Snow White - The Fairest of Them All (2002)

Don't expect to plunk your 4-year-old in front of Hallmark's Snow White and have her come away whistling "Heigh Ho"--it's not that kind of movie. Substitute a kingdom of woeful and broody characters (the fairest-of-them-all contenders and their king, plus a green and warty undead guy) for Sleepy, Sneezy, and company, and the picture, a bleak one, becomes clearer. Call it Snow White noir, but don't call it dull. The actors, including Miranda Richardson and Tom Irwin, suck you into their saga of lust and greed by making despair their specialty, and the visuals crackle with a creepy gorgeousness. Writer-director Caroline Thompson sheared this Brothers Grimm adaptation into shape using the same jagged-edged prettiness she brought to the script for Edward Scissorhands; a similar audience--one that can handle a little less light in its darkness--should stick around for Snow White. -Tammy La Gorce Amazon.com

Snow white

This Dvd was viewed by my 3 granddaughters, who all over 13, and all agreed it was far superior to the Disney version, darker, and more compelling March 12, 2008

Interesting Adaptation

I had forgotten Disney's adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale and even what "Snow White: A Tale of Terror" (1997) was like so this introduced me once more to the story. The first actor I recognized, even under all that make-up, was Clancy Brown playing a genie-type character that was never quite fully explained. He's best known as "The Kurgan" in the first Highlander (1986) movie. Since some parts of this version of Snow White didn't make sense, I afterwards reached into my library and reread the (for all practical purposes) original Brothers Grimm version. I first read "Snow-White and Rose-Red", having missed "Little Snow White" in their voluminous collection of 210 stories. Anyway, I'm fortunate to have read both stories because this Hallmark version follows the original while leaving out some things and adding others. For example, there's nothing about a poisonous comb here and the genie has certainly been added. Snow White according to the Brothers Grimm, is in fact royalty to begin with, unlike her portrayal in this movie. It also takes a bit from the unrelated "Snow-White and Rose-Red" fairy tale i.e. the part about a bear actually being a bewitched prince.

I sort of preferred the original Grimm version of Snow White except for the ending which is better in this TV version, and just about every other on-screen adaptation of Snow White there has ever been, I would imagine. Somehow, the evil queen being made to dance until her death in iron shoes doesn't fit very well with the flow of the story. The evil queen by the way, is Snow White's stepmother. She married Snow White's father after his wife died giving birth to their only daughter. The king's role is virtually insignificant in this movie and one would have to admit even that was probably expanded compared to his role in the Grimm story. Kristin Kreuk, a newcomer to movies at the time, plays Snow White and is an excellent choice despite her slightly oriental looks. I suppose considering Snow White needing fair skin, dark hair and blood-red lips (true to the tale); Kreuk was perfectly cast.

Unlike the Grimm story, she's not a child of seven when all the drama takes place but more like seventeen. She appears very innocent and sweet, looking not unlike the cute baby squirming around in her crib, shown at the beginning of the movie. One could not mistake that she was actually this child all grown up, or maybe not so grown up. Another difference between the original "Little Snow White" story and this one was the final attempt of the evil queen to poison Snow White to death. Here, she takes the form of her alluring "real" mother (played by Vera Farmiga) instead of an old farmer's wife, and feeds Snow White a poisonous apple that finally does her in or so it would seem. Overall a good film with very nice sceneries and beautiful people but a few loose ends that would have been better tied up. I would recommend that viewers also read the Grimm version of the story to get a better idea where all this stuff is coming from and also to have the opportunity to interpret the story for themselves. July 29, 2007

A classic revisited with a touch more magic

The story of Snow White is one of the most famous by the Brothers Grimm, and this version by Hallmark is probably the most recent revision. It is also the one with the most magic, and is one of Hallmark's better movies. Snow White this time is born of by the prick of a rose on her mother's finger. Childbirth kills the mother and sends the father out into the cold winter with his daughter. Their desperation brings one of Satan's servants to life, who grants the father three wishes (what other number could it be). The first two wishes turn out well, but the third brings forth Elspeth, i.e. the wicked stepmother. Baby Snow White senses the evil stepmother immediately by crying when they are about to touch. What ensues is a lifelong rivalry in which Elspeth uses her magic to slowly take over the kingdom. This includes her mirror, which can fly. The seven dwarfs are not all short, but instead they now represent the 7 colors of the rainbow, and hence can travel across distances by "rainbowing" themselve. Animals of various sorts get involved, and the battle climaxes with the poisoned apple. Elspeth's evil is undone by the love of a prince, and Elspeth herself is taken down by her own evil creations.

The movie is about two hours long, and moves briskly along from one scene to the next. There is no singing, instead the music is orchestral in the style of classical Romance. The cinematography is great and the special effects are quite nice and believable. The overall story is the same as the original Disney version but many of the details have changed to make it quite distinct and unique. Overall, a good movie. November 4, 2006

fair and slightly liberated

I saw this movie when it first aired on TV and have been looking for it again ever since (so it's been a while since I've seen it). As previously noted the visuals are very nice and the rendition of the story is not bad, but the key part for me was when the Handsome Prince declares his love for Snow White and she lashes back with a speech about how he doesn't know her, he's fallen in love with a vision from across the room. All her life she's been surrounded by people who don't look past the surface of her beauty... July 29, 2006

Fairest movie of them all

Snow white is my favorite fairy tale, and this is my favorite rendition. It's far closer to the original tale than most, but it addsi many of it's own elements that give it a fresh new approach. I love it! June 17, 2006

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