The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)
The Grimm brothers Wilhelm and Jacob, known for their literary works in the nineteenth century, have their lives dramatized. Wilhelm fights to write something entertaining amongst the sea of dry, non-fiction books they write and he sets about collecting oral-tradition fairy tales to put into print. Their life story is countered with reenactments of three of their stories including "The Dancing Princess," "The Cobbler and the Elves" and "The Singing Bone."
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Throughout the 30s, the 40s and indeed well into the 50s, M-G-M was the principal mainstay of Saturday nights at the pictures with a ready supply of historical melodramas and spectacles, escapist musicals, friendly knockabout comedies (not too rough or downmarket) and above all high-grade soap operas that no other studio could match.By the early 1960s, M-G-M had lost a great deal of its exhibitor support. No longer was the lion an instant guarantee of entertainment quality, but even the entertainment value of such films as Night of the Quarter Moon, The King's Thief, The Rack, Gaby, I Accuse, The Living Idol, The Seventh Sin, Underwater Warrior, Count Your Blessings, The Beat Generation, Key Witness and All the Fine Young Cannibals was decidedly tatty. The studio did not help relations with its once lapdog exhibitor friends by its brief flirtation with Cinerama. Here was a three- screen, three-projectors, three 35mm films process that could only be shown in theatres expensively re-equipped. So what was the film like? Rather dull actually. All the framing story directed by Henry Levin was a real bore, save for some wonderfully picturesque scenic shots of castles in Bavaria. George Pal's fairy- tale material was certainly more lively, with the process' potential entertainingly explored in a runaway coach sequence. All the same it was hard to enjoy the film because of Cinerama's many technical shortcomings. The three screens were often imperfectly joined, the dividing seams were always visible, and the luminosity of each screen sometimes varied considerably, accentuating a flickering effect that was almost always present, though at times less noticeable than others.But the biggest drawback was that the screen was simply too big to accommodate actors. Scenery, yes, special effects, maybe; but human beings, especially grossly dull humans like Laurence Harvey and Karl Boehm and Claire Bloom — whose deadly lack of charisma seemed inordinately magnified — definitely not. The support players came out of it best, but even the best of them — with the notable exception of Russ Tamblyn — seemed dwarfed and over-awed.
I would have given "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" a higher score had they not weakened some of the scenes by turning them into musicals. Otherwise, it was a very impressive movie, even if the Cinerama doesn't translate to the small screen. It portrays Wilhelm Grimm sort of like how "Finding Neverland" portrays J.M. Barrie: very focused on a fantasy story, much to the chagrin of the serious-minded people around him.I see that "The Dancing Princess" contains an invisibility cloak years before J.K. Rowling wrote about Harry Potter wearing one. Russ Tamblyn at first glance looks a little dorky to appear in a fairy tale adaptation, but he ends up playing the role very well. Yvette Mimieux is perfect as the princess, and Jim Backus as the king plays a role similar to one that he played in a "Gilligan's Island" dream sequence.I considered "The Cobbler" the lowest scene in the movie. The singing elves made it a little too cute. A really neat version of that story is Friz Freleng's cartoon "Holiday for Shoestrings".Terry-Thomas as the knight is pretty silly, while Buddy Hackett as the squire brings to the screen something that I never imagined: a New Jersey-accented person attempting an English accent! And the dragon really creates a sense of old-style cinema.As for the Grimms themselves, Wilhelm (Laurence Harvey) is the idealist while Jakob (Karl Boehm) remains the realist, displeased with Wilhelm's happy-go-lucky attitude. And that duke (Oscar Homolka)? Whereas what Wilhelm did to the duke was an accident, I would have done it on purpose, just to punish the duke for being such a jerk.But for me, at least, the real treat here is Jeannie herself, Barbara Eden. She plays Greta Heinrich, Jakob's love interest. I swear, Barbara Eden gets more gorgeous in every movie. Had I been alive in 1962, I would have attended this movie's premiere with the aim of seeing her in a shell dress (she wore one to the premiere of "Five Weeks in a Balloon", so I assume that she would have worn one to this movie's premiere). In my opinion, the sight of Barbara Eden in a shell dress proves that there is a God! If that makes me a pervert, then so be it. I'm proud to be a pervert, and I'll always consider Barbara Eden one of the hottest actresses of all time.Overall, I recommend "TWWOTBG". Also starring Claire Bloom and Arnold Stang. Speaking of Arnold Stang, that reminds me. He co-starred in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" with Jim Backus and Buddy Hackett (but didn't share any scenes with them). That one's my favorite movie of all time. In fact, the only thing that could have improved it any more would have been the presence of Barbara Eden in a shell dress. At least it had Dorothy Provine in a tight dress. Anyway, I recommend both these movies.PS: the castle used in "The Dancing Princess" is Neuschwanstein. King Ludwig ordered it built as his home, but he drowned right after its completion. Neuschwanstein also appeared in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". I once put together a 6,000-piece jigsaw puzzle showing it.
How do I get a wide screen version of "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm"? I have seen this version on TV and besides showing the full frame, it also contains introductory information about the Prussian War. I believe it is the best history of the Grimm Brothers available. The film which was recently released is not based in fact. It portrays the brothers as criminals and is not suitable for children. I guess I have to ramble on for another several lines. If anyone out there knows how I can acquire a copy of the film in wide screen, please post on this site. I have checked with Amazon, but their information doesn't offer a choice.
Big, expensive family film is sadly ineffective. Eye-popping Cinerama is too grandiose a treatment for the otherwise simple telling of the German siblings who penned many beloved fairy tales (a few of which are enacted here). Ambitious semi-musical has gorgeous locales, OK cast featuring Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Barbara Eden and several guest stars, but far too much talk and a draggy conclusion. The cinematography, dazzling at first, is showy for little purpose, and although there are some memorable moments, the film bogs down in the second act. Russ Tamblyn has the best part as a young man spying on beautiful princess Yvette Mimieux, but the other cast members look defeated. Never a big attraction with the kids, and it's easy to see why. ** from ****