The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (Warner Archive) Blu-ray Review + 1080p Screenshots + Packaging Shots

Warner Archive outdoes itself with this wonderful presentation of one of the only two films shot in the Cinerama format.

Studio: Warner Archive
Release Date: August 7th, 1962 (theatrical) / March 29th, 2022 (blu-ray)
Run Time: 2 hours 20 minutes 20 seconds (both versions)
Region Code: FREE
Picture: 1080p (2.89:1 aspect ratio) (both versions)
Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (both versions)
Subtitles: English SDH
Slipcover: No
Digital Copy: No
Starring: Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Karlheinz Böhm, Walter Slezak, Barbara Eden, Oskar Homolka

Written by David P. Harmon, Charles Beaumont, William Roberts

Directed by Henry Levin, George Pal
Rating: G

____________________________________________

Poster

____________________________________________

What's It About?

Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm are writing a historical manuscript for a local duke, but the project is late because Wilhelm spends his time gathering fairy tales. When Wilhelm drops part of the manuscript in a creek, catches pneumonia while retrieving it. Near death, he dreams of various characters that want to be written -- and upon his recovery, a shaken Jacob agrees to work on a book of fairy tales with him, beginning the brothers' illustrious career.

____________________________________________

Video/Audio

Presented in the film's original aspect ratio of 2.89:1, THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM looks amazing. The film was shot in Cinerama, which was a short-lived format that required three cameras to shoot the film. The film was then displayed on a special, ultra-wide screen with three projectors displaying the three panels of the film. It was known as "smile box". Warner Archive has included both formats (a Letterboxed version as well as the "smile box" version) and they both come from the same restoration. The first thing I noticed was the incredible depth on display here. Everything appears to be in focus at all times (for the most part, at least) with the compositions capturing everything so beautifully. Colors pop right off the screen and skin tones look accurate. Detail is also very high. The letterbox version does have a "fish eye" feel to the picture but this is because of the way the film was shot and also how the picture was reconstructed. This is a wonderful restoration of a film that was shot with special means.

The 5.1 track included is excellent and captures the mood of the film quite well.

____________________________________________

Extras/Packaging

Disc 1: Letterbox Version

Brothers Grimm Announcement Trailer (4m 36s, HD, 2.89:1)

Brothers Grimm Theatrical Letterbox Trailer (2m 27s, HD, 2.89:1)

Brothers Grimm Radio Interview with Russ Tamblyn (5m 11s, HD)

Brothers Grimm Radio Interview with Yvette Mimieux (5m 39s, HD)

Epic Art for the Brothers Grimm (7m, HD, 1.78:1) Chesten Humphries hosts a look at the artwork for the film.

The Wonderful Career of George Pal (8m 47s, HD, 1.78:1) Another featurette with Chesten Humphries

Disc 2: SmileBox Version

Brothers Grimm Cinerama Announcement Trailer (4m 37s, HD, 2.89:1 SmileBox)

Brother Grimm Theatrical Smilebox Trailer (2m 27s, HD, 2.89:1 SmileBox)

Rescuing a Fantasy Classic (40m 19s, HD, 1.78:1)

Rothenberg, Germany Location Commemorative Plaque (56s, HD, 2.89:1)

A Salute to William R. Forman (1m 49s, HD, 1.78:1)

Brothers Grimm Slideshow (12m, HD)

The special features on display here are great. The showcase feature is the one on the restoration done on both versions of the film. I found this rather informative and wish that there was more of it. The two trailers are the same, just in the different formats. The one about the plaque is short and sweet but could have been included in the slideshow and not as a separate feature. I really liked the features here with the only thing missing is a commentary track.

The packaging is pretty nice as well, The artwork features one of the film's many posters and is very eye-catching. There is also a reproduction of the program handed out at screenings of the film and is a wonderful inclusion. I wish more releases included things like this. The two discs feature artwork from a portion of another poster on both discs.

Both discs are REGION FREE

____________________________________________

Overall

THE WONDERFUL BROTHERS GRIMM is a fantastic film that captures the look and the feel of the stories from the Brothers Grimm (well, at least how close they could get for the time) Both versions of the film are worth checking out with the SmileBox version being a very interesting curiosity. The picture quality is jaw-dropping and the special features celebrate the film in all the right ways. This is one of the best releases from Warner Archive and I hope they do more like this.

____________________________________________

Extras/Menus