BLANCANIEVES – The Review

By Nick Day

An orchestra quickly tunes up, and then brief silence before the music begins. The film opens with the image of a closed red curtain, some nameless theater, a bit of symbolism that signifies that this particular theater is in fact all theaters, as this film is meant for any and all audiences familiar with the tale of Snow White. Director and writer Pablo Berger is, by way of mis-en-scene, giving you a proper invitation to his particular world, and it would be a shame to pass it up.

BLANCANIEVES is a stunner, at times alarmingly beautiful. It retains enough of the Grimm tale to feel familiar, but finds an altogether original way to interpret the material. Heartfelt and heartbreaking, this film is a celebration of cinema, of Spain, and of the human spirit.

And so, the red curtain opens and BLANCANIEVES begins.

It is important to note that the film is dialogue-free, though it is not quite homage to the silent era, as THE ARTIST clearly was, but more of a logical extension of that early discipline. This isn’t tongue in cheek, or a clever wink to the audience. Berger has really tried to make a bit of pure cinema, and while your enjoyment of this film will likely be predicated to the mileage you get out the silent flavor of film, I’d argue that the execution is a complete success, personal tastes be damned.

Sparse intertitles are as close to dialogue as you will get, but while the film lacks spoken words; it has a feast of a score, courtesy of Alfonso de Vilallonga. He peppers his music with choices that reflect the era and the culture of 1920s Seville, but careful listeners will hear the inspiration of many an early film composer. The title music, to my ears, recalls the work of the great Franz Waxman, the composer best known for his work on THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and REBECCA.

Also of note is the really wonderful editing by Fernando Franco. He finds a way to splice, smash and bleed together Berger’s sublime compositions to create transitions and images that speak as loudly and as clearly as the finest dialogue, as expressive and revealing as any actor’s body language.

The story is borne out of the Brothers Grimm tale, but Berger makes it his own by planting the characters in 1920s Seville. His Snow White (Macarena Garcia) is no idle waif singing to creatures of the forest, but is instead a bullfighter of uncanny skill. The wicked stepmother (Maribel Verdu) isn’t just an evil queen jealous of a younger and prettier girl, but a perverse caretaker that exploits her husband’s weakness to slowly leach his fortune. And Prince Charming is… well, you should really see the movie. Berger is smart enough to play BLANCANIEVES pretty close to the source material, and by doing so appeal to the widest audience. But he is savvy enough to make changes that not only distinguish itself from the recent glut of Snow White-related retreads, but markedly improve upon what is a relatively slight folk tale. I think Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm would approve. I certainly do, and I think you will too.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars