It could have been one of the creepiest movies I've ever seen, if it didn't have Matt Damon. The big MD in a movie spells big time hokey. The movie was really inconsistent and disjointed, but it definately had its moments. Moments that drew you in, evoking wonder and fear, culminating in some pretty shockingly gruesome details. Overally, the movie created a world of powerful fears without any redemptive hope or grace. It did have the "required" happy ending. Makes sense as it was directed by Terry Gilliam.
The upside is that my interest is now peaked in the real Bros. Grimm. Two wild and crazy guys they were not! They sat at home day in and day out studying law, the German Language, writing dictionaries, and working for German unification. Oh, yeah...they also invited the middle class over to tell them all the stories that were told to them by their nannies and grandmas which they would write down and then edit in order to find (or some would say "craft") the "pure" German folk tradition. The Grimm's stylistic reworkings have become the formulas for what we look for in a fairy tale, but as a smart guy named Zipes says, they are definately "contaminations."
Compared to the Disney versions, the Grimm tales are definately darker and more gruesome. But, it seems that the two brothers, who were brought up Calvinst, actually toned down the original tales.
So far, I've only read three tales, but one scene from a story you will probably know sticks out. It's the one where the princess kisses the frog because he retrieved her golden bauble from the well. One kiss and the frog turns into a prince. Well, in the Grimm version, she doesn't kiss him. She gets sick of him after he has hung out with her all day, and she throws him against the wall in a fit of rage. A bit harsh, but it does lift the spell, and they live happily ever after.
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