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Average Customer Review
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Looks like it was dubbed off a VHS tape, Mar 10 2004
By A Customer
Despite the minimal DVD quality, I love this movie! The animation is neat, the music is beautiful, and it's a lot of fun. There are nice little touches, like the gentle way that Hansel comforts his sister whenever she's afraid, or the way he brushes the dirt off her skirt. All animated, frame by frame. The witch is pure camp comedy, with an "over-the-top" voice to match.
Gretel and her mother BOTH look like "Lost in Space" actress June Lockhart. The witch looks like a combination of Carmen Miranda and Lucille Ball. Now I ask you: how could you NOT love a movie like that?!!
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Horrible Print - Washed out, faded and soft focus!, Feb 15 2002
Don't buy it. I have wonderful memories of seeing this film at the movies when I was a child. I loved it so much that I even had the record album. I couldn't wait to get it on DVD to share with my children. What a disapointment! It looks like the same print they showed in the theaters back in the early 1970s. The colors are washed out and faded. Even worse, the image looks soft. I knew this was an old film and I wasn't expecting a "Snow White" quality restoration, but this was so bad that my family and I couldn't even finish watching it.
The dismal quality becomes even more apparent when you watch the "Making Of" promo included on the disc. Filmed in Black & White back in 1953, it looks crisper and sharper than the film itself.
I knew I was in trouble, though, when I opened the DVD case and there wasn't a chapter list inside. I sensed that if View Video (the distributor) didn't care enough about their product to include a chapter list, they wouldn't care about getting the best possible print (let alone striking a new one). And I was right.
Again, despite whatever fond memories you might have of this film, save your money. Don't buy it.
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A Saturday Matinee Classic, Sep 28 2000
I can remember seeing usually in December at the local movie theater in my hometown with my older sisters It was a big hit with us then and still is a big hit around our house. Anna Russell's performance is a classic and the way the original opera is presented makes it a little bit easier for the young ones to enjoy it. Sure this is not the sort of thing you would see at the Metropolitan Opera House, but it is a lot of fun. And this Video brings back a number of good memories!
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Not the Real Thing, Jan 9 2000
Purchasers who are looking for the "real" Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck should NOT by this video. This video is an adaptation which uses MOST of the music from the original but not all of it; and what IS used is not always used in the original order. This results in some sections being recast in different keys; unexpected cuts; and other anomalies (including some new vocal lines where there was previously just orchestra).The text is sung in English and the translation is very good (almost word for word); but the concept is all wrong. Very little is actually sung: Hansel and Gretel sing about 50% of their material; the Mother sings none of it. Major set pieces like the "Children's Prayer" are spoken through with words that have nothing to do with the original. The casting and scripting suffer from their 1950s/60s style. The worst offender in this is Constance Brigham's dual role as Hansel and Gretel. Gretel is portrayed as an airheaded giggler who is prissy, reacts to all adversity by crying, and has no control over her emotions. Hansel is rude, treats adults with disdain and his sister with contempt. (Just watch any of the classic TV sitcoms produced around this time and you'll see the same thing). The fact that the father sings all of his lines (and sings them well) and the mother speaks hers (when she isn't gasping or crying out "oh") only further adds to the incongruity. The only thing that saves this performance from total disaster is the performance of Anna Russell as the Witch. Even with all of the impediments previously mentioned, this is the best performance of this role I have ever heard. I almost hate to say this, but the film is worth watching for her performance alone. But for those looking for an introduction to opera or those familiar with it, be aware that this is a good film of its genre, but opera it is NOT.
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Outstanding Intro. to Opera, Good Music!, Dec 12 1999
This version of the opera of Hansel and Gretel is accessible to children of all ages because it is visually intriguing. Animated puppets, called the Kinemins by the producer back in 1954, are believable even though they lack the sophistication of the movement seen in Toy Story. The settings, colorful, sometime frightening, and always imaginative, are perfectly matched to the symphonic score of the opera and to the fanciful nature of the story. Of course, the witch is the centerpiece of the story, and Anna Russell's incomparable interpretation of the witch both unnerves and entertains at the same time. She is obviously having fun--as is the witch herself until her untimely demise in the oven. I saw this film in a theatre when I was only five years old, fell in love with the score as a result, and have loved classical music ever since--thanks to Hansel and Gretel. I still cherise this film and recommend it to anyone with children. Actually, this film is delightful entertainment for people of all ages.
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An excellent introduction to Opera for children of all ages, Sep 23 1999
By A Customer
My children grew up watching the 1954 version of this opera on video and though they are all grown they still remember it and the music. There is no other portrayal of the witch except Anna Russell's she is the very best. My children also remember their first introduction to opera through this video which has stayed with them through the years and has taught them music appreciation.
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Charming version of timeless tale, Sep 2 1999
By A Customer
I first saw this many years ago as a child and thought it was just wonderful. I still think so after seeing it again as a "grown-up." This 1954 version adapts the operatic telling of the story composed by Engelbert Humperdinck in 1893, and combines just the right amount of singing and speaking to make the balance comfortable for young viewers. The stop-motion animation is well done, and each character is highly individualized, physically and vocally. Perhaps best of all is the divine Anna Russell's portrayal of the witch -- she croons and bellows, often within the same sentence, sometimes within the same word! Her performance is a over-the-top delight, and the cast also boasts the fine Mildred Dunnock as the mother. Most of Humperdinck's glorious score is used, and this film serves as a wonderful introduction to the world of opera for children.
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