Hansel and Gretel (1987 film)

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Hansel and Gretel
Hansel and Gretel 1987.jpg
Videotape cover
Directed by Len Talan
Screenplay by Nancy Weems, Len Talan
Based on Hansel and Gretel
by Brothers Grimm
Hansel and Gretel (opera)
by Engelbert Humperdinck
Produced by Yoram Globus
Menahem Golan
Starring David Warner
Hugh Pollard
Nicola Stapleton
Emily Richard
Cloris Leachman
Cinematography Ilan Rosenberg
Edited byIrit Raz
Music by Engelbert Humperdinck
Production
company
Distributed by The Cannon Group, Inc.
Release dates
  • May 1987 (1987-05)(France: Cannes Film Market)
  • 10 December 1988 (1988-12-10)(US: video premiere)
Running time
84 minutes
CountriesUnited States, Israel
LanguageEnglish

Hansel and Gretel (alternatively: Cannon Movie Tales: Hansel and Gretel) is a 1987 fantasy musical film, part of the 1980s film series titled Cannon Movie Tales. It is directed by Len Talan and stars David Warner, Cloris Leachman, Hugh Pollard and Nicola Stapleton.

Contents

The screenplay, as well as all featured songs, are based and adapted from Engelbert Humperdinck's well-known opera of the same name. Other film adaptations also arose from the same piece.

Plot

Hansel (Hugh Pollard) and Gretel (Nicola Stapelton) are the offspring of an impoverished woodcutter (David Warner) and his wife (Emily Richard). After being told to leave their home by their mother, Hansel and Gretel wrongly walk into the 'North woods' where they discover a delicious gingerbread house. Unbeknown to them it's a witch named Griselda (Cloris Leachman) that lives there.

Cast

Music

Music by Engelbert Humperdinck
from opera "Hänsel und Gretel"
Music adaptation by Michael Cohen
Lyrics by Enid Futterman and Nancy Weems
Performed by Punch, Judy, and Children
Music by Engelbert Humperdinck
from opera "Hänsel und Gretel"
Music adaptation by Michael Cohen
Lyrics by Enid Futterman and Nancy Weems
Performed by Hugh Pollard and Nicola Stapleton
Music by Engelbert Humperdinck
from opera "Hänsel und Gretel"
Music adaptation by Michael Cohen
Lyrics by Enid Futterman
Performed by Nicola Stapleton
Music by Engelbert Humperdinck
from opera "Hänsel und Gretel"
Music adaptation by Michael Cohen
Lyrics by Enid Futterman
Performed by David Warner
Music by Engelbert Humperdinck
from opera "Hänsel und Gretel"
Music adaptation by Michael Cohen
Lyrics by Enid Futterman
Performed by Cloris Leachman
Music by Engelbert Humperdinck
from opera "Hänsel und Gretel"
Music adaptation by Michael Cohen
Lyrics by Enid Futterman and Nancy Weems
Performed by Children

Production

To save money, the Cannon Movie Tales films were shot two or three at a time. Hansel and Gretel was shot simultaneously with Sleeping Beauty (1987). This wasn't the best of situations in that often the two crews would be competing for the limited equipment, costumes, and sets. The limitations of the budget also often made the production values appear less refined compared to major studio films of the time.

There was, allegedly, a lot of debate as to how to destroy the witch's house at the end of the movie. Some wanted to blow it up, but the director Len Talan wanted to take it apart in stop-action, to have it turn to ruins, which was too time-consuming. Finally the construction supervisor, Aria Ben-Yishay, came up with an idea. He contacted the local fire department near the woods where the witch's house had been built and got them to assist the crew by pumping fire-fighting foam through the back of the set and out the windows and roof. Large quantities of food coloring were added, and with a couple of fireballs and colored smoke bombs, they had their scene.

The movie, like all others in the series, were shot on-location in Israel. [1]

Reception

Hansel and Gretel and the Cannon Movie Tales series, in general, received mixed reviews upon release. Critics noted the series’ lower production quality, and some reviews were critical of the campy or theatrical acting styles. Renee Longstreet of Common Sense Media awarded the film two stars out of five. [2]

However, despite the film's commercial failure, the Cannon Movie Tales, including "Hansel and Gretel", gained a large cult following among families and young audiences after Disney Channel began airing them as "Storybook Cinema" in 1988, with "Hansel and Gretel" starting airing in 1990. Over the years, it became a cult classic, beloved by those who appreciated the Cannon Group's unique style and the film's nostalgic appeal. The audiences now particularly praise Leachman's performance as Griselda the Witch.

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References

  1. Hansel and Gretel (1987) - Trivia - IMDb . Retrieved 2024-11-03 via www.imdb.com.
  2. "Hansel and Gretel Movie Review | Common Sense Media". www.commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2022-07-15.