Aaron Huddleston
Guest Contributor
September 2, 2005
When I was young one of my greatest joys came from reading “Grimm’s Fairy Tales.” The dulled down versions with happily ever after’s never held nearly as much appeal to me as did the original fairy tales. So, it was with great anticipation that I went to see Terry Gilliam’s new movie “The Brothers Grimm.”
I wish I could say my anticipation was met with a deserving product. Unfortunately, Gilliam’s film fell somewhat short of expectation. As a tried and true, ever-faithful fan of the Grimm brothers’ work, I was disappointed in the film bearing their name.
At first I was excited. In the beginning portion of the film beautiful sets and amazing cinematography filled the screen. Each frame was a beautiful picture. Characters came onto the screen in excellent costume and were played by actors of excellent repute (Matt Damon and Heath Ledger heading up the cast). My excitement was short-lived however, as the storyline of the movie got under way.
The creative geniuses we know as the Grimm brothers were reduced to mercenary con-artists at the beginning of the movie. The brothers would go from town to town with their team faking encounters with the supernatural and receiving pay for saving the town with their “magic.” When the brothers are caught by Delatombe, Napoleon Bonaparte’s highest ranking official in Germany, he agrees to spare them only if they’ll do something for him in return. They must go to the town of Marbaden to investigate the disappearance of 10 young girls.
The story begins to get somewhat promising as the brothers are thrust into what seems to be a real live fairy tale complete with magic, an evil queen and a big bad wolf. However, the promise is again short-lived as the film turns to choppy transitions between scenes and an ending that will prove unsatisfactory for any true fan of the brothers and their classic fairy tales.
Even with my disappointment I have to admit there were good features to this movie. Clever dialogue and slap-stick comedy - to be expected from Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam - were in play throughout the movie, making it enjoyable to view. The story itself was interesting, if poorly produced on the screen, and the dialogue was believable. The acting was very well done, and again the scenery and cinematography were terrific. Most importantly however, throughout the movie, ending excluded, Gilliam seemed to be able to capture the mood and feel that was characteristic of all Grimm fairy tales.
Overall, I would rate Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm” at 3 stars out of 5. A good story, great scenery and good acting were crippled by poor directing and elements that would be extremely disappointing to any Grimm’s fairy tales fan. In the end, it’s a ‘Grimm review’ for Gilliam’s attempt. Better luck next time.