I would have given "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm" a higher score had they not weakened some of the scenes by turning them into musicals. Otherwise, it was a very impressive movie, even if the Cinerama doesn't translate to the small screen. It portrays Wilhelm Grimm sort of like how "Finding Neverland" portrays J.M. Barrie: very focused on a fantasy story, much to the chagrin of the serious-minded people around him.
I see that "The Dancing Princess" contains an invisibility cloak years before J.K. Rowling wrote about Harry Potter wearing one. Russ Tamblyn at first glance looks a little dorky to appear in a fairy tale adaptation, but he ends up playing the role very well. Yvette Mimieux is perfect as the princess, and Jim Backus as the king plays a role similar to one that he played in a "Gilligan's Island" dream sequence.
I considered "The Cobbler" the lowest scene in the movie. The singing elves made it a little too cute. A really neat version of that story is Friz Freleng's cartoon "Holiday for Shoestrings".
Terry-Thomas as the knight is pretty silly, while Buddy Hackett as the squire brings to the screen something that I never imagined: a New Jersey-accented person attempting an English accent! And the dragon really creates a sense of old-style cinema.
As for the Grimms themselves, Wilhelm (Laurence Harvey) is the idealist while Jakob (Karl Boehm) remains the realist, displeased with Wilhelm's happy-go-lucky attitude. And that duke (Oscar Homolka)? Whereas what Wilhelm did to the duke was an accident, I would have done it on purpose, just to punish the duke for being such a jerk.
But for me, at least, the real treat here is Jeannie herself, Barbara Eden. She plays Greta Heinrich, Jakob's love interest. I swear, Barbara Eden gets more gorgeous in every movie. Had I been alive in 1962, I would have attended this movie's premiere with the aim of seeing her in a shell dress (she wore one to the premiere of "Five Weeks in a Balloon", so I assume that she would have worn one to this movie's premiere). In my opinion, the sight of Barbara Eden in a shell dress proves that there is a God! If that makes me a pervert, then so be it. I'm proud to be a pervert, and I'll always consider Barbara Eden one of the hottest actresses of all time.
Overall, I recommend "TWWOTBG". Also starring Claire Bloom and Arnold Stang. Speaking of Arnold Stang, that reminds me. He co-starred in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" with Jim Backus and Buddy Hackett (but didn't share any scenes with them). That one's my favorite movie of all time. In fact, the only thing that could have improved it any more would have been the presence of Barbara Eden in a shell dress. At least it had Dorothy Provine in a tight dress. Anyway, I recommend both these movies.
PS: the castle used in "The Dancing Princess" is Neuschwanstein. King Ludwig ordered it built as his home, but he drowned right after its completion. Neuschwanstein also appeared in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". I once put together a 6,000-piece jigsaw puzzle showing it.
I see that "The Dancing Princess" contains an invisibility cloak years before J.K. Rowling wrote about Harry Potter wearing one. Russ Tamblyn at first glance looks a little dorky to appear in a fairy tale adaptation, but he ends up playing the role very well. Yvette Mimieux is perfect as the princess, and Jim Backus as the king plays a role similar to one that he played in a "Gilligan's Island" dream sequence.
I considered "The Cobbler" the lowest scene in the movie. The singing elves made it a little too cute. A really neat version of that story is Friz Freleng's cartoon "Holiday for Shoestrings".
Terry-Thomas as the knight is pretty silly, while Buddy Hackett as the squire brings to the screen something that I never imagined: a New Jersey-accented person attempting an English accent! And the dragon really creates a sense of old-style cinema.
As for the Grimms themselves, Wilhelm (Laurence Harvey) is the idealist while Jakob (Karl Boehm) remains the realist, displeased with Wilhelm's happy-go-lucky attitude. And that duke (Oscar Homolka)? Whereas what Wilhelm did to the duke was an accident, I would have done it on purpose, just to punish the duke for being such a jerk.
But for me, at least, the real treat here is Jeannie herself, Barbara Eden. She plays Greta Heinrich, Jakob's love interest. I swear, Barbara Eden gets more gorgeous in every movie. Had I been alive in 1962, I would have attended this movie's premiere with the aim of seeing her in a shell dress (she wore one to the premiere of "Five Weeks in a Balloon", so I assume that she would have worn one to this movie's premiere). In my opinion, the sight of Barbara Eden in a shell dress proves that there is a God! If that makes me a pervert, then so be it. I'm proud to be a pervert, and I'll always consider Barbara Eden one of the hottest actresses of all time.
Overall, I recommend "TWWOTBG". Also starring Claire Bloom and Arnold Stang. Speaking of Arnold Stang, that reminds me. He co-starred in "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" with Jim Backus and Buddy Hackett (but didn't share any scenes with them). That one's my favorite movie of all time. In fact, the only thing that could have improved it any more would have been the presence of Barbara Eden in a shell dress. At least it had Dorothy Provine in a tight dress. Anyway, I recommend both these movies.
PS: the castle used in "The Dancing Princess" is Neuschwanstein. King Ludwig ordered it built as his home, but he drowned right after its completion. Neuschwanstein also appeared in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". I once put together a 6,000-piece jigsaw puzzle showing it.