Blog Entry 3

The Brothers Grimm tale is very different from the actual fairy tale. In the tale the step mother is evil and leaves Hansel and Gretel in the woods. In the movie the mother is loving and kind and wants to have food for her family. A neighbor comes and brings them some milk and eggs and she make them some custered i believe she called it. When Hansel went to feed the donkey he forgot to close the gate and the donkey ate all the food and milk. The mother was so angry she sent the kids into the woods to get berries and not to come back until they had enough for everyone. One thing the movie kept the same is that Hansel did leave a trail to try to find their way back home but it was cookie crumbs instead of bread crumbs. Another similarity is that the birds ate the crumbs and they were not able to find their way back home. The kids also found the house with the evil witch and ate away at the house just like in the Brothers Grimm story. The witch is nice to them, she even sings to them to convince her that its okay to come inside and she will feed them delicious treats. She gave them all the food they wanted and even offered them her gingerbread door. A difference though is that she read the kids a bed time story and allowed them to stay the night at her house. Gretel woke up in the middle of the night and seen that the nice old lady wasn't really a nice old lady at all but an witch. She then cast a spell on Hansel and Gretel so she can have complete control over them. Gretel kept her role and the one who cooks everything that Hansel ate; she made all the food while the witch fed it to him through a cage. The witch actually had an eye glass and Gretel made her break it by banging it with the nut hammer. (I think that's what it's called) One unique difference I think the movie directors did great with was that the previous kids that she had kidnapped were actually the gingerbread statues that stood outside of her house leading you to her door. It was like she was using kids to lore kids.....very interesting. Hansel and Gretel stayed true to the ending but instead of forcing the witch into the oven, Gretel stole her magic stick and said a spell that made her take the place of Hansel. In the end the pearls and jewels remained the same except in the movie there where in the form of coins. The movie and the tale captured the happily ever after ending. I believe the movie directors made these changes to get the watchers more involved into the story. (I know I was) Telling the story this way makes the people watching think the story more positive. As when you read the tale it's so much darkness and evil in the story that the movie makes it more likable and enjoyable. The whole purpose of movies is to entertain and the movie made these changes to better entertain the audience and capture a more positive version that kids and their families would better enjoy.