Classic Ross Amico

Tag: The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm

Brothers Grimm Movie Nostalgia with Roy’s Tie-Dye

For those of us of a certain age, family movies were an essential part of the holidays, as the networks kept kids entertained so that adults could catch-up after the meal. In past years, we’ve reflected on “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

On the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, we’ll take a nostalgic look back at George Pal’s “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” (1962). The narrative, as you would imagine, incorporates a number of familiar Grimm’s fairy tales, while also dealing with the brothers’ real-life struggles. The all-star cast includes Laurence Harvey, Russ Tamblyn, Claire Bloom, Barbara Eden, Jim Backus, Beulah Bondi, Walter Slezak, Yvette Mimieux, Buddy Hackett, and Terry-Thomas, among others.

Pal is certainly no stranger to the show, as we’ve discussed a number of his features in the past, including “The War of the Worlds,” “The Time Machine,” “Destination Moon,” “7 Faces of Dr. Lao,” and “Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze.”

There’s a certain amount of regret in having to view “Grimm,” originally shown in Cinerama, on a home screen, but it’s still an at times vertiginous experience. It’s easy to imagine what it must have been like to see it in the theater, with Tamblyn dodging branches on a wild ride atop a speeding coach, or gazing between his legs into a ravine as boards crack and tumble from a dilapidated bridge. The film also incorporates the producer-director’s trademark stop motion effects. Pal first achieved fame through his Academy Award nominated Puppetoons, which introduced subjects like “Tubby the Tuba.”

The music is by Leigh Harline. Harline was an integral part of the Disney team that scored an earlier fairy tale adaptation, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” He won two Academy Awards for his work on “Pinocchio,” including one for Best Original Song, for “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

Our conversation was originally scheduled to take place on Thanksgiving weekend, but had to be postponed, as Roy and I continued to metabolize our Thanksgiving tryptophan. However, since one of the film’s chapters, the Puppetoon-laden “The Cobbler and the Elves,” is a Christmas segment, the delay will do nothing to diminish the timely nature of the discussion.

We hope you’ll join us for a Grimm chat, as we remember George Pal’s “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.” Pal around grimly in the comments section, when we livestream on Facebook, YouTube, etc., this Friday evening at 7:00 EST!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

December 14, 2023
Nostalgic Holiday Movies Roy’s Sci-Fi Corner

Anyone familiar with Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner knows that our nostalgia runs deep. I was at a post-Thanksgiving gathering the other night, and what was streaming on a wall-set in the television room, clearly visible from the kitchen, but “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”

For those of us of a certain age, family movies were an essential part of the holidays, as the networks kept kids entertained so that the adults could catch-up after the meal. Roy and I have shared our fond recollections of those halcyon days with salutes in recent years to “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” and (with apologies) the “Star Wars Holiday Special.”

This weekend, we had planned to carry on the tradition with a nostalgic recollection of George Pal’s star-studded Cinerama classic “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” (1962). However, the conversation has been postponed, as I suspect at least one of us is still in the process of metabolizing his intake of Thanksgiving tryptophan.

Since one of the film’s chapters, the Puppetoon-laden “The Cobbler and the Elves,” is a Christmas segment, the delay will do nothing to diminish the timely nature of the discussion. We hope you’ll join us for a Grimm time in the comments section, when we livestream on Facebook, YouTube, etc., this Friday evening at 7:00 EST!

https://www.facebook.com/roystiedyescificorner

Thank you for your understanding, and enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

November 26, 2023
Fairy Tale Film Scores Childhood Magic

This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’ll play on the inherent nostalgia of the holidays by recalling the magic of childhood, by way of our collective and personal interactions with the world of fairy tales.

George Pal’s “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” (1962) was filmed in Cinerama and features the producer-director’s trademark stop motion effects. Its all-star cast includes Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Barbara Eden, Russ Tamblyn, and Buddy Hackett. The narrative incorporates a number of familiar Grimm tales, while dealing with the brothers’ real-life struggles.*

The music is by Leigh Harline. Harline was an integral part of the Disney team that scored an earlier fairy tale adaptation, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” He would win two Academy Awards for his work on “Pinocchio,” including one for Best Original Song, for “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

“The Company of Wolves” (1984), one of Neil Jordan’s earlier films, explores the psychological underpinnings of the tale of “Little Red Riding Hood,” here presented as an allegory of adolescence and the loss of innocence. Angela Carter co-wrote the screenplay, based on a selection of her original short stories. The film features Angela Lansbury, any number of werewolves, and Terence Stamp as the Devil. The music is by George Fenton.

With the advent of computer animation, a snarkier, post-modern take on the fairy tale predominates, most notably with the “Shrek” series, beginning in 2001. The “Shrek” films were so successful, they led to a spin-off, centered on the character of “Puss in Boots” (2011).

Voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss provides ample opportunity to vamp on the actor’s swashbuckler image, especially as portrayed in “The Mask of Zorro.” Likewise, the composer, Henry Jackman, chooses to rib James Horners’ “Zorro” score.

Finally, we’ll hear selections from perhaps the finest fairy tale ever committed to film, Jean Cocteau’s “La Belle et la Bête” – “Beauty and the Beast” (1946). Moody, atmospheric, dreamy, clever, hypnotic, funny, and romantic, and sporting production design that looks like something Gustav Doré might have dreamed up while poisoning himself on Dutch Masters cigars, Cocteau’s masterpiece stars Jean Marais and Josette Day.

The alternately mysterious and majestic score is by Georges Auric. Cocteau, you’ll recall, was the one-man publicity machine that propelled Auric and his composer-colleagues, Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Germaine Tailleferre, and Louis Durey, to fame in Paris, circa 1920, dubbing them “Les Six.”

I hope you’ll join me for an hour of once-upon-a-time and happily-ever-after, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, now in syndication on KWAX, the radio station of the University of Oregon!

Remember, KWAX is on the West Coast, so there’s a three-hour difference for the Trenton-Princeton area. Here are the respective air-times of my recorded shows (with East Coast conversions in parentheses):

PICTURE PERFECT, the movie music show – Friday on KWAX at 5:00 PACIFIC TIME (8:00 PM EST)

THE LOST CHORD, unusual and neglected rep – Saturday on KWAX at 4:00 PACIFIC TIME (7:00 PM EST)

Stream them here!

https://kwax.uoregon.edu/

*PLEASE NOTE: By coincidence, Roy and I will also be discussing “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” on the next Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner, to be livestreamed on Facebook, YouTube, etc., THIS WEEK AT A SPECIAL TIME, SUNDAY EVENING AT 7:00 EST!

November 24, 2023
Fairy Tale Film Scores Nostalgic Movie Magic

This week on “Picture Perfect,” we’ll play on the inherent nostalgia of the holidays by recalling the magic of childhood, through our collective and personal interactions with the world of fairy tales.

George Pal’s “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” (1962) was filmed in Cinerama and features the producer-director’s trademark stop motion effects. Its all-star cast includes Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Barbara Eden, Russ Tamblyn, and Buddy Hackett. The narrative incorporates a number of familiar Grimm tales, while dealing with the brothers’ real-life struggles.

The music is by Leigh Harline. Harline was an integral part of the Disney team that scored an earlier fairy tale adaptation, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” He would win two Academy Awards for his work on “Pinocchio,” including one for Best Original Song, for “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

“The Company of Wolves” (1984), one of Neil Jordan’s earlier films, explores the psychological underpinnings of the tale of “Little Red Riding Hood,” which is presented as an allegory of adolescence and the loss of innocence. Angela Carter co-wrote the screenplay, based upon a selection of her original short stories. The film features Angela Lansbury, any number of werewolves, and Terence Stamp as the Devil. The music is by George Fenton.

With the advent of computer animation, a snarkier, post-modern take on the fairy tale predominates, most notably with the “Shrek” series, beginning in 2001. The “Shrek” films were so successful, they led to a spin-off, centered on the character of “Puss in Boots” (2011).

Voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss provides ample opportunity to vamp on the actor’s swashbuckler image, especially as depicted in “The Mask of Zorro.” Likewise, the composer, Henry Jackman, chooses to rib James Horners’ “Zorro” score.

Finally, we’ll hear selections from perhaps the finest fairy tale ever committed to film, Jean Cocteau’s “La Belle et la Bête” – “Beauty and the Beast” (1946). Moody, atmospheric, dreamy, clever, hypnotic, funny, and romantic, sporting production design that looks like something Gustav Doré might have dreamed up while smoking Dutch Masters cigars, Cocteau’s masterpiece stars Jean Marais and Josette Day.

The alternately mysterious and majestic score is by Georges Auric. Cocteau, you’ll recall, was the one-man publicity machine that propelled Auric and his composer-colleagues, Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Germaine Tailleferre, and Louis Durey, to fame in Paris, circa 1920, dubbing them “Les Six.”

I hope you’ll join me for an hour of once-upon-a-time and happily-ever-after, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Saturday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

November 27, 2021
Fairy Tale Film Scores for St Nicholas Day

This week on “Picture Perfect,” on this St. Nicholas’ Day, we revisit familiar tales learned in childhood.

George Pal’s “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” (1962) was filmed in Cinerama and features the producer-director’s trademark stop motion effects. Its all-star cast includes Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Barbara Eden, Russ Tamblyn, and Buddy Hackett. The narrative incorporates a number of familiar Grimm tales, while dealing with the brothers’ real-life struggles.

The music is by Leigh Harline. Harline was an integral part of the Disney team that scored an earlier fairy tale adaptation, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” He won two Academy Awards for his work on “Pinocchio,” including one for Best Original Song, for “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

“The Company of Wolves” (1984), one of director Neil Jordan’s earlier films, explores the psychological underpinnings of the tale of “Little Red Riding Hood,” which is presented as an allegory of adolescence and the loss of innocence. Angela Carter co-wrote the screenplay, based upon a selection of her original short stories. The film features Angela Lansbury, any number of werewolves, and Terence Stamp as the Devil. The music is by George Fenton.

With the advent of computer animation, a snarkier, post-modern take on the fairy tale predominates, most notably with the “Shrek” series, beginning in 2001. The “Shrek” films were so successful, they led to a spin-off, centered on the character of “Puss in Boots” (2011).

Voiced by Antonio Banderas, Puss provides ample opportunity to vamp on the actor’s swashbuckler image, especially as depicted in “The Mask of Zorro.” Likewise, the composer, Henry Jackman, chooses to rib James Horners’ “Zorro” score.

Finally, we’ll hear selections from perhaps the finest fairy tale ever committed to film, Jean Cocteau’s “La Belle et la Bête” – “Beauty and the Beast” (1946). Moody, atmospheric, dreamy, clever, hypnotic, funny and romantic, Cocteau’s masterpiece stars Jean Marais and Josette Day. The production design looks like something Gustav Doré might have conceived while smoking some Dutch Masters cigars.

The alternately mysterious and majestic score is by Georges Auric. Cocteau, you’ll recall, was the one-man publicity machine that propelled Auric and his composer-colleagues, Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Germaine Tailleferre, and Louis Durey, to fame in Paris circa 1920, dubbing them “Les Six.”

I hope you’ll join me for an hour of once-upon-a-time and happily-ever-after, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies, this Friday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

December 6, 2019

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