Hansel and Gretel: The Film vs. The Grimm Fairy Tale

Hansel and Gretel, one of the few fairy tales that shows a close bond between siblings. And one of the few where the main characters have "relateable" names.

 Finally, a break against a hateful relationship between siblings. The portrayal of the bond was something that the movie keeps the same as the tale. Rarely ever are Hansel and Gretel are apart and it shows that they truly do care for each other and enjoy each other's company. Another similarity is the fact that the two end up lost in the woods, and in the house of a witch. One of the highlighted similarities is the fact that ultimately Hansel and Gretel save themselves. And just like in Grimms tale, Gretel is the one who specifically orchestrates the death of the witch in order to save her brother. This can show both maturity-her transition from a child to an adult, and female empowerment. In most tales, females are conveniently saved by a man.

As in the Grimms version, Hansel and Gretel are elated to see that they can finally eat, and that it can be what they'd like. They take a liking to the witch and don't seem to mind her appearance at all. Once difference with their interaction with the witch is the fact that Hansel calls her "Grandma." This isn't done in the Grimms tale. When Gretel questions this, he tells her that the witch can replace their grandmother who had died. 

There are some stark differences that I noticed. Particularly in the father. In the tale he is someone who is protective of his children but alas, submissive and passive. He succumbs to the wishes of his wife when she wants to abandon the kids in the forest so that they don't starve during the famine. In the MGM version, many times he seems to snap at Hansel and Gretel. And when the mother finds out that her kids are lost, she is genuinely concerned (at first I thought that she was faking it). But I figured that it's just another difference between Grimms version and the 1897 movie. He is the one who ends the search for his kids, saying that she doesn't need to worry and that they won't be able to find the kids in the witch's forest at night.

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