I remember as a little girl being given a whole stack of fairy tales.... these were stories of princesses with long hair, lips as red as roses or sleeping for eternity, but what i remember most were the bad people that graced the pages, from the big bad wolf to the many evil step mothers plagued by the beauty of there step daughters, you may be thinking Disney but no!, I got given the tales by the Brothers Grimm. Of course the fairy tales told by these two weren't bright and peachy as Walt's creations, no they were much darker and more sinister, but its amazing that even at such a young age i could see the magic amongst the words. And if you look closer into the stories they actually come from tales told around camp fires or used as a warning to keep children from wondering off on there own.... "if you go down into the woods today your sure in for a big surprise" today this is apart of a nursery rhythm but I'm guessing it holds a bigger warning then first thought. being 23 my childhood was full of Disney's take on the Brothers Grimm stories, yes i enjoyed Disney's versions and secretly hoped to find my Mothers tea cups to be dancing when we went to bed, I've never found out if they do .... becoming a teenager i didn't pay much attention to the dog eared books that had a good layer of dust on them and to be honest with many moving and clear outs I'm not even sure i still have them.
It took a trip to Blockbuster while on holiday to Canada in 2005 for my Brothers Grimm fascination to be re-awoken, browsing through the latest releases,crappy chickflicks and teen romcoms, i came across a film that wasn't even out in cinemas back home in the UK, i bet you already know what film I'm talking about ... "The Brothers Grimm directed by Terry Gilliam, and starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in this take on the brothers we see them as con-artists in french occupied-Germany during the late 18th century However, the brothers eventually encounter a genuine fairy tale curse which requires real courage instead of their usual bogus exorcism"
So we took it home that night! it was fab! i really enjoyed it. it was so different from all the other films out there. it got bad reviews but that didn't matter to me or my family, we found it funny, dark in places but all in all a good film, so a few weeks after arriving home i popped into my local HMV and it was there for £5 bargain! it sits proudly on my shelf and on days when I'm feeling not to great i snuggle down with some popcorn and just enjoy it.
and since watching the Bothers Grimm my appreiation for there works has grown, my eyes have been open to a whole varity of things. i love looking at artist illustrations!
I just love Josephine walls take on Sleeping Beauty (middle), i love the detailing of beautys dreams, as you can see she's dreaming of her prince.
as mentioned, i fear that with all the moving from one place to the next, i don't think i have those books anymore, but maybe someone might buy me the Grimm Tales for my birthday ..... i have my eye on this
oh and i can't forget a mention of the new Red Riding Hood movie! its abit sexier and more naughty then past takes on this tale, will it become a rainy day favorite like the Borthers Grimm, who knows. but i'm sure i'll enjoy seeing another Grimm tale turned into a film!
To Jacob and Wilhem Grimm!!
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