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:

The First Dramatic Film in Fabulous CINERAMA

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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

Automobile visible driving in the distance when the brothers are walking along the street.

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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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Alternate Versions

When shown in regular theatres rather than ones equipped for Cinerama, the film was shown as a regular anamorphic widescreen film. However, it had not been shot that way, so the "lines" at which the three strips of film used in Cinerama were joined were visible onscreen. Films such as the 1955 "Oklahoma!", which was first shown in Todd-AO, were actually filmed in two versions, one for a Todd-AO screen and one for a Cinemascope screen.

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Connections

Referenced in The Brothers Grimsby (2016)

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Soundtracks

The Singing Bone
Music by Bob Merrill
Words by Charles Beaumont

User Reviews

Still sticks in my memory

When I was a kid I would have travelled to the moon if necessary to see anything in Cinerama and this film was no different. I have not seen it since '62 or '63 but I can still recall its magic. If I dug hard enough in old trunks I might even find its 'programme'. Amazing how blockbusters and special format pics always seemed to have accompanying booklets...or they did here in NZ at least.

If I was to view this now in some small screen format it might indeed seem corny and clumsy and dull but let me say that in three eye cinerama it was a sumptuous feast for a ten or so year old and I reckon if I was to see it again in those circumstances I would still be spellbound. How could one not be when senses are in sensory overload?

Years later I got to visit the real Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria. I recall it being a bit of a a disappointment compared to the sequences where it featured in this film. Long live Cinerama!