The difference between "Hansel and Gretel" (1987), and the original tale by the Brothers Grimm

The first difference lies in the events before Hansel and Gretel are captured by the witch. In the Brothers Grimm version they are left to go into the forest multiple times, instead of the one time they go into the forest in the film. The change was made so that instead of the parents having the same argument three times, it instead shows why they are struggling for food. It is because the father is a bit of a pushover, who can't get the full amount of money for the wood from the baker. This is different then in the Grimm's version where the reason why they are starving is because of a plague sweeping through the country. The change clearly made because something like a plague would not fit in with the tone of the film. Which is a somewhat campy musical. Also the before mentioned change to Hansel and Gretel only going once did work very well, because instead of telling us they starve because of a plague, in the movie they show us that the father is a pushover. It works because in the text it's mostly a given that things are told to us in the literary medium. As opposed to showing us in the movie why which in turn works in that case both so that they can maintain the tone, but also to show us why. Which in a visual medium like film works in its own way. Similarities in the text and film, also lie in the white pigeon which is a religious symbol that serves to keep Hansel and Gretel safe when they fall asleep in the forest. There is also the difference of the mother in the text compared to the film. In the text she is meant to be more evil, which is why she is the step-mother in the text, and the actual mother in the movie. Because ones own mother can't be portrayed to be evil. The mother in the film is still similar in that she doesn't think the children will not survive because they have no food. However in the film she doesn't try to leave them to die in the forest, but rather by accident. Also the mother does start out very similar, but when the father brings home food and his full pay, she is not really like that anymore. Not cruel anymore because she now has food. So naturally with those changes she lives in the end of the film. As opposed to in the text where she is much more evil and dies at the end. Another change lies in how the witch dies in the film. In the text she is pushed into the oven, but in the film essentially the same thing happens not quite the same way. Gretel does not push the witch, but takes her wand and transports the witch where Hansel is on a rope over the oven. The witch is changed from Hansel to her on the rope hanging over the oven. The change was most likely made because it makes sense in this world in the film for it to be the work of a magic wand, as opposed to simply shoving her.