'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria

3.2 Retelling a Grimm Tale: Voice and Memory in “Der Räuberbräutigam”
Along with her use of the Brecht poem and the female voice-over as distanciation
techniques in her film, Sanders-Brahms has stated that she intentionally used the retelling
of the Grimm fairy tale “Der Räuberbräutigam” (“The Robber Bridegroom”) as a
Verfremdungseffekt, or alienation effect. 58 As a story within a story, the fairy tale
interrupts the narrative of Lene and Anna‟s wartime experiences. Concurrently, the
presence and the forces of war intrude on Lene‟s retelling of the tale, for example, when
mother and daughter see a dead soldier in the undergrowth or when Lene is raped by two
American soldiers. Thus the two stories take place simultaneously, each one interjecting
on the other. The interruption of the fairy tale on the main narrative is significant
because the fairy tale is narrated rather than enacted. Almost word for word, Lene
narrates to Anna the text of “Der Räuberbräutigam” as recorded by the Brothers Grimm
in their 1819 edition of Kinder- und Hausmärchen. The telling goes on at great length,
taking approximately fifteen minutes. While the viewer hears Lene recounting the fairy
tale, they see mother and daughter wandering across the German countryside. Visually
the principle narrative continues, whereas aurally the tale of “Der Räuberbräutigam” is
heard. The events of the fairy tale comment on the visual images seen in the filmic
narrative to create new layers of meaning, layers which allude to the historical events of
the Holocaust. Before proceeding with an examination of the effect created through this
synergy of plot events and film images, it seems appropriate to review the tale itself.
58 In an interview Sanders-Brahms said: “Außerdem setze ich das Märchen auch als ein Mittel der
Verfremdung ein” (“Moreover, I included the fairy tale as an alienation effect”) (Möhrmann 156).
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