, however, the film seems more critical of adults in general (as well as adult viewpoints) than a commentary on any historical ideology or movement. The film revives the book’s line that “it’s only with the heart that one can see clearly” and that is the central metaphor.
Many adults in the film like the King, the historian, the soldier or the businessman are self-justifying and hypocritical in nature. They refer to the Prince as a child, thereby diminishing him and his justifiable concerns about his planet, but they are not able to see beyond their own narrow self-interest, their own pathology. Meanwhile, the Prince -- a child -- views all things with refreshing honesty, purity and incorruptibility.
On Earth, however, the Prince makes a friend in the pilot and in a fox. Unfortunately he also meets the worst personality of all, a snake or devil who crawls in the grass and wants only to kill him. Not understanding human life or death (as indeed, a child does not understand the permanence of death…), the Little Prince sees the snake’s offer of a “bite” as a way home to his beautiful rose, the love he left behind on his asteroid (and widely believed to be representative of the author’s mercurial wife).
A musical is often a tough sell for the committed science fiction fan, so The Little Prince isn’t going to be to every audience’s taste even though it’s a beautiful, emotional film, especially for parents of young ones.
The musical numbers are hit and miss at first, but soon become quite enjoyable, and even rousing. Bob Fosse’s moment as the Devil/Snake is unforgettable, and seems the template for all of Michael Jackson’s dance moves in the early 1980s. Gene Wilder’s number as the fox is also a high-point in the film.
Bereft of its original, more meaningful context regarding Nazism and World War II, The Little Prince remains an unforgettable and emotional story of children and adults, and on that basis is worthwhile.
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