Stanley Donen took on the task in 1974 of bringing the magical story of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery to life. Gene Wilder, Richard Kiley, and Bob Fosse bring to life the tale of a stranded pilot and a prince from another planet in a beautifully magical film delighting audiences since its debut. Telling life only in the way a little boy, and a man who never lost his magic can, The Little Prince should be required viewing for all human beings. Pilot (Richard Kiley) is stranded in the middle of the Sahara Desert when his plane breaks down. He believes to be alone until he happens upon a little boy, The Little Prince (Steven Warner) who has traveled to the Sahara from another planet. His planet, Asteroid B- 612, is ill-equipped to care for the only rose it has ever grown. This rose is so special to The Little Prince, he stops at nothing to care for it. Leaving his planet he travels to a strange planet with borders that he must have documentation to pass through. He also learns of people that dress up in their country's flag to fight other people on another planet. The Little Prince also meets a man called a historian (Victor Spinetti), whose job it is to make things up, and a man called a Business Man (Clive Revill) who can claim ideas as his, as long as he thinks of them first. Finally, when he meets The Pilot, The Little Prince shares pieces of his journey, reigniting the magic that inspired him to become a pilot in the first place. The Little Prince also tells The Pilot of his meeting with a snake (Bob Fosse) who said that he could help him get back to his planet, with a steep price. A fox (Gene Wilder) also does a great deal of teaching to The Little Prince by illustrating to him that even though there are billions of people in the world, the ones we tame, that are close to us, are special. Doing a great deal of teaching, The Little Prince imparts much-needed knowledge on The Pilot, and the audience, before parting ways. The Little Prince is a fantastic piece of cinema. The story and the lesson is lost on no one. We believe we are so free on planet Earth because we are so used to the absurd things that we do. Once we really evaluate the behaviors and habits we take for granted we can see how preposterous they are. For instance, we kill other human beings over areas of land based on lines people have drawn on a map that we had nothing to do with. Seeing big issues like this, at their core, through the innocence of a child is something that all adults should do more often. The Pilot's story is also crucial. When we are children, we see infinite possibilities around us, and we are gifted with our own rich fresh perspective on the world around us. As we age, we are taught how we are supposed to see the world, and abandon any notions that don't fit in with what is societally appropriate. We would do the world and ourselves a favor by never forgetting that no one else in the world has the same perspective we do, and no one else will look at the same thing the same as someone else, if that does happen, we have failed and lost what makes us unique. Never lose your pilot, and never stop drawing your own version of an elephant inside a boa constrictor. Gene Wilder's role in The Little Prince was short, but one I am so thankful for, as I probably would never have seen this movie if it wasn't for his part in it. He played a fox, in human form, and did so remarkably. He excelled at the sharp quick movements of a fox, both in facial expressions and body movements. His rapid yet fluid actions made me aware of a brand of physical acting that I didn't know he excelled in. Wilder is also the most perfectly gentle soul that I can imagine to play such a heartfelt gentle part. Another film that if often left unnoticed in a rundown of Wilder's work, yet one that carries such an important message to the human spirit. The Little Prince should not be missed by anyone on this planet, or any of the others.

This gets 5 stars for pretty good special effects and nice production values. (Director Stanley Donen probably got practice for these pre-CGI effects by directing Fred Astaire dance up the walls in "Royal Wedding")For the rest of it: How can a musical by Lerner & Loewe ("My Fair Lady", "Gigi", "Camelot", "Brigadoon", etc.) directed by Stanley Donen ("Singing in the Rain", "Bedazzled", "Charade", etc.) go wrong, especially if it features a small but notable cast that includes guest shots by Bob Fosse and Gene Wilder? Quite easily, actually.Perhaps part of the problem is the source material. The young adult book THE LITTLE PRINCE is a sweet but didactic tome. Lerner, arguably the best lyric writer of his time (a time including Oscar Hammerstein III) was also a slow and lazy worker. He was also known for filling his body with large amounts of chemicals. He always had a problem with structure and always did better work when he started with good source material ("Pygmalion"/"My Fair Lady").THE LITTLE PRINCE has an episodic structure. One would think Lerner would leap at the opportunity to present songs in different worlds, with characters having such various points of view.Instead, the bulk of the songs are given to the aviator character by Richard Kiley (notable exceptions are Fosse and Wilder). Lerner alters the character of the King and changes the Geographer into an Historian (rendering the character senseless). He drops other promising figures, adds a General to the mix, and makes the whole story even more doctrinaire than the original.Clive Revill and Victor Spinetti do superb jobs in shamefully short roles, as the Businessman and the Historian, respectively. They do not have unique songs. As they are photographed in exactly the same way (through some weird fish-eye lens -- I'm no photographer so I don't know a more precise term), their characters are not distinctive. One may be forgiven for thinking they're on the same world and might be related.In slightly longer roles, Bob Fosse and Gene Wilder have unique songs, and also interesting settings. Both play animals. Fosse is the Snake and he has a sinuous dance that might be beautiful if it weren't shown in bits and pieces (there is also a real snake and it plays a large part in the movie for all you Ophidiophobics -- including me). Wilder is the Fox and he's fairly typical early Wilder. But they're lost in the whole of the movie.And Stanley Donen? Lest we forget, he also directed "Blame it on Rio." To be fair, he apparently helmed only one movie between 1967's "Bedazzled" and 1974's "Little Prince." He may have been rusty.The main problem here is Lerner. Loewe's music is good in his last outing with Lerner, even if the tunes lack his typical hummability. Lerner's lyrics lack his clever wordplay. They're repetitive, redundant (those two words in juxtaposition give you some idea of what the lyrics are like) and lackluster. The actors do their best. Richard Kiley is a strong anchor for the show as a whole. But "The Little Prince" leaves one unsatisfied.

This movie might be best appreciated by those who have read the book firsthand and want to see the characters live in the flesh. While this film follows the story very closely, and features good performers (including Bob Fosse and Gene Wilder), it would be difficult for a newcomer to appreciate just how magical this classic fable is if he/she only watches this movie without reading the book. I suppose it would have come out better as an animated feature.Still, the movie definitely has its merits. The kid playing the Little Prince does very well - why didn't he have a successful career after this? And the music is very beautiful at parts. I don't know why some say it is not up to the standards of Lerner and Leowe. The title theme (such a haunting melody) and "I never met a Rose" - both sung by the Pilot - are beautiful, and the happy song sung by the Little Prince and the Fox as they come close and dance together is charming and jaunty.7 out of 10.

I'm totally mystified by the previous review. This movie is a product of its time -- 1974 -- so why blame it for that? You wouldn't criticize "Don't Look Now" because Donald Sutherland wears wide lapels."The Little Prince" is a pitch-perfect film, beautifully written and filmed, with an amazing sense of humor. Yes, it's totally dated, and some of the songs are horrible, but it's got an originality even "West Side Story," another classic stylish film, can't match.If you want irony, American humor or 21st century attitude, avoid this film like the plague. But if you can appreciate brilliant little films that wear their hearts on their sleeves don't miss this film.An added bonus: in Bob Fosse's spectacular five minute dance you can see every dance move Michael Jackson ever made.