Gretel & Hansel
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Gretel & Hansel |
| Original title | Gretel & Hansel |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2020 |
| length | 88 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Oz Perkins |
| script | Rob Hayes |
| production |
Fred Berger , Brian Kavanaugh-Jones |
| music | Robin Coudert |
| camera | Galo Olivares |
| cut |
Josh Ethier , Julia Wong |
| occupation | |
| |
Gretel & Hansel (original title: Gretel & Hansel ) is an American horror film directed by Oz Perkins from 2020. The film is loosely based on the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm .
action
Once a beautiful but sick girl was born in a village. Since this was considered to have little chance of survival, her father brought it to the witch Enchantress, who healed her and at the same time gave her some of her powers. From now on the child could see the future of other people, but also take life. After the girl killed several people, including her father, and became known as "the child with the pink hood," they took the villagers to a forest and left them there to die.
A few years later, the siblings Hansel and Gretel were rejected by their widowed mother because she could not support the family. After they both try to stay with a well-known farmer's wife, a hunter takes them in for one night and gives them food and a bed. He recommends that both of them visit the so-called forest people, where they would find work and food. So the siblings leave the next day, but are soon plagued by increasing hunger. Finally, they discover an apparently busy house in the forest, in which all kinds of food can be seen through the windows.
Hansel then goes into the house and tries to steal food, but is caught by the resident, a witch in the form of an old woman. To Gretel's surprise, the lady offers the two children a bed for the night and their food. In the next few days, too, the woman makes no move to throw her guests out of the house, so Gretel offers to work in the house in return for the accommodation. Hansel then learns how to use the ax, while Gretel is increasingly taught by the witch. This is how she learns how to move and control objects through mind control. But gradually she starts to feel uncomfortable as she has nightmares more and more at night and during the day she finds countless dolls around the house.
After Gretel had another nightmare in which Hansel wanted to go back to his mother and she then dismissed him, she discovers the next morning that her little brother has actually disappeared. Through further dreams and visions, she finally recognizes the real evil: the witch killed countless children and turned their remains into delicious food. When Gretel confronts her with these accusations and also blames her for Hansel's disappearance, the woman reveals her past: she was the mother of the child with the pink hood, who clung to her mother even after her repudiation, so that some of her strength was retained the woman passed over, whereupon she rejected the shadow.
During the night Gretel continues to explore the house and finds her brother in a secret basement room. There the witch plans to roast the boy over an open fire and let Gretel watch it. However, she uses her learned skills and fixes the witch herself over the fire, so that she dies and Hansel is saved. The next day, Gretel sends Hansel away on horseback in the direction of the forest people, as her brother would now have to go his own way. Gretel herself stays in the house to take the witch's place, however following the light instead of the shadow.
production
In October 2018 it was announced that Sophia Lillis in described as a new interpretation of the fairy tale film Gretel & Hansel of Orion Pictures should take a leading role. The announced director was Oz Perkins , who co- wrote the script with Rob Hayes . The album was produced Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones , Executive Producer was Sandra Yee Ling . Filming began in Dublin , Ireland with cameraman Galo Olivares in early November 2018 . Recordings were made at The Hell Fire Club hunting lodge near Tallaght . At the same time as shooting began, the participation of Sammy Leakey , Charles Babalola , Alice Krige and Jessica De Gouw became public. Director Perkins said in advance about the film that they wanted to incorporate some coming-of-age aspects. Among other things, Gretel was written much older than her brother in order to be able to address the fact that Hansel hindered Gretel's development . Furthermore, Perkins stated that when casting the witch he did not know what type of actor he was looking for. Because of the historical background, he didn't want to portray the witch as fundamentally evil, but rather powerful. Eventually he was convinced of Krige's idea. In April 2019, the US launch date was dated January 2020.
A first trailer was released on January 2, 2020. Gretel & Hansel finally hit US cinemas on January 31, 2020. The film was released digitally in North America on April 7, 2020 and finally on DVD and Blu-ray on May 5, 2020 . A German theatrical release took place on July 9, 2020.
synchronization
The German synchronization was created under the dialogue direction by Stephan Hoffmann on behalf of EuroSync .
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| Gretel | Sophia Lillis | Stella Sommerfeld |
reception
Age rating
In the United States, the MPA gave the film a PG-13 rating . In Germany, the film was approved by the FSK for people aged 16 and over. The reasoning states that the film is clearly recognizable as a fairytale horror film for young people aged 16 and over. The film has a gloomy atmosphere and there are several moments of horror and scenes of violence, which, however, are not overplayed. A scene in which Hansel and Gretel accidentally eat hallucinogenic mushrooms and get intoxicated seems rather hysterical and grotesque and has no glorifying effect.
Reviews
The film received mostly mixed reviews. Of the 96 reviews evaluated by Rotten Tomatoes , 65 percent were positive and by Metacritic the film received a Metascore of 64 out of 100 possible points from 17 evaluated reviews.
Frank Scheck from the Hollywood Reporter is consistently enthusiastic about the film. According to him, Gretel & Hansel remain largely true to the fairy tale, but sometimes take interesting new directions. The terrifying and frightening witch played by Alice Krige is given a background story, while Gretel , embodied by Sophia Lillis , develops her own powers. As a horror film, Gretel & Hansel have only a leisurely pace, but rely on an emphasis on atmosphere and mood without cheap jump scares . The staging convinces with unusually visual elegance, in which the cameraman Galo Olivares delivers one impressive picture after the other with a great visual language. He also focused on shadows and candlelight, while most of the film is shown in a box-shaped format. The design elements can also convince, such as the costumes or the set design, including the architecturally modernist witch's house. Scheck mentions the mostly unnecessary voiceover of Lillis as the only point of criticism , who otherwise dominate the action and convey maturity and strength.
Christopher Diekhaus came to a mixed judgment from his time at the cinema . Just getting started makes you want more, even if it remains unclear how this relates to the main story. The gruesome mood is well staged, the horror aspects come from optical and acoustic stylistic devices and a dangerously booming sound track as well as idiosyncratic illuminated images with blurred edges create discomfort in the audience. All of this is supported by a striking play of colors, which evokes a dream-like, strange feeling in the audience. Although a lot is done right in terms of atmosphere, the film still gives away too much potential. The emotional impact is missing and the plot is too slow, while the development of Gretel, who is played charismatically by Lillis, seems imprecise and hasty. Furthermore, director Oz Perkins would use too often simple, conventional shock tactics in Gretel's nightmares with no effect.
Andrew Barker from Variety , however, could not be convinced by Gretel & Hansel . For him, the film is a stylish and impressive-looking attempt to bring an art-house horror film to the screen with sensitivity. Lillis plays with a quiet intensity, the camera always finds the most confusing perspectives and the scene and the soundtrack are also convincing. However, all in all, the film is more ominous and bleak than exciting and brutal, it does not scare you, nor does it have humor or intensity. The filmmakers would have tried to implement a feminist reinterpretation, but would continue to move within the boundaries of the genre. The whole thing finally ends in chaos as the film tries in a hurry to bring loose plot ends together, leading to an inexplicable reveal in the third act.
Doris Kuhn from the Film Service is similarly critical of the film. Even if the content promises few surprises, the feminist approach is fundamentally better than other ideas on how to modify fairy tales known in the past. The representation of nature and the forest as well as the color dramaturgy and approaches of a historical spectacle are just as positive. Kuhn also praises the chic, acute-angled witch's house, which arouses curiosity about its secrets, and the enchanted atmosphere, which contrasts clear lines and modern architecture. Overall, however, Gretel & Hansel are not making enough of their approaches. It is not clear whether the witch is really angry, Hansel is portrayed as a plump, self-assured boy and the message of the film is typical of Grimm, the general suspicion that unexpected help does not come by chance. As a conclusion, Kuhn, Gretel & Hansel draws a horror film, "which offers nothing more than a few dodges around the well-known, mixed with handicrafts and emancipatory clichés".
Gross profit
With gross profits of around 6 million US dollars, Gretel & Hänsel entered the US cinema charts at number 4 at the beginning of February 2020, but did not hold this position in the following weeks. The worldwide income from cinema screenings totaled 21.68 million US dollars, of which the film alone could generate 15.35 million in North America. In Germany, the film recorded a total of 50,237 admissions.
Web links
- Gretel & Hansel in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official page for the film
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for Gretel & Hansel . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF).
- ↑ Bory's Kit: 'It' Breakout Sophia Lillis to Star in Fairy Tale Thriller 'Gretel and Hansel' (Exclusive). In: The Hollywood Reporter . October 4, 2018, accessed July 9, 2020 .
- ^ A b Clark Collins: It star Sophia Lillis goes to a dark place in first look at Osgood Perkins's Gretel & Hansel. In: Entertainment Weekly . August 26, 2019, accessed July 12, 2020 .
- ↑ Jeremy Kay: Dublin shoot begins on 'Gretel Ans Hansel'. In: screendaily.com. November 9, 2018, accessed July 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Aaron Couch: Fairytale Thriller 'Gretel and Hansel' Sets 2020 Release Date (Exclusive). In: The Hollywood Reporter . April 16, 2019, accessed July 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Stephanie Prange: 'Gretel & Hansel' Coming to Digital April 7, Disc May 5 From Warner. In: mediaplaynews.com. March 26, 2020, accessed July 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Gretel & Hansel in the German synchronous file
- ↑ Reasons for approval in: spion-fsk.de, accessed on July 9, 2020.
- ↑ Gretel & Hansel on Rotten Tomatoes , accessed on August 5, 2020.
- ↑ Gretel & Hänsel on Metacritic , accessed on August 5, 2020.
- ^ Frank Scheck: 'Gretel & Hansel': Film Review. In: The Hollywood Reporter . January 30, 2020, accessed July 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Christopher Diekhaus: Gretel finds herself. In: kino-zeit.de. Retrieved July 11, 2020 .
- ^ Andrew Barker: 'Gretel & Hansel': Film Review. In: Variety . January 30, 2020, accessed July 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Doris Kuhn: The fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm, interpreted in a feminist way, as a suggestion to Gretel not to accept the chauvinistic behavior of men any longer. In: Filmdienst . Retrieved July 11, 2020 .
- ↑ Laura Friedrich: “Dolittle” just overtakes “Bad Boys for Life”. In : quotemeter.de . February 3, 2020, accessed July 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Gretel & Hänsel In: Box Office Mojo , accessed on August 5, 2020.
- ↑ Top 100 Germany 2020 In: insidekino.de, accessed on August 5, 2020.