Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm” brought fairy tale magic to the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, with the director hoping for a happy ending in Europe after the movie failed to impress in the United States.

Packed with high-speed action and gruesome special effects, the extravaganza estimated to have cost $90 million is one of 20 films vying for the coveted Golden Lion at the world’s oldest cinema competition.

Gilliam re-tells the story of the real-life Grimm Brothers, turning them into a pair of 19th century conmen who rove the French-occupied German countryside preying on the superstitions of hapless villagers who fall for their tricks and charms.

But they meet their match in the 500-year-old Mirror Queen, played by Monica Bellucci, who stops at nothing to attain the eternal beauty that eludes her. Heath Ledger plays Jacob Grimm alongside Matt Damon’s Will, making this the Australian actor’s third film in Venice this year along with the out-of-competition “Casanova” and in-competition “Brokeback Mountain”.

Grimm is Gilliam’s first film for seven years, but for the director who won a cult following for films like “Brazil” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, it has been a difficult comeback after many US critics panned the movie. Gilliam said he was not put out. “All of my films evoke wonderful and bad reviews. They’ve always been like that. I like that. I don’t like this bland ‘OK’ kind of film review and Grimm is no exception.(...) There are probably too many critics out there with really pathetic opinions”, he told Reuters in an interview.

Damon told Reuters he was surprised by the US reaction. “The movie was on the shelf for two years so that is a signal to the reviewers ... that something’s wrong.” Terry did a lot of press about his fights with (executive producers) Harvey and Bob (Weinstein) and he didn’t pull any punches But Damon added that the film would stand the test of time when watched in 10 or 20 years’ time.

<B>Damon surprised by criticism</B>

As a big-budget studio film, Grimm stands out in Venice this year because most of the US offerings are low-budget and independent, addressing controversial themes.

Venice favourite George Clooney’s “Good Night. And, Good Luck” was well received by critics and journalists, and is already considered one of the frontrunners for the main prize. Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain”, about a pair of gay cowboys living in 1960s America, has also been popular.

Local residents have enjoyed seeing their lagoon city on the big screen with Lasse Hallstrom’s “Casanova”, a lush, fast-paced version of the story of the infamous 18th century lothario.

But the lavish production party late on Saturday, complete with carnival performers and a floating man attached to a balloon, was a washout when thunder, lightning and driving rain greeted the stars as they arrived on the red carpet.

Venice organisers have put Asian cinema at the forefront of the festival, with three films from the continent in competition including Park Chan-Wook’s “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” which has stormed the box office in his native South Korea.

Among official competition entries, Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi’s “Persona Non Grata” premiered on Sunday.The film centres around Victor, Polish ambassador to Uruguay, who is caught up in a web of intrigue.