Film Credits

Screenplay by: David P. Harmon, Charles Beaumont and William Roberts

Fairy Tale Directed by: George Pal

Directed by: Henry Levin

Starring: Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Karl Boehm, Oscar Homolka, Martita Hunt, Jim Backus, Yvette Mimieux, Barbara Eden, Walter Slezak, Russ Tamblyn, Buddy Hackett, Beulah Bondi, Terry-Thomas

Review

The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm was only one of a handful of feature films shot in the 3-Strip Cinerama process, and this letterboxed disc release of this wonderful film has been eagerly awaited by fans for quite some time. Unfortunately, now that the MGM/UA disc has been released, there isn't anything really good to say about the transfer besides the fact that it has been letterboxed, and even that has problems. Filmed in the Super Cinerama process, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm had an original aspect ratio of 2.59:1. The disc transfer falls short of this amount by exhibiting only an approx. 2.26:1 aspect ratio. Some amount of footage is always cropped off the sides, and in several instances the letterboxed image also has some minor panning & scanning. The panning & scanning of the opening credits sets the mood for the remainder of the disc - Laurence Harvey's name appears onscreen at the far left, the letterboxed image pans left to catch it, but the name is still cut off and we get "aurence Harvey" (the same occurs with Karl Boehm on the right side - the image pans and we can see only "Karl Boeh").

More problematic is the condition of the source material used for this transfer, and I have yet to speak with anyone who was pleased in the slightest with it. Briefly, good-looking images are rare. Overall, the print exhibits a fair to heavy amount of grain in most scenes, most of the color there was has long since faded, and whatever few strong colors remain are usually surrounded by video noise. A few scenes (such as the gypsy camp sequence) do come somewhat close to looking decent, but that's really not saying much. Any way you view it, though, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm has an incredibly ugly-looking transfer. Aside from that, at least the three separate Cinerama panels fit together very nicely, and the join lines between the panels are unnoticeable much of the time. As expected, the image quality and color content of each of the three panels vary within the same scene, just as they did in the film's theatrical release. Two blemishes which appear to be present in all prints of the film (not just the one used for this transfer) is what looks like a fingerprint on side one at 07m12s, as well as some "lightening" damage to the right panel on side two at 10m53s-10m54s (this damage to the right panel is also present when the same scene appears in the trailer following the film on this disc).

The original Westrex surround stereo soundtrack has apparently been remixed for CX-encoded digital Dolby surround stereo, and that, at least, is generally in good condition. In several instances, all of which deal with witch/storyteller Martita Hunt, a fault in the original sound mix leaves the segments sounding very harsh (i.e., side two, 31m09s-32m30s; side three, 01m54s-02m17s and 08m33s-11m02s). Additionally, in several places throughout the film, and especially during the end scene where thousands of kids meet the Brothers Grimm, the sound goes out of sync - this is apparently another problem inherent in the original sound mix, but I cannot be 100% positive of this.

Following the film is a 2m original theatrical trailer, letterboxed at approx. 2.20:1. The trailer is very clean, but it too lacks any substantial color. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm was pressed at Pioneer and contains 25 listed chapter markers. This two-disc set comes packaged inside a gatefold jacket, the innerspread containing the chapter listing, four color photos (all very red), four b&w photos, and a reproduction of the original one-sheet poster. A total of four other photos and a pleasant cover art piece round out the jacket.

The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is essentially a biographical piece about the two Brothers Grimm, Wilhelm and Jacob (Laurence Harvey, Karl Boehm), commissioned to write a family history for their Duke (Oscar Homolka). While Jacob is the serious writer of the two, Wilhelm instead spends his time gathering up as many fairy tales as possible. Wilhelm's unserious work attitude gets him and his brother into much trouble. Clarie Bloom, Walter Slezak and Barbara Eden also appear in the "biographical" section. These portions of the film are overlong and tedious to sit through, but the film's real charm comes out during three wonderful and magical fairy tale sequences presented in the guise of stories told by Wilhelm.

"The Dancing Princess" is a tale about a Woodsman (Russ Tamblyn) who wishes to marry the Princess (Yvette Mimieux). By decree of the King (Jim Backus), the person who wishes to marry the Princess must answer one simple question - where she disappears to at night. The Woodsman is determined to find out the answer, because if he fails, he'll lose his head.

"The Cobbler and the Elves" is a George Pal Puppetoon segment set inside a shoemaker's shop. It is Christmas Eve, and Cobbler (Laurence Harvey) has many shoes to fix before the next morning or face angry customers. The exhausted Cobbler falls sound asleep before any work can be done, but while he sleeps, the wooden elves Cobbler carved as Christmas presents for orphaned children come to live, repairing all the shoes overnight and saving his neck.

The final tale is "The Singing Bone," in which knight Ludwig (Terry-Thomas) and servant Hans (Buddy Hackett) head off to do battle with a ferocious dragon.

The film is a great deal of fun, but as MGM/UA's poor-quality transfer makes it difficult to sit through, I cannot in good conscience recommend this disc. As I mentioned earlier, I am not alone in these feelings - every person I have talked with who's seen the disc has condemned it as well. It's a shame that this is the way things have to be. Unless MGM/UA goes back, restores and remasters the film one day, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is a disc we'll all have to learn to live without.

Supplementary Recap

• Original theatrical trailer