SusannahThe Brothers Grimm
August 20th 2006 00:51
The Brothers Grimm on DVD
Dir. Terry Gilliam
Starring: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Lena Headey, Jonathan Pryce, Peter Stormare, Monica Bellucci
A re-imagining by director Terry Gilliam of what it would be like if the Grimm brothers, those famous collectors of European folklore, made their living as scammers who saved villages from supposed witches and the like, only to stumble into a real fairytale.
For starters the film looks great. The set design, costume and cinematography all make the film look like a fairytale storybook. It is acted and directed in Gilliam’s typically over the top, exaggerated style. I am not a huge fan of his style, but it does suit the fantastical subject matter better than some of his other films that have a more grounded setting.
I do think that the film would have been better served at times if Gilliam had allowed more moments of seriousness, especially between the brothers, as played by Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, as their relationship remains underdeveloped. It is hinted that Willhelm (Damon) resents his brother Jacob’s (Ledger) naivety leading to the death of their sister, yet their relationship dynamic is never fully explored.
Still, this is entertaining viewing with shades of the Princess Bride: Pryce giving good wicked ruler, Stormare going way over the top as an Italian torturer (there’s even a visit to a torture chamber, ie. PB’s The Pit of Despair), Lena Headey gives good attractive leading lady, at times looking uncannily like Keira Knightley, and Monica Bellucci gives some nice evil witchiness to boot.
The Deleted Scenes are worth a look too. Some extensive scenes were cut to keep the running time down for cineamatic release, a decision that Gilliam’s Deleted Scenes commentary indicates that he wasn’t particularly happy with. Whenever he says “eventually we decided…” you can bet that Harvey “Scissorhands” Weinstein, who acted as a Producer with his brother Bob, played a large part in that decision, happy as he is to tell directors how to edit their movies. You can just hear the resentment in Gilliam’s voice.
Altogether recommended
Dir. Terry Gilliam
Starring: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Lena Headey, Jonathan Pryce, Peter Stormare, Monica Bellucci
A re-imagining by director Terry Gilliam of what it would be like if the Grimm brothers, those famous collectors of European folklore, made their living as scammers who saved villages from supposed witches and the like, only to stumble into a real fairytale.
For starters the film looks great. The set design, costume and cinematography all make the film look like a fairytale storybook. It is acted and directed in Gilliam’s typically over the top, exaggerated style. I am not a huge fan of his style, but it does suit the fantastical subject matter better than some of his other films that have a more grounded setting.
I do think that the film would have been better served at times if Gilliam had allowed more moments of seriousness, especially between the brothers, as played by Matt Damon and Heath Ledger, as their relationship remains underdeveloped. It is hinted that Willhelm (Damon) resents his brother Jacob’s (Ledger) naivety leading to the death of their sister, yet their relationship dynamic is never fully explored.
Still, this is entertaining viewing with shades of the Princess Bride: Pryce giving good wicked ruler, Stormare going way over the top as an Italian torturer (there’s even a visit to a torture chamber, ie. PB’s The Pit of Despair), Lena Headey gives good attractive leading lady, at times looking uncannily like Keira Knightley, and Monica Bellucci gives some nice evil witchiness to boot.
The Deleted Scenes are worth a look too. Some extensive scenes were cut to keep the running time down for cineamatic release, a decision that Gilliam’s Deleted Scenes commentary indicates that he wasn’t particularly happy with. Whenever he says “eventually we decided…” you can bet that Harvey “Scissorhands” Weinstein, who acted as a Producer with his brother Bob, played a large part in that decision, happy as he is to tell directors how to edit their movies. You can just hear the resentment in Gilliam’s voice.
Altogether recommended
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
As usual there is a quirky atmosphere filled with eccentric characters.
Shame, Heath Ledger and Matt Damon irritate the hell out of me. I can tolerate Damon sometimes, but in this both of them dont seem to understand their characters.
Monnica Belucci's role is small but enjoyable to watch. Peter Stromare as always gives a manic performance that made me grin.
Totally agree that Erhan Kruger's script was underdevloped.