Coventry
you only have to look a bit further than your nearest blockbuster cinema complex or commercial-minded TV channel! 2012 clearly was the year of Snow White, with no less than 3 different well-financed and heavily promoted film versions of this fabulous and immortal fairy- tale originally created by the Grimm Brothers. But the contrast between this modest Spanish pearl and the atrociously bombastic Hollywood productions "Mirror, Mirror" (starring Julia Roberts) and "Snow White and the Huntsman" (starring Kristen Stewart) couldn't be more extreme! If you absolutely have to compare "Blancanieves" with another film, then please compare it to the equally masterful 2011 Academy Award winner "The Artist", as both films are wonderful homages (love letters, even) to the era of pure and indestructible silent cinema! The universally known plot of Snow White is transferred to the 1920s in Spain, more particularly Sevilla where all social layers of the population meet at the incredibly popular bullfighting arena. The Matadors are idolized by everyone, and the most famous and popular of them all – Antonio Villalta – dedicates his fight to his beautiful wife Carmen and to their daughter who's about to be born. But then tragedy occurs, as Villalta is bull- struck by surprise and paralyzed for life and poor Carmen dies whilst in labor and giving birth to young Carmencita. The now completely lackadaisical Villalate remarries a possessive and evil nurse, and when also her beloved grandmother passes away, Carmencita is forced to live in miserable conditions at her stepmother's house. During secret visits at her father's room, Carmencita learns to become a bullfighter as well. When she's left for dead in the woods by one of her stepmother's sleazy lovers, the amnesiac girl is taken in by a group of traveling midget- bullfighters and they gradually become successful all over the country. "Blancanieves" is a film that both my wife and I gazed at with our eyes and mouths wide open throughout most of its running time. Not only because the familiar plot elements are so brilliantly moved towards an entirely different setting but also because it's such a beautiful and professionally accomplished motion picture! This is the type of film that makes you wonder if we even need sound and dialog in cinema! The stylish cinematography and impressive decors speak for themselves and the stellar acting performances of the ensemble cast don't require sound, neither. Particularly the eyes and grimaces of lead actress Maribel Verdú (as the wicked stepmother) are unforgettable. This is the first film in many, many years that truly evoked emotions of empathy and tenderness within me (I really felt sorry for that poor girl) and the whole film just bathes in a dreamy and surreal atmosphere that is practically indescribable. I even worshiped the Flamenco music in this film, even though generally speaking I'm not a fan of this type of music! "Blancanieves" won several prices at numerous international film festivals, including one I personally attended in Brussels, and every single one is well-deserved.
forlornnesssickness
Like recent Hollywood films "Mirror Mirror"(2012) and "Snow White and the Huntsman"(2012), the movie tells us a variation of Snow White tale, and it is more refreshing and creative compared to other two films, which were not so terrible but flawed despite their respective good aspects. While retaining several elements in the original story such as that infamous poisoned apple, the movie incorporates new elements including bullfighting(no kidding) and other interesting things into its story, and it is entertaining to watch how it decorates the story with its own flavor while staying true to the light and darkness of its inspiration.At the beginning, we are introduced to Antonio Villalta(Daniel Giménez Cacho), a bullfighter at the top of his profession – or the king of his profession, shall we say. We see him confidently handling five wild bulls one by one while his lovely pregnant wife Carmen(Inma Cuesta) and other audiences in the arena are grasped by the suspense and thrill on the field, and now he is going to confront the last and toughest one, which will be the grand finale for this event.Unfortunately, to everyone's horror, it goes terribly wrong for Antonio. While he barely survives, his body becomes permanently paralyzed by his severe injury, and, to make the matter worse, his shocked wife dies as giving an early birth to their daughter Carmen shortly after her husband's accident. Devastated by this news, Antonio becomes morose and isolated while not caring much about his infant daughter, who is eventually taken care of by her grandmother.And that is where nefarious Encarna(Maribel Verdú) comes into the picture as, well, the wicked stepmother. She initially comes to Antonio as one of the nurses at the hospital, and, as soon as she learns that he is rich and alone, she quickly works on him, and it does not take much time for her to become his personal nurse – and then his second wife. Not so surprisingly, she puts her husband into more misery while doing whatever she wants at his vast mansion, and the movie tickles us with the humorously perverted moments associated with Encarna's sadomasochistic side.Young Carmen, played by amiably innocent Sofía Oria, has been away from her stepmother's evil influence while growing up under her grandmother's care, but, after the grandmother suddenly dies, she has no choice but to be sent to his father's mansion. Encarna certainly does not welcome her stepdaughter right from their first encounter; she greets Carmen with the hostile and sinister manner not that different from that of Mrs. Danvers in Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca"(1940), and then she immediately sends Carmen down to a dirty basement room. That is just the beginning of her many vicious treatments of Carmen, and Maribel Verdú clearly relishes her juicy villainous role in the film – especially during that deliciously horrible moment involved with Pepe, Carmen's feisty pet rooster.In spite of all the hardship and cruelty inflicted upon her, Carmen never loses her bright, lively personality while having a brief but touching moment of reconnecting with her withered father, who saw the potential inside her and taught her some valuable things about bullfighting. Not long after he dies, Encarna tries to kill Carmen, who now becomes a young lady after several years, but her bumbling servant/driver/sex slave Genaro(Pere Ponce) fails to kill Carmen, and she is saved by a traveling troupe of dwarfs(they are six, not seven, by the way). Although she lost her memory when she was almost killed by Genaro, she soon shows her bullfighting skill to impress the dwarfs and others, and her popularity as "Blancanieves"(it means "Snow White" in Spanish) quickly rises while our bitchy stepmother is infuriated to learn that the girl is still alive.The story itself is an engaging fairy tale with humor and heart, and the director/writer Pablo Berger effectively presents it through the painstaking recreation of the ambiance of the silent films during the 1920s. Compared to Oscar-winning silent film "The Artist"(2011), which cheerfully danced on the thin line between loving tribute and playful parody, the movie is a little more serious in its approach; its performances and technical aspects are mostly feel authentic, and only sound we hear on the soundtrack is the terrific score by Alfonso de Vilallonga, which fluidly flows around grand orchestral gestures and exciting dance music while coloring the black and white screen of 1.33:1 Academy ratio with various moods and feelings.Some people may think silent films are merely artifacts to be studied by film scholars, but good silent films can transcend time and languages to reach to the contemporary audiences, and "Blancanieves" reminds us of their timeless power through its sincere homage. The movie also remains true to the dark, twisted spirit of the Brothers Grim tales, and the ending after its grand fateful finale is a rare moment which simultaneously feels sad, romantic, perverted, and, above all, poignant. After all, didn't someone say that perverts are sometimes much more romantic than us?
jaygeejaymus
I saw this movie as a sneak preview and had an open mind as to what to expect. I was disappointed!Blancanieves is compared in some reviews to "the Artist". Beware, it's nothing like it. It's humorless, grim (or is it Grimm in this case) and black (and white, but only in it's colors). Some say it's artistic. My criticism is that it's pretended. It's not that the movie never touches you, but it's hard to stay focused on this movie. The way one scene melts into another was condemned in movies like Highlander and is arty now, because it's silent and black and white? The only part that really was good, was the end.When you want to come out of the movie theater depressed, this is the movie for you.
Julio GO
This movie is quite disappointing. Most of the comments make you think it's going to be awesome and then it lets you down.There are way more differences than similarities with White Snow. It reaches a point that the name leads you to expect something totally different from reality and I personally think that it should have received different title. Of course, with another title it wouldn't have gotten so many viewers.Anyway, although the authors wanted to give it some kind of credibility, they failed to do so. I'm really surprised of its scores and every single comment I've heard in person from people I know are completely different from those good comments you hear in the media, qualifying it as an awful movie.
