Mick Jagger in “The Nightingale”
Date
Credits
- Shelley Duvall Producer
- Michael Erler Production Designer
- Bruce Ryan Art Director
Format
- Film Titles 12
- Film/Video 31
Type of Work
- Finished work 5480
Techniques
- video 13
Locations Made
Links
An episode of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre, “The Nightingale” is based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor and the Nightingale. Released in 1982, Faerie Tale Theatre features popular actors in a myriad of faerie tales, from “The Tale of the Frog Prince” to “The Dancing Princesses.”
In this particular episode, Mick Jagger plays a Chinese emperor. The setting moves between the emperor's luxurious palace filled with servants and entertainers, a garden with wise attendants, and a dark but magical forest. Between the rockstar's costuming and the episode's set design, this is a clear representation of “The Orient,” a stereotyped western representation of Asia that exoticizes and commodifies the culture.
The opening credits and title also make use of a chop suey font, attempting to mimic the brush strokes of Chinese calligraphy while writing in the English alphabet. This choice is often made to legitimize a western interpretation of Asian culture.
