Willa: An American Snow White

I saw this on PBS a few years ago on a Christmas afternoon and my family and I were entranced and delighted. This is the familiar story transported to the American South in what seem to be the 1920s. The evil stepmother is an embittered and insanely jealous stage actress, the stepdaughter is lovely and talented, and the seven dwarfs have been replaced with a traveling medicine show. It's simultaneously down-to-earth and darker; the stepmother's fate is rather gruesome.

This is part of a series of classic fairy tales directed by Tom Davenport, all re-set in rural America. I haven't seen the rest but if they're as good as this film then they'll be worth checking out. Davenport is going to be honored by the American Film Institute soon and I also understand that the whole series will be available on a DVD set, which I may have to get as soon as I can!