Fairy Tale (film)



Fairy Tale: A True Story is a 1997 film based on the infamous Cottingley Fairies. It tells the tale of two young girls, Elsie (Florence Hoath) and her cousin Francine (Elizabeth Earl), who claim to play with fairies. One day, to prove to Elsie's parents that they aren't making it up, the girls take several photographs of them. Shocked, her mother takes the photos to an expert and they are declared genuine. Word gets out, and the girls become instant celebrities and the press and fairy hunters descend on their home.

The film also stars Harvey Keitel as Harry Houdini and Peter O'Toole as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.


 * Based on a Great Big Lie: The real girls confessed in 1983 that they faked the whole thing with paper cutouts.
 * Historical Domain Character: Both Houdini and Doyle.
 * Posthumous Character: Joesph.
 * Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The film is story of The Cottingley Fairies, which is followed pretty close to fact - except those were fake.
 * World War I: The film takes place in England during the war.