BFI LOVE: The Singing Ringing Tree (2015)

The Singing Ringing Tree/ Dir: Francesco Stefani/1957/U

You were invited on a dreamy journey, drawing on the forest as a site for fairytale romance. Expect illuminated trees, glowing fish and even unicorns as a princess rejects the suit of a handsome prince who must bring her the mysterious singing, ringing tree if he is to win her heart.

A prince who turns into a bear, a green-haired princess and a territorial, evil dwarf – this is romance told with terrifying, enchanting and uncanny visual effects. Full of the symbolism you’d expect from a Grimm fairy tale rendered in psychedelic Technicolour, the theatricality of the sets strangely enhances the film’s haunting air of enchantment which invites comparison with Jean Cocteau, David Lynch and the stranger works of Michael Powell.

The Singing Ringing Tree was presented as part of the BFI LOVE season and was funded with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from The National Lottery.

 BFI LOVE re-kindles audience passions for film and  television’s most enduring love stories, celebrating big  screen romance, our most cherished romantic comedies, and the darkest tales of obsession and betrayal. Truly an affair to remember, the season runs October to December at BFI Southbank, on BFI Player, and in cinemas across the UK.