Hansel and Gretel 

Abandoned by their parents, a young brother and sister try to find their way home. On the way, they find themselves trapped in the plot of a nasty witch.

Director:

James Frawley

Writer:

Patricia Resnick

Stars:

Ricky Schroder, Joan Collins, Paul Dooley

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Ricky Schroder	...	Hansel
Joan Collins	...	Stepmother / Witch
Paul Dooley	...	Father
Bridgette Andersen	...	Gretel
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shelley Duvall	...	Herself - Host

Storyline

Abandoned by their parents, a young brother and sister try to find their way home. On the way, they find themselves trapped in the plot of a nasty witch.

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Plot Keywords:

witch | surrealism | stepmother stepson relationship | stepmother stepdaughter relationship | father son relationship | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 December 1983 (USA)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The visual style of the tale was based on the illustrations of Arthur Rackham.

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Goofs

Near the end, Gretel prays to God to "take mercy on my brother and I" but should say "and me".

User Reviews

PopCultureThoughts.Com

Just as its previous episode "Little Red Riding Hood," "Faerie Tale Theatre" seems to be tackling some of the harder-edged fairy tales, and it's fascinating to watch. Here, with the dark themes of "Hansel and Gretel," I somewhat expected some glossing over but instead I was impressed to see that the episode is both faithful and occasionally macabre. Joan Collins is perfectly cast as both the stepmother and the witch, and she plays to the camera delightfully every time she's on screen. The writing in this episode is snappy and crisp, and the adapted parts of the fairy tale are wonderfully integrated into a wider narrative.