The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.89:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. A second platter also includes a smilebox version of World.
That means that whereas Disc One’s image sticks with a flat, consistent 2.89:1 ratio across the screen, Disc Two’s “smilebox” curves the visuals to approximate the way the movie would look on a massive Cinerama screen, and that leaves a varying aspect ratio dependent on which part of the image you inspect.
Whichever version you choose, you’ll encounter dazzling visuals here. Sharpness remained spot-on from start to finish. This meant a film with tight, precise elements at all times.
No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Print flaws failed to mar the presentation.
With a broad palette, World came with a vivid set of hues. These looked bold and dynamic through the entire flick.
Blacks felt deep and dark, while shadows appeared smooth and concise. The image looked about as good as Blu-ray will allow.
Did I find one version of World to stand as superior to the other? Honestly, it became a toss-up because of the strengths/weaknesses of the smilebox presentation.
On one hand, I like the way in which that World offered a facsimile of the source, and it formed a more involving rendition. However, this came with some weird distortion, so characters and settings could show proportions that seemed “off”.
I would probably lean smilebox because it delivered such an unusual depiction, and the anomalies seemed less distracting as I got used to them. However, the standard 2.89:1 offered the more consistent presentation and it worked just fine in its own right.
Though not quite as impressive, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack seemed strong for its era. The soundscape opened up through the film, with a good sense of music from the side and rear channels.
In addition, we got lots of localized dialogue across the front, and effects broadened around the room when necessary. Much of this oriented toward ambience, but more action-oriented sequence allowed for engaging movement and involvement across the auditory spectrum.
Sound quality held up well over the last 60 years, with dialogue that worked fine for the most part. Though the lines could feel a little reedy at times, they usually demonstrated fairly natural tones.
Music seemed reasonably lush and full, and effects satisfied for their age. They lacked great range and showed a little roughness at times, but these elements seemed fine given their vintage. This became a well above-average track for a movie from 1962.
We get a mix of extras across these two platters, and Disc One boasts two trailers. Called “Announcement”, the first goes for four minutes, 36 seconds, while “Theatrical Letterbox” spans two minutes, 27 seconds. “Announcement” becomes the more creative and interesting of the pair.
We also find two Radio Interviews. These feature actors “Russ Tamblyn” (5:11) and “Yvette Mimieux” (5:39),
Along with journalist Dick Allen, the actors discuss their experiences during the movie. This mostly stands as promo fluff, but we get a few decent notes.
Two featurettes ensue, and Epic Art for The Brothers Grimm lasts seven minutes. Here George Pal Estate curator Justin Humphreys shows us some promotional paintings and discusses them. This provides a nice look at these elements.
Lastly, The Wonderful Career of George Pal fills eight minutes, 47 seconds with material from Humphreys. He gives us info about filmmaker/animator Pal, with an emphasis on Pal’s work for World. Humphreys delivers another informative chat.
On Disc Two, we find another pair of trailers. Here we get “Cinerama Announcement Trailer” (4:37) and “Smilebox Theatrical Trailer” (2:27). Both present ads in the “smilebox’ format, which makes them interesting.
A program called Rescuing a Fantasy Classic goes for 40 minutes, 19 seconds and provides comments from Cinerama Director of Film Restorations David Strohmaier, Pro-Tek Film Vaults film inspector Randy Gitsch, Cinerama’s James Vandever, former WB VP Technical Operations Steven Anastasi, restorationist Tom H. March, and Audio Mechanics’ John Polito.
This piece looks at all the work involved in the movie’s massive restoration. 40 minutes of this material feels like 20 minutes too much, but we do get a good view of the amazing technical achievements behind this terrific presentation of the film.
Rothenberg, Germany Location Commemorative Plaque lasts 56 seconds and tells us that such memorial exists in that town. Yawn.
Next comes A Salute to William R. Forman, a one-minute, 49-second clip with Vandever. He tells of the career of Forman, the man who ran various Cinerama theaters. Don’t expect much more than general praise.
Finally, a Slideshow presents a filmed montage of photos. It spans 12 minutes and includes 100 images of shots from the production, publicity elements and related material.
The stills themselves offer lots of good tidbits. However, the presentation – in which the stills “zoom” out at the viewer – leaves a lot to be desired. A standard stillframe gallery would work better.
The set also includes a booklet. It provides some art and various production notes. While not revelatory, it offers a nice conclusion to the package.
As a technical production, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm impresses. As a narrative endeavor, unfortunately, the movie tends to feel too long and too scattered. The Blu-ray boasts absolutely stunning picture along with very good audio and a decent array of bonus features. While I don’t care for the movie, this turns into a top-notch Blu-ray.
