Hop-o'-My-Thumb

Short of food for their five sons, a woodcutter and his wife decide to abandon them in the forest. Luckily, the youngest, nicknamed Hop-o’-My-Thumb, overhears their conversation. Forewarned, he gathers small white stones to drop one by one in order to find his way back home. The next day, the father performs his sinister task. But Hop-o’- My-Thumb and his brothers come back home thanks to the stones dropped on the way. Soon back in their original poverty, the parents once again decide to leave their children in the forest. Sadly, the breadcrumbs dropped by Hop-o’-My-Thumb are eaten by the birds and the children can’t find their way back home. Then they arrive at a thatched cottage where they ask for shelter. The landlady tries to send them away because her husband is a child-eating ogre. The five brothers, deciding that an ogre is better than the forest’s wolves, insist on staying. Back from hunting, the ogre soon discovers the young children hidden by his wife. He decides to eat them immediately but his wife convinces him to postpone the feast until the next day. During the night, the ogre wakes up hungry and decides to eat the children without further delay. But once again, Hop-o’-My-Thumb’s sharp mind will save his brothers’ life as well as his own. –Venice Film Festival