Bring home ‘The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm’

Category: Blu-ray's and DVD's

The new 2-disc Blu-ray release of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is filled with music, fantasy, fun, and plenty of bonus features. This is the story of the brothers who brought us Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Tom Thumb, Sleeping Beauty, The Golden Goose, and plenty of other stories that have entertained many generations as well as supplied bedtime stories for youngsters.

Once upon a time there were two brothers. Jacob Grimm (Karl Bohm) was conscience. Wilhelm Grimm (Laurence Harvey) had his head in the clouds but his feet on the ground. He reveled in fairy tales and prodded Jacob to work with him to compile a book of various stories that would entertain children. But Jacob was not interested, until it was evident that that was what children really wanted.

This 1962 movie is now available in a beautiful 4K restoration and looks better than the movie when it originally hit theaters. With songs, dances, and fun stories, the movie boasts a long list of actors that include Claire Bloom, Walter Slezak, Barbara Eden, Russ Tamblyn, Jim Backus, Buddy Hackett, and Yvette Mimieux. While the film runs well over two hours, it is not slow or boring. It is, rather, a sheer delight for those who love the stories penned by the German brothers.

As Wilhelm either writes or orates his stories, they play out on the screen. While the stories that have been reimagined by Disney are not part of those represented in the film, there are some wonderful Brothers Grimm tales that will delight all ages: “The Dancing Princess,” “The Cobbler and the Elves,” and “The Singing Bone.” Besides these memorable tales, the film delves into the lives of the brothers.

This Warner Archive Deluxe 2-disc Special Edition includes two Blu-ray discs; one in the restored Cinerama letterbox format and one in the restored film in the SMILEBOX format that replicates the curved way the film was projected in Cinerama theaters. There is an overture, intermission music, an Entr’acte, and exit music.

Bonus features look at how intricate and hard it was to restore the film from the original negatives. This was a long process however fans of this classic movie had been asking for a restored version for a long time. They now can enjoy the movie with brighter colors and sharper images than when it was shown in 1962. There is also a slideshow looking behind the scenes of the production. And a little featurette about how the town of Rothenberg erected a plaque to commemorate the production, which was filmed partially in that village.

The movie won the Academy Award for “Best Costume Design” and was nominated for two other Oscars. The movie runs 140 minutes, so if you are showing it to youngsters, you might want to split it up, and with the different stories portrayed in the film, as well as the musical interludes, it is easy to do without missing anything in the process.

The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is rated G and is available where Blu-rays are sold, as well as the Warner Archive website.