The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Maverick visionary Terry Gilliam has returned from a long
hiatus with this starkly surreal take on old European fairy tales.
Gilliam has an affinity for the fantastical, as evidence by films
such as Jabberwocky, Time Bandits, and The Fisher
King. The Brothers Grimm is the director's first project
since his never-completed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (whose
production was afflicted by freakish weather and finally halted
when the elderly lead actor Jean Rochefort took sick). Undaunted,
Gilliam has risen to the occasion once again to offer up this
imaginative take on the popular 19th-century storytellers.
The opening of the film depicts Jacob (Heath Ledger) and Wilhelm
(Matt Damon) in their youthful days posing as professional exorcists,
a con-trick used to bilk superstitious peasants of their hardearned
cash. However, Jacob and Wilhelm soon find that their usual bag
of tricks is not working, for the supernatural threat is horrifyingly
real. Further complicating matters is the villainous Delatombe
(Jonathan Pryce), a general in Napoleon's army who is wise to
the duo's con-game and is intent on exposing their fraudulence.
The Brothers Grimm is the quintessential Terry Gilliam
film, embodying his fascination with mythology and dark fairy
tales. The story is peppered with references to European folktales,
such as Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel,
as well as the darker lore of werewolves and the succubus.
The casting of this film is also terrific. Both Ledger and Damon
fit perfectly into their roles. Ledger is particularly memorable
as the thoughtful, bespectacled Jacob, who is continually taking
notes on all the extraordinary forces the pair encounter. British
actress Lena Heady is also fabulous as the feisty peasant woman
Angelika, whose knowledge of the dark forest more than once proves
life-saving. And Jonathan Pryce is wonderfully slimy as the evil
Delatombe, whose incredulity threatens to bring ruin on all.
The film's imagery is vibrant and cuts deep. The forest set (designed
by Guy Hendrix Dyas) teems with supernatural energy, and every
shadow holds some sinister terror waiting to ensnare the unsuspecting.
Complementing the art direction is the moody, expressionistic
photography of Nicola Pecorini and Newton Thomas Sigel.
True to form, Gilliam packs every frame with more information
than the average person can comprehend. The Brothers Grimm
is unquestionably frenetic and sometimes utterly bizarre,
but it is also arresting, wildly sensual, and never once lacking
in imagination.
Paul Andrew MacLean
© 2006 