Has anyone besides Shelf Awareness pieced together all of the Brothers Grimm movies coming to the big screen? Today's issue featured a story on the casting of Julie Roberts as the Evil Queen in Tarsem Singh's The Brothers Grimm: Snow White (2012). This version of Snow White is apparently due out 6 months before the Universal Studios version, Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) starring Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron.
And that's just Snow White. Shelf Awareness reports that Paramount Pictures is working on Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2012). And have you seen the previews for Red Riding Hood (2011), starring that girl with the big eyes whose name I can never remember?
So what's with all the fairy tales? These aren't the first - remember when Matt Damon and Heath Ledger paired up to play the brothers themselves in The Brothers Grimm (2005)? I haven't seen it, but it looks intriguing. And I'm interested in the new Snow White movies. Nothing like some live action to combat the standard 2D Disney flick we all grew up with. Maybe I need to finally read the actual fairy tales to see what all the fuss is about. I hear they're pretty gruesome. Thoughts?
You should absolutely read the actual Grimm's fairy tales, which are fairly gruesome. If you can find an annotated copy of fairy tales, I highly recommend that. There are a couple of them out there and they're fantastic. I like the ones Maria Tatar has worked on.
ReplyDeleteI love the original fairy tales (fairytales are kind of my specialism...) and really liked The Brothers Grimm movie :-) if i'm honest,i'm fairly excited about all the fairytale movies-i like to compare them to each other,and to the original stories!
ReplyDeleteAha! That's why the trailer reminded me of Twilight - it's the same director.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE fairy tales, especially the original gruesome gory ones, but now I'm worried that they're turning into some kind of horrible vampire trend. Oh dear!
Amanda Seyfried! The main thing that worries me about Red Riding Hood is that it's being directed by the same woman who directed the first Twilight. She managed to make that movie worse than the source material.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading Grimm's when I was much younger, and yes, at that time, it gave me nightmares and many a battle to keep my light on. I'd like to read them again, and I guess I have to with all these fairy tale flicks coming out :)
ReplyDeleteOooh, yes, do read the Grimm versions. I second Red's comment - check out the Norton Classic Fairy Tales edited by Maria Tatar. She's fantastic. Jack Zipes has a collection of all the Grimm tales, including some previously unpublished ones, that is really good, too.
ReplyDeleteI downloaded an app on my iphone that is the entire collection of the Grimm Brothers. Although I keep trying read them, I find them a little bit boring. Maybe i need to get a paper version?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, i often enjoy movies based on fairytales, but it is annoying when they all come out at once like that - doesn't anyone have original ideas anymore?
No idea about these new movies, but the Ledger/Damon movie was super weird and not at all having anything to do with the actual brothers. It was like a mashup of the tales they collected, dropped into their lives, and it wasn't very good in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteRed - I think I have a B&N edition somewhere, but I'll look for Maria Tatar. Thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteBex - I like the comparison, as well. I'll probably end up seeing all of these movies when they are available on Netflix.
Bethany - Yep, I did see that in one of the YouTube comments on the video. Not sure how I feel about that...
Jurgen - Good point. Also, Amanda Siegfried has googly eyes.
Coffee & A Book Chick - That's how I feel! Have to brush up on the source material to appreciate the movies.
Emily - Thanks for the recommendations! There are so many versions I wasn't sure where to start.
Becky - I tried to read Dracula on my iPod and couldn't do it. Switched to paper and presto! Loved it.
Tahleen - I'm torn on the Ledger/Damon movie. I'll probably watch it someday out of pure curiosity, but I've heard mixed things.
I more than love fairy tales; there is something primal and appealing about the best ones. Look for "The Hard Facts of the Grimm's Fairy Tales" by Maria Tatar or "The Annotated Classic Fairy Tales" by the same author. Also, The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim. As to why there are so many movies being made of the fairy tales: we are living through tough times, and fairy tales often reflect harsh realities like privation. Hansel and Gretel reflects a not-uncommon practice in very hard times--child abandonment.
ReplyDeleteLisa - Maria Tatar seems to be the absolute hands-down favorite. As for the idea that fairy tales are appealing because of the hard times we are all facing, I like that. Makes sense, especially as there are SO many coming out seemingly all at once.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I love about Tatar's anthology is that she prefaces each section with a fantastic critical essay. She also includes critical essays by other scholars, too, which is where I first read (and LOVED) Marina Warner. Just thought I'd include another reason for picking up Tatar :)
ReplyDeleteGoogly eyes! Hahahaha! I actually laughed aloud when I read that.
ReplyDeleteI had high hopes for the Ledger/Damon movie but found it disappointing. The atmosphere was good but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be.
I love fairy tales and I have some nice editions of Grimm's and HC Andersen. I also love movies based on fairy tales. But this one, the trailer, looks a bit too cheesy for me. Almost like a bad horror. You can see she played around with artistic filming, though, which could be cool.
Emily - Excellent. I always like to read more about books that are so established in our literature. Classics, of course, but fairy tales even more so. Even someone who doesn't read knows the basic story of Little Red Riding Hood. It's ingrained.
ReplyDeleteSteph - To be fair, they ARE googly. Have you seen the Christopher Walken video about googly eyes? Will have to find and send to you. It's hysterical.
The trailer here does look a little cheesy. It's directed by the same woman that directed the Twilight movies, so a lot of people say it has the same look and feel.
I love Christopher Walken, he's hilarious! And totally she has googly eyes. They are very prominent.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy: http://www.hulu.com/watch/16417/saturday-night-live-googly-eyes-gardener
ReplyDeleteI totally agree about fairy tales being ingrained in our culture. One of the best units I ever taught with my preschoolers was our fairy tale unit. I loved being a part of their initial exposure to the stories, and loved showing them different versions of the same tale to get them thinking about all the possible interpretations of a tale. We had amazing discussions and they had such a blast incorporating the stories into their play (which demonstrated how important the tales had become to them). Every day was a reminder of why I work with preschoolers :)
ReplyDelete