Customer Reviews

Hansel & Gretel - An Appalachian Version [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the most eerie versions of the classic Brothers Grimm tale is set in the Appalachian mountains during the time of Depression. A father and stepmother cannot afford to feed their children and therefore they lure them into the woods and make them lost. When they come upon a decorative log cabin, they are enchanted by a creepy witch who locks Hansel in a cage and sets Gretel to work as a servant for her...and the rest as they say is history.

This 16-minute short film is atmospherically shot, and the cast are very authentic mountain dwellers portraying this familiar characters. Like Joan Collins in the Faerie Tale Theatre episode of this tale, the stepmother and the witch are played by the same woman and rub off with maximum results. The use of imaginative realism is consistent and quite evocative. Filled with the dreams and fears of children (and adults), this is a detailed and enjoyable short that is very good for learning filmmakers such as myself.

This version of "Hansel and Gretel" is the best I've ever seen. I can remember watching this in the first grade long ago, and totally enjoying every minute of it. I'm going to try to purchase this video from this site, and I would love to own it. It's beautiful. For people who love the story, this should be a treasure!

This is the first fairy tale film adaptation from Davenport Films. The well-known tale of Hansel and Gretel is set in rural Appalachia during the Great Depression--a natural setting for this tale of hunger and abandonment. While the film can feel disjointed at points, it is a valiant effort from a filmmaker who has brought several fairy tales faithfully and creatively to film.

Fairy tales aside, the video serves as a wonderful example of the changes in filmmaking and the evolution of Davenport Films, especially when compared with the much more polished, but never slick, recent films of "Willa" and "Ashpet." This film will be inspirational to budding film students on small budgets.