"Gilliam is a film artist with a grand and copious vision that he incorporates into every frame of every film like a potion." Jules Brenner CINEMA SIGNALS "Magical! Wonderful! Gorgeous! Enchantment comes to life." Victoria Alexander FILMSINREVIEW.COM "A feast for the eyes, and often very funny." Ken Fox TV GUIDE'S MOVIE GUIDE "A movie as enjoyable as it is clever." Terry Lawson, DETROIT FREE PRESS "It's often funny, its texture can be breathtaking and its pleasures likely will grow with repeated viewings." William Arnold SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

"Terry Gilliam casts such a mad, magical spell over the proceedings that the film is endlessly energized and gleefully imaginative." Tom Long DETROIT NEWS "Terry Gilliam once again proves "Life's little subterfuges make it all worthwhile" in this imaginative, enchanting tale." Susan Granger MODAMAG.COM "a wicked, wild romp through the forest." Stefan Halley HERO REALM "It's Gilliam's chance to run amok, and watching him do it is eye-popping fun." Peter Travers ROLLING STONE "Director Terry Gilliam hasn't made a movie this playful since his Monty Python days, scattering visual and verbal puns throughout Grimm like Hansel and Gretel scatter breadcrumbs." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS

The Inside Story Mention the words The Grimm Brothers in a conversation and instantly the mind and all talk takes a trip back in time to our childhood. There wouldn't be too many adults around who didn't grow up on a good dose their immortal fairy tales, written by the brothers way back in the early nineteenth century. Who hasn't heard of "Rapunzel", "Hanzel & Gretel", "The Bremen Town Musicians", "The Golden Goose" or "Cinderella"? Not too many I suspect. And like all things Hollywood it was only a matter of time before someone came up with an idea that focussed on the Grimm Brothers, Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm. And while there are many references linked to the real Grimm Brothers, Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm", which pays homage to the brothers is infact a highly fictionalized story. "We owe the real Brothers Grimm a lot of thanks for the film but the story isn’t about their historical lives. We’ve basically created a fairy tale about them, in which they, at first, appear to be hip and heroic guys traveling from village to village ridding them of trolls, witches and all kinds of fantastical nightmares," notes director Terry Gilliam, "but we quickly learn it is all a clever con." But as pointed out there are references to the Grimm Brothers work throught the film? "Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, Rapunzel, there are references throughout the movie to those Grimm fairy tales that are most familiar to the audience," Gilliam confirms. "Although there are actually several hundred Grimm fairy tales, we wanted to stay with the ones that really resonate in people’s imaginations." One point worth noting is, many of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales or stories were indeed, richly dark experiences. "Fairy tales have always been the way the world exercises its fears and its darkest imaginings and, also the way it sustains its belief in happy endings," Gilliam says. "I believe fairy tales were always meant to be a little dangerous and disturbing, to stir things up. Perhaps the idea is that if you survive through enough fairy tales, you’re prepared for the real world." And it was no mean feat bringing the production to the screen. It is full of magical moments and locations that created problems for the team. All of which Gilliam revealled they were able to overcome. "We realized from the beginning that in order to have the film truly look like a fairy tale, we couldn’t shoot it in a real forest or a real village because nothing quite like it existed," he said. The solution was simple. They'd "have to build it all." and they did! "We created nearly everything from scratch, built castles and barns, brought an entire forest of trees into a soundstage, trained ravens and horses, crafted hundreds of models," Gilliam recalled. "It was by far the largest production which I’ve ever done." One aspect of the film that won't go unnoticed is how well Matt Damon and Heath Ledger work together. Both actors admit they were keen as mustard to work with the highly creative Gilliam. "I think every actor wants to work with Terry," Matt Damon said. "He’s so visually creative and so passionate about everything he does." So what were his thoughts on the screenplay? "I thought it was very dark and very funny and it’s not at all like anything I’ve done before. It’s a fairy tale, of course, but it’s also got elements of a quest movie, of an action-adventure, of horror, of comedy and even romance." For Australian actor Heath Ledger, working with Gilliam on "The Brothers Grimm" gave him the opportunity to show us a another side of his acting ability, after all, he's usually cast in very outgoing roles. "This role was a real opportunity to leap out of my skin," Ledger says. "It’s a comic role and Terry gave me the gift of allowing me to feel comfortable and free enough to go to extremes and really express myself. I had the time of my life doing it." And is it true that Damon and Ledger spent much of their time off set together? "We simply spent a lot of time talking and having beers at the end of the day," says the star of the Bourne franchise. Why? "Because that’s the sort of stuff that really creates an authentic feeling of brotherhood." Besides the excellent special effects and the two lead actors there are a couple of other noteworthy contributors. One is British actor Jonathan Pryce ["Very Annie Mary"]. The other is Swedish actor Peter Stormare ["Fargo"]. "I think Terry’s joy in employing people like me and Peter Stormare, who come from a theatrical background, is that we’re fairly fearless in not worrying about going-over-the-top," he says. The performances of both these actors pretty well sums up Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm". It's an over the top, out there, Monty Pythonish style of storytelling that is richly rewarding for the viewer. The Real Grimm Brothers The actual Brothers Grimm are Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm. They were born in Hanau, Germany. Jacob was born on January 4th 1785 and Wilhelm on February 24th 1786 to Philipp Wilhelm Grimm [a lawyer and court official] and his wife Dorothea Grimm [née Zimmer]. It was a large family comprising eight boys and one girl. Brothers Friedrich Hermann, Friedrich and Georg Eduard Grimm all passed away prior to their fathers death. The names of Philipp and Dorothea's children were .........

Friedrich Hermann Georg Grimm (1783-1784) Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (1785-1863) Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786-1859) Carl Friedrich Grimm (1787-1852) Ferdinand Philipp Grimm (1788-1844) Ludwig Emil Grimm (1790-1863) Friedrich Grimm (1791-1792) Charlotte (Lotte) Amalie Hassenpflug, neé Grimm (1793-1833) Georg Eduard Grimm (1794-1795)

In 1812, though they were at the time near destitute, the Grimms published their first book of fairy tales volume one of Kinder - und Hausmärchen– [Children’s and Household Tales] an unpretentious book containing 86 numbered folktales.
In 1814 Volume two of Kinder- und Hausmärchen appears in print, pre-dated 1815, adding 70 stories to the previous collection. This famous work will see six additional editions during the Grimms' lifetime. In its final version it will contain 200 numbered stories plus 10 "Children's Legends." It is destined to become the best known and most influential book ever created in the German language.
Then in 1816 & 1818 the Grimms publish two volumes of Deutsche Sagen, a collection totalling 585 German legends.
They went to publish more tales in the coming years. Their endlessly influential collection would ultimately include the stories that would later becoming known as "Cinderella", "Sleeping Beauty", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Hansel & Gretel", "The Frog King", "Snow White", "Rapunzel" and "Rumpelstiltskin". Their final collection, known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales [209 tales collected by the brothers Grimm], has been translated into an incredible 160 languages.
Today, these stories are an indelible part of pop culture and have been transformed into nearly every form of media – from opera to movies to rock music to fashion. The very style of their writing and structure of their tales has influenced children’s literature for well over a century and has had an indelible impact on fantasy filmmaking.
In 1825 Wilhelm married Henriette Dorothea [Dortchen] Wild [1795-1867]. They had three children. Henriette and her family members are credited with providing the Grimm Brothers with some of their best text.
Jacob Grimm never married.
Philipp Wilhelm Grimm died January 10th 1796, at the age of 44.
Dorothea Grimm died May 27th 1808, at the age of 52.
Wilhelm Grimm died December 16th 1859 at the age of 73.
Jacob Grimm died September 20th 1863 at the age of 78.
Thanks to those who inspired them to write the Grimm Brothers will continue to live on through the stories that bear their name and the indelible marks they have left on the human imagination. The Grimm Brothers make a fascinating study and one well worthy of your time. There are sites and there are sites, but if you'd like to read over 200 stories on-line then click here. Cast & Crew Bytes "THE BROTHERS GRIMM" was .......
directed by Terry Gilliam ["Monty Python And The Holy Grail", "Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen", "The Fisher King" "12 Monkeys" and "Tideland"]; screenplay by 1996 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting Award winner Ehren Kruger ["Arlington Road", "Reindeer Games", "The Ring", "The Ring Two" and "The Skeleton Key"]; costume design by Academy Award ® winner Gabriella Pescucci ["The Age of Innocence", "Les Miserables", "Van Helsing" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"] and Carlo Poggioli ["The Adventures of Baron Munchausen", "Splendor", "The English Patient" and "Cold Mountain"]; original music by Dario Marianelli ["The Sheep Thief", "The Warrior", "I Capture The Castle" and "Pride and Prejudice"] produced by Daniel Bobker ["The Skeleton Key" and "Blood and Chocolate"] and Charles Roven ["Scooby-Doo", "Scooby-Doo 2", "Bulletproof Monk", "Three Kings", "Kicking and Screaming" and "Batman Begins"].
"THE BROTHERS GRIMM" stars .......
Academy Award ® winner Matt Damon ["Courage Under Fire", "Good Will Hunting", "Stuck On You", "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy"]; Heath Ledger ["Black Knight", "Monster's Ball", "The Patriot", "Ned Kelly" and "The Lords of Dogtown"]; Tony & Olivier Theatre Award winner, BAFTA Special Award winner Jonathan Pryce ["Brazil", "The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen", "The Affair of the Necklace" and "What a Girl Wants"]; Lena Headey ["Waterland", "The Remains Of The Day", "The Summer House" and "Aberdeen"]; 2003 Italian Silver Ribbon Award winner Monica Bellucci ["Malèna", "The Brotherhood of the Wolf", "The Apartment", "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Matrix Revolutions"]; Tomás Hanák ["Fireside Stories", "Greedy Guts", "The Rebels" and "Doblba!"] and Peter Stormare ["Awakenings", "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", "The Big Lebowski" and "Windtalkers"] as Cavaldi. What It's All About "The Brothers Grimm" have just rid another town of an evil, powerful witch. A night of celebration at the expense of the grateful locals follows. But the next morning the brothers are arrested by French soldiers and exposed as frauds. charlatan who con villagers and townfolk into believing they are under threat from evil entities before relieving them of their gold, seducing their young daughters and then moving on to find other gullible victims. All appears lost and it seems as though The Brothers Grimm face certain death. Until they are thrown a lifeline by General Delatombe. The Brothers Grimm will, under escort, travel to the village of Marbaden. Here they must solve the mystery of why the village folks young daughters are disappearing. After bravely entering the nearby forrest, they quickly discover that for once they really will have to battle the supernatural. Faced with supernatural adversaries, "The Brothers Grimm" use all their skills to come up with a plan that will not only save the villager's daughters, but themselves too. The Verdict "It's clever, funny, exciting and visually a feast for the eyes. No, it's not the true story of the Grimm Brothers, but a highly fictional story of "The Brothers Grimm" into which many of the famous Fairy Tales, created by the real brothers, have been incorporated. See how many you can spot in "The Brothers Grimm", a decidedly dark film filled with rich characters, an enchanted forrest, a tower, an evil but beautiful mirror queen and some excellent special effects. Heath Ledger and Matt Damon team up as "The Brothers Grimm" but it is the richly talented, near unrecognizable Peter Stormare as Cavaldi and Jonathan Pryce who steal the show. I must point out that had this been a Tim Burton film, the critics would have been ravingout creative genius. Terry Gillian is every bit as creative as Burton as "The Brothers Grimm" shows. If you are looking for something 'out of the box' then take in "The Brothers Grimm". Very much worth recommending." The Cast

Matt Damon Heath Ledger Jonathan Pryce Peter Stormare Lena Headey Monica Bellucci Tomás Hanák Martin Kavan Petr Ratimec Barbara Lukêsova Anna Rust Jeremy Robson Harry Gilliam Roger Ashton-Griffiths Mackenzie Crook Richard Ridings Alena Jakobova Dana Dohnalova Petra Dohnalova Julian Bleach Bruce McEwen Jan Unger Laura Greenwood Frantisek Velecký Jakub Zindulka Denisa Malinovska Josef Vajnar Petr Vrsek Deborah Hyde

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Wilhelm Grimm Jacob Grimm General Delatombe Cavaldi Angelika Mirror Queen Woodsman Delatombe's Valet Young Will Mother Grimm Sister Grimm Young Jacob Stable Boy Mayor Hidlick Bunst Red Hooded Girl Twin Sister Twin Sister Letorc Dax Gregor Sasha Old Crone Minister Young Angelika Bishop The King Corpse Queen

The Crew Directed by Terry Gilliam Written by Ehren Kruger Produced by Daniel Bobker/Charles Roven Original Music by Dario Marianelli Cinematography by Nicola Pecorini & Newton Thomas Sigel Film Editing by Lesley Walker Production Design by Guy Hendrix Dyas Art Direction by Andy Thomson & Frank Walsh Set Decoration by Guy Dyas & Judy Farr Costume Design by Gabriella Pescucci & Carlo Poggioli Run Time 118 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - Dimension Films - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved