My 2 cents worth on “Brothers Grimm” (1 Viewer)

[William Moore]

If you'll carefully reread my first sentence or two, you'll notice that I said "discs" meaning that I have both Grimm and Lao on CD which are among my favorite leisure listening discs. My rant was about having to wait decades to get the soundtrack to Lao instead of instantly being able to buy it on LP when the movie was first released in 1964. When I said Lao never had any kind of album, I meant a soundtrack LP. I guess I should have been clearer about it, but I thought the first paragraph established that I had the CD soundtracks to both Harline scores.

OK, I guess I jumped to the incorrect conclusion. Just trying to be helpful.

 

[Cineman]

I just got an online message from a movie buff friend in the USA who says he was at the GRAND PRIX screening for the Cinerama Festival at Los Angeles' Cinerama Dome last night. He mentioned there was a guest speaker before the screening who claimed, "there ARE plans afoot for a Grimm restore" and that he was hoping we might see it at the next Cinerama Festival. Anyone else present for that announcement?

It is always possible that it was misheard or a statement made by someone who is only wishing really hard. I am currently trying to get a clarification from my friend on the name of the guest speaker who made that claim.

 

[OliverK]

Sounds almost too good to be true. He may have said that there are no plans afoot but that a vintage print may be shown at the next festival.

Of course I would prefer the story to be that work is underway and that we will have a digital version soon

 

[Cineman]

I just got an online message from a movie buff friend in the USA who says he was at the GRAND PRIX screening in the Cinerama Festival at Los Angeles' Cinerama Dome last night. He mentioned there was a guest speaker before the screening who claimed, "there ARE plans afoot for a Grimm restore" and that he was hoping we might see it at the next Cinerama Festival. Anyone else present for that announcement?

It is always possible that it was misheard or a statement made by someone who is only wishing really hard. I am currently trying to get a clarification from my friend on the name of the guest speaker who made that claim.

The only follow up reply I have gotten from my friend about the identity of the speaker is he could not remember the name but that he spoke for a while, walked away and then came back with, "Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you" the news about the Grimm restoration. The audience cheered.

Again, maybe he was just some nut who walked to the front of the theater with a microphone or he was trying to gin up enthusiasm and buzz for something he is wishing will happen. But that is the report I got from my friend.

 

[DP 70]

What did Grand Prix look like in Digital Cinerama.

 

[Cineman]

What did Grand Prix look like in Digital Cinerama.

My friend is not a techie in that way and only said that, as a movie, it had a "sloggy story but still quite fun". He did not elaborate on the pic and sound except to say it was thrilling when the curtains parted on Leo the Lion's roar and the music started. Oh, and that it was also thrilling to meet Eva Marie Saint, 90 years old and still cuts a fine figure. I live on the other side of the world from L.A. now, our waking hours are pretty much opposite from each other and this was just a quick social network message about his seeing GRAND PRIX and meeting Saint. I first mentioned it was a shame there is no effort to restore Brothers Grimm, since we were on the subject of Cinerama movies, and that was when he replied with the bit about the guest speaker who said there was one coming up.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Oh, man. You had to go and raise my optimism, didn't you? YOU MONSTER!

 

[Cineman]

Oh, man. You had to go and raise my optimism, didn't you? YOU MONSTER!

Lol. I tried to add as many qualifiers as possible to leave plenty of room for either a misunderstanding or merely wishful thinking on the part of the guest speaker. I was so hoping that someone on this forum had attended that screening of GRAND PRIX, heard the announcement and could either verify or clarify what was actually said. Is there a GRAND PRIX thread here? I should do a search and see if anyone else was there the other night.

My friend is in the industry in that he is an actor and sometimes stage director, not famous as in a household name but has made a good living at for at least 45 years. I have known him that long as well. He had no particular interest in THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM as a movie other than perhaps seeing it once on tv. I don't recall ever talking about it with him before. He does not know anything about this website and did not know anything about the discussion of it on this thread. I guess I am saying he had no dog in the hunt either way about whether or not Grimm gets a restoration, did not know that it needed one and that there is no digital version of it on home video.

Honestly, if I had not mentioned what a shame it is that Grimm is not getting a restoration in one of my replies to his Facebook Message to me about his attending GRAND PRIX at the Cinerama Dome, I doubt he would have volunteered the information that he did about it. And the only reason he sent me a message about his going to the Cinerama Dome is because he and I attended the 35th (?) Anniversary of IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD there back in the day and Stanley Kramer and his lovely wife sat directly but two rows behind us along with a handful of other stars of the movie sprinkled around the house. lol. So we have a history with what is going on at the Cinerama Dome and that was his only purpose in mentioning his attendance to me the other night.

 

[William Moore]

The only follow up reply I have gotten from my friend about the identity of the speaker is he could not remember the name but that he spoke for a while, walked away and then came back with, "Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you" the news about the Grimm restoration. The audience cheered.

Again, maybe he was just some nut who walked to the front of the theater with a microphone or he was trying to gin up enthusiasm and buzz for something he is wishing will happen. But that is the report I got from my friend.

The man with the mic wasn't David Strohmaier, was it?

 

[Cineman]

The man with the mic wasn't David Strohmaier, was it?

I can not say since I wasn't there, just relatng what my friend who was there said about it. He doesn't remember the name and did not have a flyer stating who it was. I assume he had to be a representative of the Cinerama Festival, not a guest speaker about GRAND PRIX in particular.

 

[William Moore]

I can not say since I wasn't there, just relatng what my friend who was there said about it. He doesn't remember the name and did not have a flyer stating who it was. I assume he had to be a representative of the Cinerama Festival, not a guest speaker about GRAND PRIX in particular.

Well, I know that Mr. Strohmaier is involved with the Cinerama Dome, so since he referenced "Brothers Grimm", it could have been him. Here's hoping anyway!

 

[OliverK]

Well, I know that Mr. Strohmaier is involved with the Cinerama Dome, so since he referenced "Brothers Grimm", it could have been him. Here's hoping anyway!

He also posts here so you might ask him in his own thread about the 55th anniversary of the Cinerama Dome. If there is anything to that story Dave would surely know about it.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

For those who have been following this thread, I would strongly encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the Warner Archive Podcast, as in the letters section at the end, there is a serious discussion of WWOTBG and the difficulties and financial realities of a project like this. Link:https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/titanic-tv-terrors/id310063354?i=1000421549533&mt=2

 

[warnerbro]

I just saw it on TCM and it looked so bad it was unwatchable. Tragic.

 

[Tommy R]

For those who have been following this thread, I would strongly encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the Warner Archive Podcast, as in the letters section at the end, there is a serious discussion of WWOTBG and the difficulties and financial realities of a project like this. Link:https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/titanic-tv-terrors/id310063354?i=1000421549533&mt=2

I can't seem to get it to play. Do they post a transcript anywhere or even have these podcasts on YouTube?

 

[revgen]

You can view it here. October 9th broadcast.

https://www.acast.com/warnerarchivepodcast

George Feltenstein indicated that the only economically feasible way for WAC to publish the film on blu-ray was to do a scan of the reduction element, which didn't meet the quality standards for a WB blu-ray release. Feltenstein even brought up David Strohmaier's post as confirmation of his POV. I don't believe he actually read the post, since Mr. Strohmaier described doing a restoration similar to what he did with the Windjammer restoration, which was released on blu-ray through Flicker Alley this year.

 

[Bill Huelbig]

I'll always keep my hopes up for a Smilebox Blu-ray of Brothers Grimm. If I were Lucas or Spielberg, I'd even pay for the restoration. I'm so grateful I got to see it in Cinerama at the Dome in October 2012, another thing concerning this film that was supposed to be impossible and would never happen.

A previous poster mentioned The Dancing Princess sequence. For sheer excitement, I'd rate it near the top of all sequences designed to show how thrilling Cinerama can be.

As for Leigh Harline's score, several people (including me) were whistling the main theme as they were exiting the Dome screening. I don't think I'd ever experienced something like that before.

 

[JSLasher]

Hello all. I am a huge fan of this movie, first of all because I worked at a Cinerama theatre in Wichita, Kansas in 1962 and 1963 and was there for the premieres of both HTWWW and WWOTBG; and secondly, because this movie to me is highly entertaining, well-acted and directed and is, as they say, "one for the ages." Anyway, does anyone know that there is a group of supporters of this movie called "Friends of the Brothers Grimm?" Some time back they got a petition together, which as far as I know is still on line, getting signatures so that eventually the petition can be submitted to Warner Bros., requesting that "Grimm" be restored (a la HTWWW) and released on BluRay. I am hoping that perhaps David Strohmaier, Cinerama restoration guru, may already be working on this project, since WWOTBG is the only remaining Cinerama film which has not yet been restored. Also, my limited research has revealed that supposedly the only remaining print of this film is owned by a man in Australia; and a 65mm interpositive exists which contains all 3 panels somewhere, plus the negatives, according to some sources, are available and useable! If you haven't seen some of Mr. Strohmaier's Cinerama restorations on BluRay, check them out. He has worked many miracles in restoring these great Cinerama productions. So let's all keep talking about this and keep our fingers crossed that "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" will truly live again!

 

[JSLasher]

Please restore this film. Why not? It's highly entertaining, well acted, and boasts a fine, melodic music score. And this recommendation is from a died-in-the-wool Kinopanorama(r) widescreen film enthusiast no less.

 

[Interdimensional]

Please restore this film. Why not?

You read the thread, you'll find the reasons. ...Which is basically nothing that ever stopped David Strohmaier when he was restoring Cinerama films from damaged or imperfect elements. Of course there is the one reason that would; WB !

It's a wonderful, magical, memorable film. It's stayed with me for years, and yet with the low quality of video masters I feel I've never truly seen it.