Hansel and Gretel: the movie

In my opinion, the most important aspect of the tale of 'Hansel and Gretel' is the forest. Not only can it look imposing, dark and frightening from the outside but its sameness on the inside - the seemingly ongoing tree trunks, the muffled sounds absorbed by the leaves and branches and the strange animals rustling nearby but out of sight - can create a great sense of fear in adults, let alone young children, and would cultivate the sense of abandonment if lost inside. My film of 'Hansel and Gretel' would therefore place great emphasis on the forest.
The forest in Hansel and Gretel would be a pine forest, full of great evergreens - their dark color would hopefully give the film an even darker atmosphere.
Hansel and Gretel would be twins aged around 7 or 8 years old and would live with their father, the woodcutter, and their new stepmother. In order to ensure the viewers know that the stepmother is in fact their stepmother and not their real mother, Hansel and Gretel would look like their father - blonde, blue-eyed etc. compared to the dark, more witchy qualities of the stepmother.
The movie could begin with a shot of the dark forest, and a voice over (perhaps from Hansel and Gretel's real mother) warning them never to enter the forest without an adult. This fear of the forest would be paramount to the children - who would really feel the sense of abandonment and lonliness once in the forest. However then the film could move to the present day and Hansel and Gretel sitting at the kitchen table looking at a crust of bread, with the stepmother looking into an empty pantry. The father, having been injured in an accident in the forest, is lying in bed unable to work for the foreseeable future.
After a few weeks with little food and no change, the stepmother orders the children to go to the nearby town (on the other side of the forest) for a doctor. She tells them she has to stay with the father to look after him. Although scared they go into the forest and begin to follow the path. However the path comes to an end and they have to venture into the dark forest without a guide. However Hansel still has some bread left over and begins to crumble it to make a trail for them to follow on the way back.
Night falls and they still haven't reached the other side of the forest. They lay down to sleep and when they wake up the next morning all the bread crumbs have gone, eaten by birds in the early morning. They wander blindly through the forest for many days, eating berries for food until they come across a clearing with a small house. As they approach, an old crone hobbles out and says that she will go with them and help their father, once her back has healed. (However her back is not really injured - she is just faking) She keeps Hansel and Gretel locked in her house for many weeks, working them to the bone helping her get well. It is only one night when Gretel sees her chopping wood outside that she realizes it is a trick.
Hansel and Gretel then decide to escape and follow a little white bird to the outskirts of the forest. Once they get there, they are able to find their way home.
They have been gone for many months and their father is well again. However the stepmother is still alive and there is no knowing whether there will be a happily ever after.