The Brothers Grimm (2005)

After a seven year hiatus, the legendary Terry Gilliam returns to direct the long awaited film, The Brothers Grimm. This film, unlike that of Gilliam's other previous ones, does not include a surplus of humor such as Brazil (1985) or Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) as I expected, but is filled with magic, adventure, sorrow, and love; all the necessities of a fairy tale, which it is. The Grimm brothers are the real-life authors of famous tales such as "Snow White", "Little Red Ridding Hood", and "Hansel and Grethel", and this film comically, and fictionally, describes the inspiration for which these stories are based on.

Once upon a time (to be more specific, 19th century) in a land far away, (French occupied Germany) there lived two brothers who wandered the land in quest of towns that housed terrible witches and demons, fed by superstitious fears. Their names are Wilhelm (Matt Damon) and Jacob (Heath Ledger) Grimm. Upon finding a town, the two brothers would exorcise the demon, kill the witch, or banish the plague, causing the villagers to rejoice, and the brothers to claim their hefty price tag for their services. However, the fairy tale does not end here, for one main reason: they were fake.

After each elaborate hoax, the brothers and their 'stage crew' would look in search of another village that had a similar supernatural folktale, gorging on their little to no gold. One day, however, they are arrested and brought to French authorities, who revel that they have discovered the Grimm's secret, but are willing to grant amnesty. A small town has become a great pain to the French; 10 girls have mysteriously disappeared into the forest, and haven't been seen since. The brothers are sent to investigate the cause of this disappearance, and eliminate the magic, while under the watch of French soldiers. However this town is discovered to be really haunted, truthfully enchanted, and mysteriously creepy. There's more to the story of course, such as a wicked queen, a magic mirror, and savage trees that eat men alive, but you need to see the film yourself to really enjoy it. The Brothers Grimm is a fairy tale of its own, with twists, turns, and lack of Disney songs. Any Gilliam fan will, of course, love the film and live happily ever after.

The Brothers Grimm is a witch's cauldron filled to the brim with allusions to various stories that the brothers wrote. Hansel and Grethel make an appearance, along with a witch obsessed with being fairest of the land, and a little girl with a red riding hood. This is one of the things that kept the film humorous, as there are so many of them. (Another allusion, surprisingly, is to the German film M (1931) , for in both, a little girl named Elsie is lured away by a mysterious man.) In addition to this, Gilliam creates a feel to the film which seems as if it was taken right out of a storybook. Of course, just as the brothers Grimm had it, all fairy tales are not always for children. Some scenes in the film were quite . . . disturbing. In a scene that conveys the wickedness of the French, a cat is grinded to bits, its guts are flung across the room, and it, eventually, is eaten. At this point in the film, the majority of my theatre left, claiming that the film was "cruelty to animals". However, Gilliam has shown cat abuse in many of his films before, so this minor scene should not have been a surprise.

Another disturbing scene in the film (which I found to be incredibly awesome) is when a girl is lured to the witch's tower because of a horse. Hearing the horse in pain, the young girl soothes the horse, petting it, only to be eaten (yes, eaten) alive. It is quite an interesting scene, which stood out in my mind when I left the theatre. The main reason, most likely, would have to do with the fact that the horse looked as if it actually did swallow a girl whole. Once again, as I said, this film may be a fairy tale, but is not meant for children of young ages.

This film had many high points too. The excellent soundtrack created a dark feeling to the film, one which is necessary to show the trials the brothers faced on their adventure. There were also many visually entertaining scenes, such as the eclipse scene, and much symbolism that created a wonderful atmosphere to enjoy and learn from. Things such as reality and fantasy are explored, along with the relationships between father and daughter, and brother and brother.

The Brothers Grimm is an enjoyable film that many a Gilliam fan will enjoy. Although his style is considered to be an 'acquired taste', I recommend this film for its magical feeling, its wonderful morals, its few funny lines ("You were nearly eaten by a tree!"), and its visually entertaining scenes which will hold you for the entire film, and longer.

*As a small little note, the man in the film is not a werewolf. In old folklore, it was believed that if one was to don the pelt of a creature, that person would be turned into that creature. If you look at Angelika's father, he is wearing a wolf pelt, as is Angelika later in the film.*