Brilliant brothers brought magic to the big screen

"Grimm's fairy tales always spurred my imagination, the characters became my most intimate friends, and we never outgrew each other.

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"When I was preparing Tom Thumb for the screen, it started me thinking along different lines. I thought how wonderful it would be to make a film detailing the lives of the remarkable Brothers Grimm, incorporating into the story some of the tales and characters that sprang from their imagination" - George Pal.

After seven years of extensive research and preparation, George Pal’s dream came true with the MGM release of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm in 1963.

It was to be the first feature flick in the Cinerama film process, which debuted in 1952 with the documentary This Is Cinerama.

The process was filmed with three cameras running simultaneously to create a projected picture of 146 degrees.

It was the creation of Fred Waller, a Hollywood special effects expert who experimented for 15 years before perfecting the system.

A seven-track, seven-sound system completed the impressive effect. It was introduced as a way to attract audiences back to theatres, as television was becoming increasingly popular and drawing people away from cinemas.