u/TheSpiritOfFunk

As for the film itself:

The film is a loose adaptation (and heavily altered version) of the story of the Brothers Grimm’s lives and their struggle to write down the fairy tales whilst also earning a living.

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The costumes rightly won an Oscar, and the visual effects are, in some cases, more than impressive for a film over 60 years old. The absolute highlights are the incredibly fluid animated puppet sequences in the second fairy tale and the scenes with the dragon.

My personal highlight, however, was the brothers’ hometown. Using Rothenburg ob der Tauber as a backdrop was a stroke of genius. I’ve been there on holiday myself and recognised practically everything; even in 2026, it still looks like a town from the Middle Ages.

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Fairy-tale sequences are interspersed throughout the serious, realistic scenes. Exactly three fairy tales are told (which I personally didn’t know) and they certainly lightened the film up considerably. Admittedly, for me personally, some of the scenes were a bit long at times (the dance sequence) and occasionally too silly (especially the squire with the dragon).

Overall, though, it’s a flamboyant and visually stunning 1960s adventure for a quiet Sunday afternoon (if you have children, feel free to let them watch it).

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On the Cinemara format:

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Where do I even begin? In the first five minutes, my eyes and brain had to get used to this rather unusual format. But once you’ve got used to it, the effect is all the more powerful – and I find it far superior to almost any 3D film I’ve seen so far.

The sense of depth is incredibly astonishing on a normal TV; I’d love to see the film in a Cinerama cinema.

Particularly fast-paced scenes or those with lots of extras practically blow you away. You’re simply right in the thick of it. A similar, if not even stronger, effect is currently probably only available at the Las Vegas Sphere.

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I can’t recommend highly enough watching this film, or How the West Was Won (though I haven’t seen that one yet), in this format. Watch the trailer in the comments

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The Blu-ray also includes an interesting 40-minute ‘making-of’ featurette about the restoration and transfer of this format.

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Admittedly, the James Bond box set isn't in the best condition, but at €2 per Bond movie, you can't complain.