Customer Reviews

Bristlelip (From the Brothers Grimm) [VHS]

When the heroine refuses all of her excellent suitors with insults, the one she named Bristlelip (due to his mustache) advises her father to marry her to the next peddlar to come to the door. The eager father agrees and has a minister waiting when the first peddlar appears. Before she knows it, the girl is married and on her way to a life far from the one she has envisioned. She learns that all she can offer is beauty since she has no other useful skills. As she learns to cook, clean, and sell goods, often unsuccessfully, her husband continues to treat her with patience and kindness despite her sharp tongue.

Finally, Bristlelip reveals himself after getting her to admit that her "peddlar" husband is a good man. All the former suitors are reunited at the wedding celebration where some intricate dances are performed. Don't miss the final scene filmed from the top of a spiral staircase surrounding several circles of dancers. It is a beautiful closing scene in its simplicity.

This film will work well in a classroom study of fairy tales, especially King Thrushbeard, or as a companion piece to Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew."