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

[Rob W]

Is there any chance at all that WB would at least release a 4K digital file of this along with the blu-ray ? A 4K file shouldn't be a huge cost compared to a full 4K disc release, which I understand is unlikely. Even if the only way to access it was to purchase the blu-ray, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it.

 

[Darby67]

Hello Cinerama and “Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” fans.

Originally our digital restoration of the film was to come out in the fall of 2021 but after some discussions with George Feltenstein, who is now back hard at work at Warner Bros. we both agreed it would be best to make this a 60th anniversary special release. As many of you know 2022 is also the 70th anniversary of Cinerama itself! This release will be special in that it will be in both SmileBox and Letterbox formats with lots of bonus extras which we have prepared. One of the main extras will be a very detailed documentary look on how the film has been completely rescued from original Cinerama damaged negative elements resulting in a quite stunning image. Other extras we are considering will be an extensive slide show of the behind the scenes and publicity photos, with original posters and ads. We have reconstructed 2 trailers from 0-negs, and located a few 1962 TV trailers, along with some rare vintage radio interviews. A recent addition to the extras is an interview with Justin Humphreys who is the curator of the George Pal estate and author of the upcoming biography “George Pal: Man of Tomorrow”.

Currently the plans are to release it at some point early next year. This release would not have been possible without the support of Cinerama Inc. and Warner Bros. who are both excited to finally get the project accomplished which completes the entire Cinerama library of 3-panel films.

David Strohmaier, Project Director and Restorationist
Tom H. March, Restorationist.

You can find the reconstructed theatrical trailer at:
www.in70mm.com/news/2021/grimm/index.htm

Dave:

Thank you for the update and for the wonderful job you and the team are doing on the restoration of this wonderful film. Please take however much time you need to bring out the best possible release. As you know, we WWotBG fans are very patient! LOL!

Sean

 

[Dick]

David - any chance this will be available in the much-beloved but seemingly defunct Digibook case, to match the wonderful WB release of HOW THE WEST WAS WON? Just curious.

 

[Thomas T]

David - any chance this will be available in the much-beloved but seemingly defunct Digibook case, to match the wonderful WB release of HOW THE WEST WAS WON? Just curious.

Please, NO! Those digibook cases are eyesores. IF that hideous idea comes to pass, at make the title available in regular blu ray cases too.

 

[richardburton84]

Thanks for the update, David. Not to be too greedy, but I hope there’s something in those extras you mentioned pertaining Leigh Harline’s score, which is one of the best things about the film.

 

[Matt Hough]

Glorious news for those of us who have had to make do with a hideously brown, artifact-laden laserdisc for so many years. I know this will more than be worth the wait. Thanks for all of your hard work!

 

[Tommy R]

So glad to hear this! I absolutely adore this film and have been greatly looking forward to this release. This update has me overwhelmed and grateful for what is to come.

 

[Dick]

Please, NO! Those digibook cases are eyesores. IF that hideous idea comes to pass, at make the title available in regular blu ray cases too.

A bit puzzled, Tom -- what is eyesore-ish about Digibooks? They had wonderful, textured, hard covers and were loaded with glossy, heavily-illustrated booklets.

 

[Thomas T]

A bit puzzled, Tom -- what is eyesore-ish about Digibooks? They had wonderful, textured, hard covers and were loaded with glossy, heavily-illustrated booklets.

When I buy a movie, I don't need/want "textured hard covers with glossy, heavily-illustrated booklets". Just the movie, please. When Criterion gave me fat cumbersome booklets (Red River, The Furies etc.), they ended up in the trash! But then again, on the rare occasion I eat Cracker Jack, I toss out the "prize" still in its container. Hey, if the Cracker Jack types want their blu rays in cardboard covers with pictures and useless trivia inside, god bless 'em but at least make the regular blu ray case available for we "just the facts, m'am" types.

 

[Douglas R]

When I buy a movie, I don't need/want "textured hard covers with glossy, heavily-illustrated booklets". Just the movie, please. When Criterion gave me fat cumbersome booklets (Red River, The Furies etc.), they ended up in the trash! But then again, on the rare occasion I eat Cracker Jack, I toss out the "prize" still in its container. Hey, if the Cracker Jack types want their blu rays in cardboard covers with pictures and useless trivia inside, god bless 'em but at least make the regular blu ray case available for we "just the facts, m'am" types.

"Just the movie" is too boring for me. I want something special to put on the shelf. When I buy The Ten Commandments, I want the actual stone tablets, which is what we got with the massive box set - well, almost... Then there are those actual 70mm film frames which came in the Lawrence of Arabia box - although it's a pity they didn't include a bucket of sand. And I wouldn't want to give up having Charlton Heston's Journal which came with the fabulous Ben-Hur box.

 

[TJPC]

Ha! I still remember the 4 "lithographs suitable for framing" that came with the first VHS set of Star Wars movies. Long after I converted everything to DVD, I was taking down old rusty shelving in the basement and found the "lithographs" had slid behind the sleeves and spent years getting moldy against a damp wall. There they were unloved and unmissed. I got no pang when I folded them and put them in the garbage.

 

[Dick]

When I buy a movie, I don't need/want "textured hard covers with glossy, heavily-illustrated booklets". Just the movie, please. When Criterion gave me fat cumbersome booklets (Red River, The Furies etc.), they ended up in the trash! But then again, on the rare occasion I eat Cracker Jack, I toss out the "prize" still in its container. Hey, if the Cracker Jack types want their blu rays in cardboard covers with pictures and useless trivia inside, god bless 'em but at least make the regular blu ray case available for we "just the facts, m'am" types.

Well, now you need to tell us all how you really feel!

 

[usrunnr]

I wonder where the restored WWoBG would be shown in the Los Angeles area.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Ha! I still remember the 4 "lithographs suitable for framing" that came with the first VHS set of Star Wars movies. Long after I converted everything to DVD, I was taking down old rusty shelving in the basement and found the "lithographs" had slid behind the sleeves and spent years getting moldy against a damp wall. There they were unloved and unmissed. I got no pang when I folded them and put them in the garbage.

I just came across a whole sack full of Disney lithos that came when you'd pre-order vhs tapes exclusively at the Disney Store. I don't know what to do with them. Let's see what ebay has to say...

 

[Stephen_J_H]

I just came across a whole sack full of Disney lithos that came when you'd pre-order vhs tapes exclusively at the Disney Store. I don't know what to do with them. Let's see what ebay has to say...

I have a stack of these in my closet from pre-ordering DVDs.

 

[Malcolm Bmoor]

I was fifteen when I saw this film and only went because it was Cinerama and I'd enjoyed HOW THE WEST WAS WON.

But I didn't enjoy this one as it was far too young for me.

I don't understand why so many people are so keen to see it again. Is it just because it's Cinerama? Obviously however marvellous the restoration you won't have the Cinerama experience so what's the point?

As a film, as opposed to a technical curiosity, it's nothing special and but for the technical aspect I can't imagine many people taking an interest in this unsophisticated childrens' picture.

My present opinion is that of my fifteen year old former self as I've never seen it since.

 

[Dan_Shane]

I was fifteen when I saw this film and only went because it was Cinerama and I'd enjoyed HOW THE WEST WAS WON.

But I didn't enjoy this one as it was far too young for me.

The film wasn't too young for you; you were at exactly the wrong age to best enjoy it. I liked it fine as a preteen, and so did my parents who were in their 40s. WWWotBG is charming, clever, and eye-popping. I have seen it many times since maturing, and I only appreciate it more.

Yes, it is primarily a fictionalized family film, reflective of the period it was made. And there's nothing wrong with that. As a monster-obsessed kid I was most enamored of THE SINGING BONE segment, and I would say that portion has aged the least well because of its slapstick and cartoonish approach to what was in essence a horror story. Even so, I'm keen to see the dragon restored to correct color and 3-strip perfection, and my 68-year-old eyes can still appreciate a beautifully rendered child's fantasy.

 

[TallPaulInKy]

The Grim truth about “Brothers Grimm”
"as I understand it from my pals at LOC there is no 3-panel 6-perf IB prints of “Grimm” on deposit which could possibly fill in any missing and damaged areas. They only have the 35mm scope general release version."

At least they have that, maybe instead of dreaming of a Cinerama reissue, the fans should shoot for a restoration of the 35mm scope version. I realize it's not the greatest.. but right now the only commercial release I can find on DVD is from Italy and according to the reviews, very poor quality.

 

[Paul Hillenbrand]

I was fifteen when I saw this film and only went because it was Cinerama and I'd enjoyed HOW THE WEST WAS WON.

But I didn't enjoy this one as it was far too young for me.

I don't understand why so many people are so keen to see it again. Is it just because it's Cinerama? Obviously however marvellous the restoration you won't have the Cinerama experience so what's the point?

As a film, as opposed to a technical curiosity, it's nothing special and but for the technical aspect I can't imagine many people taking an interest in this unsophisticated childrens' picture.

My present opinion is that of my fifteen year old former self as I've never seen it since.

Maybe a few years younger made the difference for me, being eleven, turning twelve in August, the same month as the August 8, 1962 Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm premier.
I had no idea what I was about to see and I was thoroughly entertained with all the Grimm stories! Prominent actor interpretations by Laurence Harvey, Karlheinz Böhm, Jim Backus, Barbara Eden, and Buddy Hackett were exceptional And the George Pal creative power for the realism in The Cobbler and the Elves and The Singing Bone triggered Christmas-time emotions!

 

[Tommy R]

I was fifteen when I saw this film and only went because it was Cinerama and I'd enjoyed HOW THE WEST WAS WON.

But I didn't enjoy this one as it was far too young for me.

I don't understand why so many people are so keen to see it again. Is it just because it's Cinerama? Obviously however marvellous the restoration you won't have the Cinerama experience so what's the point?

As a film, as opposed to a technical curiosity, it's nothing special and but for the technical aspect I can't imagine many people taking an interest in this unsophisticated childrens' picture.

My present opinion is that of my fifteen year old former self as I've never seen it since.

I only just saw this for the first time almost a decade ago at the age of 27 and I immediately loved it! I watched a crappy old VHS copy, but I still thought it was great. I have been a life long fan of George Pal’s The Time Machine, and felt like going through all of his filmography since I still hadn’t seen anything else outside of The War of the Worlds, and when I got to Brothers Grimm it was right away my favorite film of his (AFTER TTM of course). Tom Thumb was really fun too.