Hansel and Gretel, a story of child abandonment, starvation, and cannibalism, began as an oral folktale that reflected the harsh living conditions of Medieval Europe. As told by the German scholars Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, the story first appeared in printed form in 1812. Over the ensuing years it was revised several times by the two brothers and eventually tailored for opera, motion pictures, and TV.
Fortunately for those interested, many of these versions of Hansel and Gretel are on DVD.
Hansel and Gretel Opera
In the early 1890s, the German composer Engelbert Humperdinck, with the assistance of his sister, librettist Adelheid Wette, created the fairy tale opera Haensel und Gretel. The opera, with its folk music-inspired themes, was first performed in public on December 23, 1893, in Weimar, with Richard Strauss conducting. Today, it is still performed on a regular basis, often during the Christmas season.
There are at least two versions of Humperdinck’s Haensel und Gretel opera available on DVD:
Hansel and Gretel (1982). A taping of the live performance done by the famed Metropolitan Opera on Christmas Day, 1981. Sung in English.
Hansel and Gretel (1994).This is a campy and often surreal Australian Opera production that is meant more for adults than children. The heavy accents can be a problem for non-Aussies.
Hansel and Gretel Movies
The earliest known H & G movie is D. S. Porter’s long-lost version of the story filmed in 1909. In 1932 Walt Disney created a Hansel and Gretel-like tale in his animated short, Babes in the Woods. However, it was not until the 1950s and later that the subject of H & G became more popular.
Among the more memorable and unique of these movies are:
The Story of Hansel and Gretel (1951). A claymation short by noted special effects creator Ray Harryhausen
Bewitched Bunny (1954). A Warner Brothers cartoon spoof of H & G featuring Bugs Bunny, two greedy siblings, and a witch with a sudden craving for rabbit.
Hansel and Gretel: An Opera Fantasy (1954). Featuring what was then state-of-the-art puppet animation with spoken dialogue and Humperdinck‘s music, this full length feature is considered a masterpiece.
Who Slew Auntie Roo? (1971). A retelling of the H & G story set in England in 1920. A strong cast includes Shelley Winters, Mark Lester, and Ralph Richardson. A bizarre movie loved by some and hated by others.
Hansel & Gretel: An Appalachian Version (1977). A short (16 minutes) live action film set in the Appalachian region of the United States in the 1930s. Created by independent filmmaker and folklorist Tom Davenport.
Cannon Movie Tales: Hansel and Gretel (1987). A nice cast led by Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman as the witch. Features singing and dancing.
Hansel and Gretel (2002). This is probably a good example of how not to do a fairy tale movie. It features cheap sets and over-the-top acting. Lynn Redgrave as the wicked witch is the only redeeming feature.
Hansel and Gretel (2007). A modern retelling of the H & G story from South Korea that is a dark, imaginative fantasy along the lines of Pan’s Labyrinth. A review is here.
Hansel and Gretel on TV
H & G has not appeared frequently on television, but there have been a few instances.
Hansel and Gretel (1958). A musical version of the Grimm’s fairy tale. It starred comedian Red Buttons and singers Rise Stevens and Rudy Vallee. Copies of the program may no longer exist.
Hansel and Gretel (1982). Before he became better known, off-beat movie director Tim Burton made a 20 minute version of the tale that appeared on the Disney Channel. In this version, the title characters are kung fu experts.
Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: Hansel and Gretel (1983). Rick Schroeder, Bridgette Andersen, and Joan Collins as the stepmother/witch starred in this episode from the popular Showtime series.
Gingerbread (1999). An episode from the American TV series Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. When two children, Hans and Greta Strauss, are murdered in an apparent ritual, Buffy and friends step in to investigate.
More on these adaptations and others can be found at SurLaLune and the Internet Movie Database.
Related Articles: The History of Hansel and Gretel, Hansel and Gretel in Modern Literature
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