The Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm (Gebrüder Grimm)
They are well known for publishing collections of German fairy tales, as Kinder- und Hausmärchen (" Children's and Household Tales"), in 1812, with a second volume 1814 ("1815" on the title page), and many further editions during their lifetimes. English translations of the 7th edition (1857) remain popular, though largely now as highly expurgated and saccharine versions meant for children, though the folk tales the Grimms collected had not previously been considered children's stories. Witches, goblins, trolls and wolves prowl the dark forests of the Grimms' ancient villages and, deeper in the psyche of the insular German city-states of the time. Modern psychologists and cultural anthropologists often read in quite a bit of emotional angst, fear of abandonment, parental abuse, and sexual development in the stories that are often read as bed-time stories in the West. The child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim, in The Uses of Enchantment read familiar Grimm's fairy tales as Freudian myths.
Less well known to the general public is the Brothers Grimm's work on a German dictionary, the Deutsches Wörterbuch. Being very extensive (more than 20 volumes), it is still considered as the standard reference for German etymology.
From 1837-1841 the Grimm Brothers joined five of their colleague professors at the University of Göttingen. This group is known as the Göttinger Sieben (The Göttingen Seven). They protested against King Ernest Augustus I of Hanover, whom they accused of violating the constitution. They were all fired from their university posts by the king. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Grimm [May 2004]
Grimm (2003) - Alex Van Warmerdam
Grimm (2003) - Alex Van Warmerdam
Written and directed by Alex van Warmerdam, Grimm is an absurdist, decidedly black take on the Hansel and Gretel story. Set in modern day Holland, Grimm centers around siblings Marie (Halina Reijn) and Jacob (Jacob Derwig), who were sent to the forest under the pretext of gathering firewood while, unbeknownst to them, their impoverished family left for parts unknown. Before long, Marie and Jacob learn of their abandonment; all that is left from their parents is a brief note advising them to go to Spain and take up residence with their uncle. The first setback comes in the form of a smarmy farmer (Frank Lammers) who forces Jacob to have sex with his obese wife (Annet Malherbe). Shortly afterwards, Marie turns to prostitution, but Jacob intervenes before she goes too far. Eventually, the siblings find a moped and take off for Spain -- only to find out that their uncle has died. When a wealthy surgeon (Carmelo Gomez) falls for Marie, the broke siblings' prospects seem to be looking up once gain. Unfortunately for them, the ultimate consequence of Marie's quickie marriage is nothing either of them would have imagined. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
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