Snow White (DVD)

...and false loyalty from "The Snow Queen" (by Hans Christian Anderson).


Unlike most telling of the tale, in this version, John (played by Tom Irwin) and his wife Josephine (Vera Farmiga) are not King and Queen - but rather a peasant couple living in the Forest. As she pricks her finger on a thorn from her roses, and the drop of blood drops on fallen apple blossoms, she desires a child with hair like ebony, skin as white ...
...a winter baby, and so Snow White is born, and her mother, living only to name her baby, dies. The distraught father buries his wife and seeks to find food for his baby, struggling through a winter storm and falling at last exhausted, weeping inconsolably.

Where his tears fall into the snow-covered ground, they melt an icy prison of enchantment of "The Green-Eyed One" - who offers him the customary wishes. The wish for sustenance ... more

We went to visit friends on Christmas Eve this year, to bring presents, play "Santa" (well, I brought three filled "stockings" like I did last year, ready for Christmas morning - filled with fruit, nuts, chocolate coins, etc) and just spend some time together.

After a Commercial Break on the TV (I've since discovered it was channel 4) - "Snow White - The Fairest Of Them All" came on the screen.

Now, I've seen the "Pantomime" version of "Snow White" (my daughter won tickets in 1985 off BBC Radio WM); I've seen the "Primary School Spring Play" version. I know I've read the Disney version in a storybook to my grandchildren - I might even have seen the Disney version myself (first screened in 1937), but I don't remember, now - and have seen toys all my life based on the classic Disney characters: particularly the seven "dwarfs" - Grumpy, Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Dopey, Bashful and Doc. . . .

And I've read the Brothers Grimm Fairytales.

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This film, directed by Caroline Thompson (and co-written with Julie Hickson) appears to have been based on several different fairy stories - the Bear is reminiscent of the Bear in "Snow White and Rose Red" - the shard of glass/ice which causes enchantment and false loyalty from "The Snow Queen" (by Hans Christian Anderson).

Unlike most telling of the tale, in this version, John (played by Tom Irwin) and his wife Josephine (Vera Farmiga) are not King and Queen - but rather a peasant couple living in the Forest. As she pricks her finger on a thorn from her roses, and the drop of blood drops on fallen apple blossoms, she desires a child with hair like ebony, skin as white as the apple blossoms and mouth red like blood. A springtime conception means a winter baby, and so Snow White is born, and her mother, living only to name her baby, dies. The distraught father buries his wife and seeks to find food for his baby, struggling through a winter storm and falling at last exhausted, weeping inconsolably.

Where his tears fall into the snow-covered ground, they melt an icy prison of enchantment of "The Green-Eyed One" - who offers him the customary wishes. The wish for sustenance for his daughter results in an enchanted bottle of milk; the wish for the return of his "queen" - his lovely wife - his all - cannot be met. "Unfortunately," the Green-Eyed One (Clancy Brown) says, "I cannot raise the dead. But I can give you a kingdom, and perhaps a queen."

And the surreal-ness takes over, with King John's coronation as if in a dream awakening.
The creation of a queen is slightly more difficult, as the only "spare" woman he knows is his wart-covered spell-casting sister Elspeth (Karin Konoval) - but remembering her discomfort he transforms her, with the help of a magic mirror, into the Beautiful Elspeth (Miranda Richardson). Through enchantment, the new king is induced to care for Elspeth and she becomes Snow White's stepmother.

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THINGS I LIKED (not necessarily in chronological order)

The portrayal of the ugly hag of a sister by Karin Konoval, and the way she portrayed fear of her own reflection before the change to a beautiful woman.

The "Hall of Mirrors" is a spectacular sight. This is another idea borrowed from a different tale - where once inside you cannot find the way out unless by enchantment. Instead of using just one mirror, they ALL reflect the image of the "Fairest of them All" with arms and heads leaning out like ghostly images, which are insubstantial but visible.

The main mirror is a symmetrical broken shard (of the Green-Eyed One's original magic mirror) set in a shaped golden frame like a hand mirror - which also acts as the wand for the stepmother's spells, the source of her information like a crystal ball, and her means of magical transport. This was fantastic to see in action, whirling like a spinning weapon or boomerang to seek and discover and bring information back.

I LOVED the variation on the seven dwarfs in this film. The seven "peculiar men" with whom Snow White finds refuge are dressed in rainbow colours and named for the days of the week. When they are all together, they can travel as a "Rainbow" to alight anywhere. They were all individual, with their characteristics being based on the poem "Monday's child is fair of face (etc)" - with the "odd-one out" being "Wednesday" (played by a six-foot-five, gawky, Vincent Schiavelli). I liked the twist that their names were based on characteristics (and temperaments) rather than outward appearances or actions (sneezing, grumpiness, bashfulness for instance). And when they "rainbow-ed" I loved the arch of rainbow in the sky. My title is based on this feature from the story*, and I've bought the DVD as much because of their performances as the storyline.

*{They are busy working - and "Sunday" cannot be found anywhere - to go home they have to walk - very slow on short legs . . .}

I liked Snow White's attitude that beauty was what was on the inside rather than the outside, and her total unawareness of her own looks. She loved the beauty of the roses her mother had loved, and saw through the vanity of pomp and circumstance.

I liked the "live action" grandeur of the scenery, people, costuming in flowing mediaeval robes; I liked the special effects.

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WHAT I DISLIKED

It almost seemed as if the entire TV play was written around Miranda Richardson as the evil stepmother. She stole the scene and "overplayed" in almost every scene she played, to the detriment of the overall production. She never quite makes you believe that she was once the ugly hag you saw as the Green-Eyed One's sister - she does not appear to be enthralled with the change in her appearance so much as just a selfish, vain woman who wants everyone to admire her. I hated her domination of the play, despite initial compassion toward the ugly hag.

Kristin Kreuk, who plays the teenage Snow White, never gets a chance to develop her part. Those who remember her from the "Smallville Series" [or the Neutrogena advert], or the Earthsea DVD (based on Ursula LeGuin's books of that name) may be disappointed to see her express so little emotion and be treated almost as an "extra" in the script.

Tom Irwin, as the father, is under-used and again, his character is not really developed.

And I disliked commercial breaks - these of course are eliminated on a DVD - so can be disregarded (unless of course, your copy was illegally recorded during broadcast, so they will still exist).

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VERDICT:

I enjoyed this version. In fact I have bought a Region 2 DVD on eBay, so I can watch it again and again. I hope this will arrive soon. It has been despatched from Australia - and I'll let you know when it arrives.

Recommended.

© jesi 2005 ..................................... ~ ♥ ~ jes ≈≈≈≈{; -)-{{::::: |||||< ♥♥

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NOTES:

I have reviewed "Film only" because my (portable) DVD player doesn't show the extras - which merely include a behind the scenes featurette and cast & crew information. There are no sub-titles, and it is only in English.

My DVD was released 2001 in Australia (Region 2) and has a running time 93 minutes (perhaps it lacks the extras).
Rated G (general release)

UK release 25 November 2002 by Warner Vision International (Region 2) - running time 117 minutes. Rated PG (parental guidance)
ASIN: B00006CY8N

USA release 21 May 2001 by Hallmark (Region 1)
Unrated
ASIN: B0000B40T0

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Directed by Caroline Thompson (co director and screenwriter for Edward Scissorhands)

Main actors include:
Miranda Richardson (Dance with a Stranger, The Lost Prince, Get Carter, Spider, Swann);

Tom Irwin (No Higher Love, Deceived);

Vera Farmiga (Dummy, Return to Paradise);

Vincent Schiavelli (Man on the Moon, Desert Heat, Lord Of Illusions);

Warwick Davis (Leprechaun, Star Wars);

Kristin Kreuk (Smallville, Earthsea);

Jose Zuniga (Smoke, The Hunted, Constantine)

 

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