Starring Peter O'Toole, Harvey Keitel Directed by Charles Sturridge Rated PG Running time 99 minutes Jack gives this film a rating of 8 out of 10

(Oct. 24, 1997) -- If you've ever clapped your hands to bring Tinkerbell back to life, you have the makings of a believer. And Fairytale -- A True Story is just the movie for you.

But even if you scoff at the existence of fairies, you're likely to be charmed by this magical film, and wish you could believe.

Set in England in 1917, Fairytale is based on a controversial real-life incident.

Children are flocking to a stage production of Peter Pan in London, while their fathers fight the war to end all wars in the trenches of France.

Amid the excitement, 10-year-old Frances Griffiths and her 13-year-old cousin, Elsie Wright, report seeing tiny fairies cavorting in a wooded glen near their home. They then produce photographs to "prove" it.

Once the photos hit the newspapers, a debate rages. Were the pictures staged? Do the girls have any proof of the fabled woodland spirits? Notables of the day line up on either side of the issue.

Leading the believers is veteran writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Peter O'Toole); American magician and escape artist Harry Houdini (Harvey Keitel), then performing in England, leads the chorus of naysayers.

What delightful irony: Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, the detective who epitomizes logic and rational thought, embraces the fantasy world of fairies. Houdini, who built his substantial career on illusion and mysticism, stands firm for proven facts.

Conan Doyle eventually wrote a book accepting the girls' premise; Houdini spent the latter portion of his life debunking spiritualists and other fantasists the world over.

Did the fairies appear to these two girls? You can debate all you like, but one thing's clear: Thanks to modern film technology, they do appear to moviegoers. The gossamer creatures are among the loveliest special effects ever developed.

Fairytale is directed with elegance, substance and imagination by Charles Sturridge, the veteran who created Where Angels Fear to Tread for film and Brideshead Revisited and the recent Gulliver's Travels for TV.

Peter O'Toole brings authority to the role of Conan Doyle, while Keitel is a pleasant surprise as the skeptical, rough-hewn vaudeville star, Houdini. The girls, meanwhile, are played with engaging innocence and zest by newcomers Elizabeth Earl and Florence Hoath.

Now that the great fairy debate is out in the open, another question needs answering: Will Fairytale find its proper audience? Though the movie is being marketed as a family film, targeted at children, it really isn't for every child. Younger, fidgety kids won't sit still for the philosophical debates or care about the historic references. I recommend the film strictly for more mature children, especially those who have read a book or two.

A more appreciative audience for this marvelous movie might be adults who hunger for the joy of a childhood imagination. Like the grown-up Wendy reminded of Peter Pan, such filmgoers will find themselves struck by a warm nostalgia for a time when they, too, believed.