Sherlock and Hansel and Gretel

Sherlock, Series Two just finished airing in the UK although it won't air in the US until May. My John is a huge fan of the series and can hardly wait for it so I am tempted to order it from the UK for his birthday. Yes, we own a Region 2 reading DVD player although most computers handle them, too. Sometimes we can't stand to wait or miss shows that don't get released here for a long time. I, in other words, am a BBC junkie. We're also Sherlock junkies and our first trip to London included time at 221B Baker Street.

But why am I posting about it here? Well, SurLaLune reader Aliza from the UK emailed me to let me know that the third episode features a Hansel and Gretel subplot. It was intriguing, so I thought I would share to inspire those who can catch it in rerun or anticipate watching it in May or whenever it appears in your area.

From Aliza:

Concerning fairy tale retellings, a British TV Modern remake of Sherlock Holmes from BBC 1 named "Sherlock" has used the fairy- tale theme in it's latest episode.

The last of six hour and a half episodes named "The Reichenbach Fall" that was released this Sunday somehow managed to add Hansel and Gretel into the plot.

James Moriarty, Sherlock's nemesis starts by warning Sherlock ominously that "every fairy tale needs an old fashioned villain."

Later, two children go missing and Sherlock finds a "Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales" Book left in their nursery by Moriarty. From different clues he devises that the children are hidden in an abandoned candy factory.

Moriarty took the two children and gave then lots of candy and sweets, but as Sherlock discovers, the wrappers are coated with mercury.

Because of this, the more candy the children eat, the more poison enters their bodies and the quicker they die.

I found the idea and the mixing of the tale in the show very interesting. I wonder if the show was following the currant trend of bringing fairy tales into everything or doing for their own personal reasons.

The show as a whole is also worth a look at. Even though Sherlock Holmes is no fairy tale, the show takes the old and well known story to a new angle by placing the characters in a modern setting.

Here is more information about the show and the episode if you are interested:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018ttws
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b2vl4

Hope this information was somewhat useful,

Aliza

Thanks for sharing, Aliza. I probably wouldn't have known about this until May!

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ABC's Once Upon a Time: Episode 9 Tonight: True North

Tonight we get a new episode of ABC's "Once Upon a Time." It's the long anticipated Hansel and Gretel episode titled, "True North."

Looks like fun to me!

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ABC's Once Upon a Time Returns Tonight

It's January 8th and the midseason hiatus for ABC's Upon a Time ends tonight. Above is a clip of the first 8 minutes of the new episode which has been blitzing in the media coverage along with many, many spoilers. Spoilers that ultimately say we are going to learn more about the characters in upcoming episodes. (I am really tempted to type "Duh" here, but would that be aging myself as well as too snarky? Excuse me, I've been sick for two weeks with three ailments and I am snarky right now!)

I debated sharing some of the articles, but I decided not to. They are everywhere on the web and some of them may even be true. For now, I intend to keep watching the show, enjoying the ride along the way. Overall, I am enjoying when the writers use the non-Disney versions of characters which seems to give them all more depth.

However, I obviously couldn't resist the tantalizing images that have also been creeping up everywhere for some future episodes. See what I mean though about the characters? Aren't Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel much more compelling than the Halloweenish Cinderella we were treated to a few months ago? That costume was horrible...

And I can't praise ABC highly enough for really backing this show. The publicity is fierce. The marathon of episodes last weekend was a rarity on the big networks and even the support materials are growing, yes, in the name of marketing and commerce, but that is what it's all about anyway. If we get to be entertained along the way, it's a solid product.

(Forgive the snarkiness. Don't doubt I will be watching OUAT tonight or tomorrow at the latest. I admit Downton Abbey 2 may take precedence since I have a date to watch that with family tonight.)

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New Book: Magic Beans: A Handful of Fairytales from the Storybag

Magic Beans: A Handful of Fairytales from the Storybag is a recent book released in the UK with many short stories by well-known authors based on fairy tales. I missed this when it was released a few months ago and it is pushed primarily in ebook format here in the US. The ebook is $9.99 which looks like a bargain when one finds that each of the short stories are also available separately for $1.95 each in ebook format.

The best part--besides a stellar author list--is that many of these are lesser used tales for retellings. I'm not sure how much interpretation is in these versions or if they are more straightforward rewritings by the authors, but either way I am sure they are fun reading. I do know enough to recognize they are reprints of dollar books printed by Scholastic with each title. The illustrations appear to be included here, so this is a good way to collect them all if they interest you or a child in your life.

Book description:

Magic beans. Sow them. Plant them. Watch children grow.

'If you are a dreamer, come in. If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, a hoper, a prayer, a magic-bean-buyer. If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire, for we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!' - Shel Silverstein, Poet

Each and every one of the stories in this anthology is a magic bean: a wondrous tale that will capture your imagination. Prepare to be dazzled by Rapunzel's golden tresses. Prepare to be moved by the suffering of the Little Mermaid. Prepare to laugh yourself silly as 'Mr Sultana' struggles to get the better of a little red rooster!

Lovingly crafted by the finest authors and illustrators, these 'magic beans' will delight, thrill and thoroughly entertain.

Table of Contents:

Adèle Geras
The Six Swan Brothers

Anne Fine
The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Henrietta Branford
Hansel and Gretel

Jacqueline Wilson
Rapunzel

Malorie Blackman
Aesop’s Fables

Philip Pullman
Mossycoat

Tony Mitton
The Seal Hunter

Alan Garner
Grey Wolf, Prince Jack and the Firebird

Berlie Doherty
The Snow Queen

Gillian Cross
The Goose Girl

Kit Wright
Rumpelstiltskin

Michael Morpurgo
Cockadoodle-doo, Mr Sultana!

Susan Gates
The Three Heads in the Well

Linda Newbery
The Little Mermaid

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Play-Doh Fairy Tales

Play-Doh: The Story of Little Red Riding Hood

There are actually three sets of Play-Doh fairy tale inspired sets, so I wanted to share those today. I have absolutely no need for these, but I want them! It's fun to have a well-known brand do something without a commercially licensed version of popularized fairy tale characters. Love these!

Play Doh: The Story of Hansel and Gretel

Play Doh: The Story of the Three Little Pigs

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Advertising: Foundation Hansel & Gretel

Not every child is looking forward to coming home.
In Germany every 5th child gets sexually abused. In 80% of the cases it happens in their home. Get more information at: www.haensel-gretel.de
Help prevent child abuse

Agency: Scholz & Friends, Hamburg, Germany
Creative Directors: Marcus Korell, André Klein
Art Director: Carolin Rathgeber
Illustrator: Insect, London
Graphic: Mareike Ledeboer
Postproduction: Metagate, Hamburg
Account Executives: Alexander Yazdi, Alexander Ewert, Meike Boesche

Via Ads of the World. This is different, I know. The images are fairy tale related, but the name of the organization obviously is. What a perfect name for an anti-child abuse foundation since such things need to exist, unfortuantely.

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Advertising: Wee Willie Winkie's and Fairy Tales

Dinner times, even happier ever after.

Wee Willie Winkie's

Advertising Agency: Denvir Marketing, Stirling, Scotland, UK
Creative Director / Art Director / Copywriter: Phil Sanderson
Illustrator: Steve Carroll

Via Ads of the World. Now I think this one is pretty effective and fun.

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Now in US: Hansel and Gretel by Louise Rowe

I highlighted Rowe's first pop-up books including this Hansel and Gretel last year when they were released in the UK. Now the books have been released in the US and are already shipping despite their December 1 release date, see Hansel and Gretel (UK link and French version) So I am reposting the images to share. I am always fascinated by how Hansel and Gretel is told to today's children. It really is a terrifying fairy tale...

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Sleeping Beauty: Pop-Up Book by Louise Rowe

This one is for those across the pond from me. Those of us in the US will have to order foreign or wait a year. A new pop-up book release is Sleeping Beauty: Pop-Up Book by Louise Rowe. I featured two of Rowe's previous fairy tales last year after they were released. You can read about them and see images of the pop-ups at Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. And those two books, by the way, are slated for an early December release here in the US. Here are some links followed by more images from Sleeping Beauty:

These images came from Rowe's website:

No, they are not as complex as Sabuda or Reinhart's work, but they are still magical and will enchant a child, too. Great gifts for the children or me although I already own Hansel and Gretel and LRRH from an order I placed last year.

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Fathers by Delia Sherman

STONE TELLING is a new literary speculative poetry quarterly dedicated to boundary-crossing and multi-perspective poetry. The current issue was released a few weeks ago and has some offerings of interest to readers here, such as Fathers by Delia Sherman.

In "Fathers," Sherman explores three father characters from fairy tales, The Woodcutter from Hansel and Gretel, The Merchant from Cinderella and The King from Snow White. Excellent reading.

Here's the beginning to whet your appetite:

1. The Woodcutter

He climbs the ladder, rungs creaking underfoot,
Dreary as hunger. At the back of the loft,
Two children cup themselves around a pocket of warmth
Like mice in the hay, chewing on straws for comfort.
Their whispering stops as he approaches,
Kneels, stiff as frost, touches their cold faces
And says—

Delia is great and a discussion of the poem is also available at Roundtable.

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Upcoming Film: Black Forest: Hansel and Gretel and the 420 Witch

Bits and pieces from Indies light up 'The 420 Witch': Duane Journey directing stoney take on Hansel and Gretel tale by Jeff Sneider at Variety:

With Paramount wrapping its Jeremy Renner starrer "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters," three indie companies are prepping an alternate take on the Grimm brothers' classic fairy tale titled "Black Forest: Hansel and Gretel and the 420 Witch."

Duane Journey will direct from David Tillman's script, which concerns a witch living in Pasadena who lures teens into her house with a special blend of marijuana so she can eat them in order to maintain her youth.

"Twilight" thesp Michael Welch and "Castle" star Molly Quinn will play the endangered siblings, with Lara Flynn Boyle ("Men in Black II") as the sinister witch.

"'420 Witch' is not your average fairy-tale adaptation. It's a reinvention of the story with a dark edge that I think audiences will love," Hudson said.

Dark edged fairy tale retelling? Yep, that's new and cutting edge. (Snort.) But this one goes into production next month so it's an almost definite coming to you in the future unlike some of the other smaller projects we see. And I admit to liking Molly Quinn on Castle, so that could be interesting, too.

While I admit I wasn't overwhelmed with some of the Lily Collins' Snow White imagery, I think I prefer it to so many of these "How dark can we get?" trends right now. Yes, fairy tales are dark, but they are also usually hopeful. When the emphasis is on the bleak and scary, I wonder if we lose some of the magic, too? That said, Hansel and Gretel is one of the scariest fairy tales of all, so a horror interpretation is not far off the mark.

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Just Desserts Fairy Tales: Pictures of the Showpieces

I finally remembered to go check the Just Desserts site to see if still photos had been added of last week's fairy tale desserts challenge. They were! The challenge included both a showpiece and accompanying desserts and only the showpieces are pictured because they are the most visually interesting. So which one was the winner for you? I was myself was partial to the Jack and the Beanstalk one.

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