The most delightful aspect of Davenport's The Frog King
is that the majority of action takes place at the dinner party to which
the frog invites himself. Like the tale itself, it seems to be less
about the prince/king and more about "hey, there's a frog in the soup!" Apparently, frog jokes are very, very old.
One of the most appealing aspects of Davenport's films is the ordinariness of the characters. The frog on the dinner table is hilarious precisely because it is presented without pathos. As the restored prince/king comments, "Thanks...it's better than being a frog."
The
most unusual aspect of The Frog King tale--other than the tacked-on
note about Iron John (the faithful servant)--is that bad behavior is rewarded. The prince/king is restored when the princess loses her temper and throws him against a wall.
There's a stark freshness about the tale that reminds viewers: these stories were not, in fact, originally meant as moralizing lectures. The combination of bawdy humor, violence, and horror is no mistake.
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