How and why does the appropriation build on and adapt the ideas/style of the original text?
The Grimm Brothers fairytale Hansel and Gretel (1812) and Tommy Wirkola’s film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) illustrates the way in which themes, values and morals have drastically changed from the world of the Grimm’s to the modern world of today. For Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm born in a Christian Europe thrown into constant political and military turmoil, fairytales were a way of restoring traditional German culture/values for the general well being and moral stability of society. For Tommy Wirkola appropriating Hansel and Gretel is more about entertainment in a 21st Century culture of Hollywood consumerism, than it is to affirm societies moral values. One of the key ideas that shows this difference for the original to the appropriation is of how the original moral message has been adapted and completely changed over the period of 100-150 years furthermore there has also been a shift stemming from developments in society towards human equality and away from religion that have meant that new interpretations of the traditional tale have become relevant. The archetype of the white male Christian has been challenged in this way particularly the challenging of gender roles. In these ways Wirkola uses the Grimm story both as a reflection of its cultural significance but also reflects his own society.
Moral messages were the cornerstone of all classic fairytales including Hansel and Gretel. Fairy tales were once for everyone and reflected the values of the people and told a strong moral message that people of all ages could learn from. Throughout Hansel and Gretel the moral of the story is don’t trust strangers and don’t disobey your parents. The witch in the story tries to lure the children into her home - “Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you.” The lesson is to beware of strange old women because they might be evil child-eating witches. (Although this wasn't a real danger in the time the story was told in, people believed it was. Irrational fear of strangers and the other is timeless.) This demonstrates societies fears of foreigners or people with difference which can be attributed to the context of the time i.e. Napoleonic Wars which saw invasion apart of daily life for the Grimm’s which influenced a story regarding the stranger. The included morals are made for adults more as inferred by the content of the story, child abuse, murder, pedophilia, parental negligence and human evil. This presents a challenging and confronting story to the author. Throughout the fairytale there is a loss of innocence or bildungsroman, which infers a coming of age story. Wirkola’s world is very different, Hollywood culture has presented the idea that violence is to be celebrated and thus moral messages die away.
The Grimm’s reiterates their views on the bildungsroman throughout Hansel and Gretel. This is seen throughout the story from the time they were abandoned to the moment of reconciliation with their father. The children are first thrust out into the wild and unknown forest just beyond the comfort of their home, “where they had never been before in their lives” by their seemingly selfish step-mother . This as a representation of the children being forced into their independence by both the world and the family, since they did not decide to choose independence for themselves and would have preferred to continue their dependency. The portrayal of the mother in Hansel and Gretel is actually a projection of the children’s frustration with their former nurturer for withdrawing her care and support. The mother is all-important, in both her benign and her threatening aspects. The mother figure is more central than the father because, especially in the Grimm’s era, the mother of the household was held responsible for raising the children. For this reason, the mother poses a greater threat to the children because they are more vulnerable to her influence. At the arrival of the bread house, Hansel and Gretel learn their first lesson in reality. They naively begin to indulge themselves without consideration or question. After learning that, “The old woman had only pretended to be so friendly.” The children realize the importance of trust and truth. They are exposed on their own for the first time to life’s harsh realities and, also for the first time, must personally deal with the consequences. During the period that Hansel and Gretel stay at the witch’s house, they experience growing pains. The witch’s coldness and impatience- “and be quick about it”; “Spare me your blubbering!” - coupled with the loneliness of their separation strengthens each child’s mentally and emotionally. Hansel tricks the witch to delay his death. Gretel finally shows some mental substantiality when she acts on the initiative by figuring out a way to kill the witch. After they have proven to be quick-witted and to have perseverance and determination, all necessary life skills to acquire and put to use in order to be successful in the real world, the children begin their return home. Hansel and Gretel were able to conquer themselves and overcome their obstacles. The experience was necessary to help the children become more mature, and ready to rely on their own intelligence and initiative to solve life’s problems.
Tommy Wirkola’s film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is relatively similar to the original text, although it reflective of his own time and personal context. The film opens in the German wilderness, which is consistent with Wirkola’s style of half-American and half-German films. Reimaging the classic fairy tale, a young Hansel and Gretel are lured into a house made of candy and locked away by an evil witch, only throwing her into the fire intended for them is enough to escape. Cut to 15 years later and it seems killing witches has become something of a hobby. Wandering the land as bounty hunters, when the children of a small town go missing, the sheriff hires the pair to track down the evil witches and bring the town’s children back to safety. The morals seem to get lost along the way in this movie as they go from pure and innocent children to the complete opposites, they are essentially glorified serial killers. "Me and my sister... we have a past. We almost died at the hands of a witch. But that past made us stronger" - Hansel, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, this draws attention to the fact that this story isn't about saving people from witches it is about gaining revenge from their ordeal 15 years ago. This is a powerful reflection of Wirkola's style: violence and gore, sheer entertainment value and no moral message to be seen, as is the case with all movies under Wirkola's direction.
Finally, Tommy Wirkola presents a definite message about the need for the Hollywood stereotypical movie plot line. essentially Wirkola has created something that adheres to every Hollywood movie present in theatres such as the introduction of a love interest, violence, bloodshed, humour, etc. this has been done due to the fact that Wirkola is creating a piece of art that more accurately reflects his context.
Literary art of any form reflects its contextual surroundings despite the messages it is conveying. The Brother’s Grimm in their original fairytale Hansel and Gretel (1812) allow Tommy Wirkola to build on and add his own contextual ideas, values and style in his adaption Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). The Grimm’s and Wirkola explore the depiction of women, growing up, stereotypes within society and the moral message or lack of moral message. It is this contextual framework that attracts audiences of all ages to this classic fairytale and it’s modern interpretation, as audiences are able to still connect with the ideas, style and values.
Moral messages were the cornerstone of all classic fairytales including Hansel and Gretel. Fairy tales were once for everyone and reflected the values of the people and told a strong moral message that people of all ages could learn from. Throughout Hansel and Gretel the moral of the story is don’t trust strangers and don’t disobey your parents. The witch in the story tries to lure the children into her home - “Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you.” The lesson is to beware of strange old women because they might be evil child-eating witches. (Although this wasn't a real danger in the time the story was told in, people believed it was. Irrational fear of strangers and the other is timeless.) This demonstrates societies fears of foreigners or people with difference which can be attributed to the context of the time i.e. Napoleonic Wars which saw invasion apart of daily life for the Grimm’s which influenced a story regarding the stranger. The included morals are made for adults more as inferred by the content of the story, child abuse, murder, pedophilia, parental negligence and human evil. This presents a challenging and confronting story to the author. Throughout the fairytale there is a loss of innocence or bildungsroman, which infers a coming of age story. Wirkola’s world is very different, Hollywood culture has presented the idea that violence is to be celebrated and thus moral messages die away.
The Grimm’s reiterates their views on the bildungsroman throughout Hansel and Gretel. This is seen throughout the story from the time they were abandoned to the moment of reconciliation with their father. The children are first thrust out into the wild and unknown forest just beyond the comfort of their home, “where they had never been before in their lives” by their seemingly selfish step-mother . This as a representation of the children being forced into their independence by both the world and the family, since they did not decide to choose independence for themselves and would have preferred to continue their dependency. The portrayal of the mother in Hansel and Gretel is actually a projection of the children’s frustration with their former nurturer for withdrawing her care and support. The mother is all-important, in both her benign and her threatening aspects. The mother figure is more central than the father because, especially in the Grimm’s era, the mother of the household was held responsible for raising the children. For this reason, the mother poses a greater threat to the children because they are more vulnerable to her influence. At the arrival of the bread house, Hansel and Gretel learn their first lesson in reality. They naively begin to indulge themselves without consideration or question. After learning that, “The old woman had only pretended to be so friendly.” The children realize the importance of trust and truth. They are exposed on their own for the first time to life’s harsh realities and, also for the first time, must personally deal with the consequences. During the period that Hansel and Gretel stay at the witch’s house, they experience growing pains. The witch’s coldness and impatience- “and be quick about it”; “Spare me your blubbering!” - coupled with the loneliness of their separation strengthens each child’s mentally and emotionally. Hansel tricks the witch to delay his death. Gretel finally shows some mental substantiality when she acts on the initiative by figuring out a way to kill the witch. After they have proven to be quick-witted and to have perseverance and determination, all necessary life skills to acquire and put to use in order to be successful in the real world, the children begin their return home. Hansel and Gretel were able to conquer themselves and overcome their obstacles. The experience was necessary to help the children become more mature, and ready to rely on their own intelligence and initiative to solve life’s problems.
Tommy Wirkola’s film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is relatively similar to the original text, although it reflective of his own time and personal context. The film opens in the German wilderness, which is consistent with Wirkola’s style of half-American and half-German films. Reimaging the classic fairy tale, a young Hansel and Gretel are lured into a house made of candy and locked away by an evil witch, only throwing her into the fire intended for them is enough to escape. Cut to 15 years later and it seems killing witches has become something of a hobby. Wandering the land as bounty hunters, when the children of a small town go missing, the sheriff hires the pair to track down the evil witches and bring the town’s children back to safety. The morals seem to get lost along the way in this movie as they go from pure and innocent children to the complete opposites, they are essentially glorified serial killers. "Me and my sister... we have a past. We almost died at the hands of a witch. But that past made us stronger" - Hansel, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, this draws attention to the fact that this story isn't about saving people from witches it is about gaining revenge from their ordeal 15 years ago. This is a powerful reflection of Wirkola's style: violence and gore, sheer entertainment value and no moral message to be seen, as is the case with all movies under Wirkola's direction.
Finally, Tommy Wirkola presents a definite message about the need for the Hollywood stereotypical movie plot line. essentially Wirkola has created something that adheres to every Hollywood movie present in theatres such as the introduction of a love interest, violence, bloodshed, humour, etc. this has been done due to the fact that Wirkola is creating a piece of art that more accurately reflects his context.
Literary art of any form reflects its contextual surroundings despite the messages it is conveying. The Brother’s Grimm in their original fairytale Hansel and Gretel (1812) allow Tommy Wirkola to build on and add his own contextual ideas, values and style in his adaption Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). The Grimm’s and Wirkola explore the depiction of women, growing up, stereotypes within society and the moral message or lack of moral message. It is this contextual framework that attracts audiences of all ages to this classic fairytale and it’s modern interpretation, as audiences are able to still connect with the ideas, style and values.