The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)

The story of Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, and three of their stories...

Directors:

Henry Levin, George Pal

Writers:

David P. Harmon (screenplay), Charles Beaumont (screenplay)

Stars:

Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Karlheinz Böhm

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurence Harvey	...	Wilhelm Grimm / The Cobbler ('The Cobbler and the Elves')
Karlheinz Böhm	...	Jacob Grimm (as Karl Boehm)
Claire Bloom	...	Dorothea Grimm
Walter Slezak	...	Stossel
Barbara Eden	...	Greta Heinrich
Oskar Homolka	...	The Duke (as Oscar Homolka)
Arnold Stang	...	Rumpelstiltskin
Martita Hunt	...	Anna Richter (Story Teller)
Betty Garde	...	Miss Bettenhausen
Bryan Russell	...	Freidrich Grimm
Ian Wolfe	...	Gruber
Tammy Marihugh	...	Pauline Grimm
Cheerio Meredith	...	Mrs. Von Dittersdorf
Walter Rilla	...	Priest
Yvette Mimieux	...	The Princess ('The Dancing Princess')

Storyline

The fictionalized lives of the story-telling Grimm brothers are brought to life in this all-star fantasy film. In the early nineteenth century, the brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm are commissioned to write a family history for a local Duke. Reenactments of three of their stories including "The Dancing Princess", "The Cobbler and the Elves" and "The Singing Bone".

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Plot Keywords:

brothers grimm | reference to the brothers grimm | reference to brothers grimm | singing | duke | 

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Taglines:

Now Cinerama Tells a Story!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Biography | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 1963 (UK)

Also Known As:

El maravilloso mundo de los hermanos Grimm

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Studios, Bavariafilmplatz 7, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Gross USA:

$14,170,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinerama Productions Corp.,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),Bavaria Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Cinerama 7-Track Mono (Westrex Recording System) (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.59 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Buddy Hackett sang in "The Music Man", he had what could be described as a "funny" singing voice which would have seemed out of place in the eerie "flute-playing" scenes of "The Singing Bone". So his singing was dubbed by Clinton Sundberg, the actor who played the Prime Minister in the film, and who rarely sang onscreen. Although Sundberg did not have a trained singing voice, it had the right gravitas for the somber fairy tale.

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Goofs

THE DANCING PRINCESS is set during a rather fancifully depicted Middle Ages. However, the royal palace in which she lives is the Castle of Neuschwanstein, which was not built until 1869-1892.

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Quotes

The King: I have discovered a new musical instrument which I thought might amuse you.
Ludwig: As ruler of half your kingdom, I think it my duty to tell you that I simply loathe music.
The King: [Pointedly] As ruler of the other half, I suspect that you may change your mind. Shepherd, would you play us a tune?
Voice of Flute: [the Shepherd plays and this song is heard] O King, pray listen to my tale./ I sleep beneath the tree./ My master Ludwig raised his sword/ And drove it into me./ I'll never walk the earth again/ Or hear a bird or plant...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

At the end, the credits simply say: "And they lived happily ever after". There is no "The End" credit or "Cast of Characters".

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Connections

Spoofed in The Brothers Grimsby (2016)

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Soundtracks

Ah-Oom
Words and Music by Bob Merrill

User Reviews

Wonderfully Entertaining Family Film

Ideally, one would be able to experience this movie as it was originally presented in Cinerama. I know that just about every child who shared that experience was completely enthralled by this movie. But even without the Cinerama presentation, this is still a very enjoyable and imaginative movie. This is one of the most successful live-action fairy tale films. The entire production is rich in color and atmosphere. The effective use of unusual locations and cinematography puts this film in a "one of a kind" category. The screenplays for the fantasy section are very fine and the biographical story is simple but unpretentious and easy to take. What really makes this sprawling fairy tale work is the wonderful cast and acting. This is an enormous international cast and includes humorous and touching performances from many of film's finest character actors. It would be wonderful to have a DVD release with comments from surviving cast members (Russ Tamblyn) and production artists.