The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962): Cast & Plot
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm is a 1962 fantasy comedy directed by George Pal and Henry Levin, starring Claire Bloom as Dorothea Grimm, Karlheinz Böhm and Bryan Russell. It runs 2 hours 20 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 20m (140 min)
- Directors
- George Pal and Henry Levin
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Cinerama Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm About?
The premise of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
The film dramatizes the nineteenth‑century lives of Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm as they try to escape a catalog of scholarly tomes. Wilhelm is determined to create entertaining works, so the brothers travel the countryside gathering oral folk tales for publication. Their biography is interwoven with vivid reenactments of three classic Grimm stories—“The Dancing Princess,” “The Cobbler and the Elves,” and “The Singing Bone.”
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- fairy tale
- knight
- germany
- church
- castle
- puppetoons
- family character name in title
- wilhelm grimm character
- jacob grimm character
- the brothers grimm characters
- cinderella character
- tom thumb character
+38 more Show fewer
- flower vendor
- husband wife relationship
- dragonslayer
- wealthy patron
- gypsy camp
- dragon's lair
- live action fairy tale
- christmas day
- reference to debtor's prison
- river voyage
- hallucination
- berlin germany
- rumpelstiltskin character
- snow white character
- horse and carriage
- 1800s
- child
- elf
- writer
- all star cast
- ensemble cast
- europe
- fairytale
- invisibility
- gypsy dance
- gypsy dancer
- dance of the gypsy
- cloak of invisibility
- invisible cloak
- turning invisible
- singing
- duke
- dancing
- coward
- magical cloak
- cobbler the shoemaker
- historical fiction
- village
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Cast & Characters
Claire Bloom leads the cast as Dorothea Grimm, with Karlheinz Böhm as Jacob Grimm and Bryan Russell as Friedrich Grimm. Directed by George Pal and Henry Levin; 42 actors are credited in all.
- Co-director George Pal
- Co-director Henry Levin
-
Claire Bloom as Dorothea Grimm - Karlheinz Böhm as Jacob Grimm
- Bryan Russell as Friedrich Grimm
- Tammy Marihugh as Pauline Grimm
Also Starring in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
· 38 more- Laurence Harvey Wilhelm Grimm / Cobbler (segment "The Cobbler and the Elves")
- Jeanine Cashell Princess Aide ('The Dancing Princess') (uncredited)
- Gene Roth Berlin Royal Academy Representative at Train Station
- Ian Wolfe Gruber
- Russ Tamblyn The Woodsman (segment "The Dancing Princess") / Tom Thumb
- Billy Barty The Court Jester (segment "The Dancing Princess") (uncredited)
- Martita Hunt Anna Richter
- Oskar Homolka The Duke ('The Dream')
- Walter Brooke The Mayor (segment "The Cobbler and the Elves")
- Jim Backus The King (segment "The Dancing Princess")
- Terry-Thomas Ludwig (segment "The Singing Bone")
- Robert Foulk The Hunter (segment "The Cobbler and the Elves")
- Beulah Bondi The Gypsy (segment "The Dancing Princess")
- Otto Kruger The King (segment "The Singing Bone")
- Angelo Rossitto Dwarf
- Walter Rilla Priest
Show all 42 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Barbara Eden Greta Heinrich
- Walter Slezak Stossel
- Clinton Sundberg The Prime Minister / Hans (singing voice)
- Peter Whitney The Giant
- Yvette Mimieux The Princess (segment "The Dancing Princess")
- Arnold Stang Rumpelstiltskin
- Jon Lormer The Doctor
- Buddy Hackett Hans (segment "The Singing Bone")
- Darby Hinton Little Boy
- Gregory Morton Dantino
- 'Little Billy' Rhodes Grumpy the Dwarf
- Betty Garde Miss Bettenhausen
- Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel Flower Vendor
- Sydney Smith The Spokesman (segment "The Singing Bone")
- Cheerio Meredith Mrs. Von Dittersdorf
- Robert Crawford Jr. The Shepherd (segment "The Singing Bone")
- Pamela Baird Cinderella (uncredited)
- True Ellison Snow White
- Sandra Bettin The Ballerina (segment "The Cobbler and the Elves")
- Ruthie Robinson Little Red Riding Hood
- Diana Driscoll Gretel
- Stanley Fafara Hansel
More from George Pal and Henry Levin
More films directed by George Pal and Henry Levin, best-rated first: The Time Machine, Where the Boys Are, Scout’s Honor and That Man Bolt.
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Plot Summary
What happens in The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
The film tracks the lives of Wilhelm Grimm, Laurence Harvey and Jacob Grimm, Karlheinz Böhm, two brothers who balance scholarly ambition with a growing love for the folklore they collect. They work to finish a history for a local duke, but Wilhelm’s real passion lies in gathering fairy tales and often uses their funds to hear them told by villagers. As the brothers move between archival work and living folklore, The Dancing Princess and The Cobbler and the Elves braid themselves into the central narrative, hinting at how storytelling fuels the larger project of recording history. The film treats these tales not as mere diversions but as living forces that shape the brothers’ understanding of culture and memory.
Full summary
The whole story of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, scene by scene
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Trailers & Videos
The trailer of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.
How Well Do You Know The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What are the names of the two brother scholars featured in the film?
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Also Known As
15 alternative titles, including “Die Wunderwelt der Brüder Grimm” and “不思議な世界の物語”.
- Also known as
-
- Die Wunderwelt der Brüder Grimm
- 不思議な世界の物語
- Les Merveilleux Contes de Grimm
- El maravilloso mundo de los hermanos Grimm
- Die Wunderwelt der Gebrüder Grimm
- O Mundo Maravilhoso dos Irmãos Grimm
- Igaz mese a Grimm testvérekről
- Чудесный мир братьев Гримм
- Avventura nella fantasia
- 더 원더풀 월드 오브 더 브라더스 그림
- 童话世界
- Wspaniały świat braci Grimm
+3 more Show fewer
- Bröderna Grimms underbara värld
- Le monde merveilleux des frères Grimm
- Brødrene Grimms vidunderlige verden
Seen The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm?
Movies Like The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Brothers Grimm, Once Upon a Brothers Grimm and Hansel & Gretel.
-
The Brothers Grimm 2005 -
Once Upon a Brothers Grimm 1977 -
Hansel & Gretel 2002 -
The Grimm Variations 2024 -
Snow White 2022 -
Hansel and Gretel 1954 -
Rumpelstiltskin 1987 -
Hänsel und Gretel 2006 -
The Story of Hansel and Gretel 1951 -
Hansel and Gretel 1987 -
The Bremen Town Musicians 1969 -
The Return Of Peter Grimm 1935
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm FAQ: Cast & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm?
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm runs 2 hours 20 minutes (140 minutes).
When was The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm released?
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm was released on August 7, 1962.
Who directed The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm?
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm was directed by George Pal and Henry Levin.
More films by George Pal Who is in the cast of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm?
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm stars Claire Bloom as Dorothea Grimm, Karlheinz Böhm as Jacob Grimm and Bryan Russell as Friedrich Grimm, among 42 credited actors.
Does The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm have a post-credit scene?
No. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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