Film Feature: Red Riding Hood

When it comes to fables like The Little Mermaid, the Disney version of the story most children are familiar with is rarely the real one. Most faerie tales were originally dark and gruesome, and so it is not surprising to see an adult take on Little Red Riding Hood drawing on these themes. The film features Amanda Seyfried (From Big Love and Veronica Mars) who I absolutely love and that was what initially attracted my interest. I was also interested to learn Red Riding Hood has been directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who is responsible for an extremely successful book to film adaption- Twilight. Before that she also directed Lords of Dogtown and Thirteen though, so if you don't like Twilight (I don't), then try not to hold that against her.

I haven't read any of the original versions of Little Red Riding Hood, such as the one written by the Brothers Grimm. However, I think it is obvious from the trailer that the film is a very loose adaptation, perhaps taking advantage of the current interest in paranormal and creatures like vampires and werewolves, especially considering the love storyline, which I suspect was not in the original. 

Overall, however Red Riding Hood has definitely caught my eye and I am curious to see how it turns out. Maybe before I watch the film I'll read the Grimm tale, just to allow for comparison. The film is due to be released March 2011.

And a new edition of the fairytale is being released in conjunction on January 25th 2011 by Collins Design (HarperCollins).

Trailer for the film, isn't the music perfect?

Does Red Riding Hood have your interest? How do you feel about adult takes on classic stories? Are their any adult films based on classic fairy tales you recommend?