Woods, Wolves, and Witches
The Brothers Grimm Spins an Excellent Tale

They say that for any writer, the true inspiration for a story lies in what the writer already knows. The stories of the Brothers Grimm -- with sleeping beauties and princes charming, magic beanstalks and falling giants -- have become legend. But were these fairytales merely folk tales passed down through generations or do they hold a grain of truth? In the new film The Brothers Grimm, director Terry Gilliam brings to life Ehren Kruger's story of what might have inspired those tales that children have come to know and love.

The Brothers Grimm
Will Grimm (Matt Damon) receives a kiss from the Mirror Queen (Monica Bellucci) in The Brothers Grimm. (Dimension Films, 2005)
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Written by: Ehren Kruger
Starring: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Lena Headey, Jonathan Pryce, and Monica Bellucci

Rated PG-13 (for violence, frightening sequences and brief suggestive material)
Running time: 118 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 8 out of 10.

Imagine the world as it once was, when superstition more than science dictated what passed as knowledge. In a remote area of Germany, the Brothers Grimm work as "ghost busters" and rid the villages of their supernatural dilemmas. Will (Matt Damon) and Jacob (Heath Ledger) use their knowledge of local folklore -- Jacob's hobby -- to con villagers out of their gold. Utilizing a combination of cheap props and good acting, they help dispel curses, demons, and the like. Some of the story is almost comical, but it never strays too far in that direction.

When the brothers are arrested by the French army, they find themselves exposed as con men. In order to avoid punishment, the brothers agree to help find the perpetrators of a similar con in the village of Marbaden. Ten village girls have gone missing, and the locals believe that something evil in the woods is to blame. While Will and Jacob remain confidently skeptical, they have trouble finding a guide into the woods until they are introduced to a female trapper named Angelika (Lena Headey). Angelika lost her family to the same woods, and she knows stories about the witch queen that it is said was once imprisoned there.

Both brothers come across as opportunistic, but Jacob seems to follow Will's lead. Will's dominance of his brother is wrought from bitter experience as Jacob naively believes in magic and happy endings. Ironically, it is these such stories that he dutifully records on their travels. Damon and Ledger do a fair job of portraying the brothers and keeping them realistic. While it is sometimes hard to see Damon as anything but himself, Ledger is almost unrecognizable from his other roles. Both actors approach the roles straightforward and play them seriously.

Jonathan Pryce does an excellent turn as French general Delatombe. His character seems to be teetering between denial and madness and it is fun to watch his power crumble away. The Italian torturer, Cavaldi (Peter Stormare) really steals the show, however. It is refreshing to see the strong heavy of the film slowly come to accept the magical nature of the village's troubles. When he finally comes around, it adds a new dimension to the character. Monica Bellucci's role as the Mirror Queen is wonderful. She conveys the beauty and fearsome power of the queen perfectly.

The beauty of The Brothers Grimm is in Gilliam's direction. The film breathes with fairytale lore: dark and uninviting, yet familiar and interesting. The film is a beautiful landscape of dark woods, ancient towers, and living woods. The references to fairytales, too, are picturesque -- each one a tableau of the characters and stories the brothers brought to life. There are so many references to Grimm's Fairy Tales in the film that no one (not even my wife, Rachel, who has many of them memorized) could get them all. Everything appears from the obvious references to "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hanzel and Gretel" to the subtle references to "The Goose Girl" and "The Frog Prince." It is a fascinating story of fairy tale proportion.

Remember some of the early uncensored "Grimm's Fairy Tales" had very gruesome details. Like so many of the fairy tales, there are numerous horrors in the film. Children are eaten, men are beheaded, and an evil crone of a witch is frightening in her deathly, skeletal embrace. This is not a bedtime story for children, but it makes a fantastic journey for adults who remember those stories fondly.