A curious and fascinating take on the familiar legend, Jacques Demy's The Pied Piper is darkly pessimistic and not really for children. Gone is the director's fondness for extraordinarily bright color schemes, replaced with a palette that seems to have been dropped in the mud and trampled upon. Demy's Middle Ages are dank and dirty, gloomy and oppressive. While respecting the basic ingredients of the tale's plot, Demy sprinkles in other elements that are intended to add an extra layer, such as the church's ability to crush science when the latter rears its ugly head in a manner that is unacceptable to church leaders. This they do to an extent, but at times they don't seem to coexist peacefully, creating a schism. Ultimately, the plot still tends more toward melodrama, with the result that some of the performers, such as Donald Pleasence, are not able to fully flesh out their characters. In the title role, Donovan is a bit removed, but overall effective, and Jack Wild turns in a lovely, muted performance that is tremendously impressive. Piper does dawdle every so often, but when it's in full gallop -- as in the unforgettable banquet sequence -- it's a winner.