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★★★★☆ The Brothers Grimm's pitch black fairytale Snow White is transformed by the Flamenco rhythms of 1920s Spain in director Pablo Berger's sumptuous and beguiling Blancanieves (2012), out now on Collector's Edition DVD. An unabashed homage to the silent cinema of twenties Europe, Berger's film is a delightfully mischievous reinvention of this age-old fairytale. Last year saw two larger-than-life adaptations of the Snow White story - Tarsem Singh's Mirror Mirror and Rupert Sanders' angsty Snow White and the Huntsman - yet Berger's direction is far more outlandish and indirect than both aforementioned renditions.

Setting his version in Seville, Berger presents his audience with a silent, black and white tale of the daughter of famous bullfighter Carmenita (played as a child by Sofía Oria, and later by Macarena García), raised by an evil stepmother after her father is paralysed during a performance. Instead of seven dwarfs, we have six miniature bullfighters,...

Following on from Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman, there seems to be a trend in cinema at present to bring the treasured fairytale to the big screen. Thankfully – and unlike previous efforts – Pablo Berger’s unique adaptation Blancanieves offers a completely different twist on the original story, presenting his tale in the form of a black and white silent movie, as we delve into 1920′s Spain.

Following notorious bullfighter Antonio Villalta’s (Daniel Giménez Cacho) life-threatening accident , his wife is rushed into labour for the birth of their first child. When she tragically passes away during childbirth, and with Antonio confined to a lifetime in a wheelchair, the surviving daughter Carmencita (Sofía Oria) is raised by her grandmother. However she is eventually taken in by her father and her belligerent and unwelcoming step-mother Encarna (Maribel Verdú). Treated with hostility, Carmencita (played as an adult by Macarena Garcia) finally manages to escape,...

Chicago – The silent film, which was revived by the 2011 Best Picture Oscar winner “The Artist,” is honored again in the new film “Blancanieves.” This artful re-imagining of the Snow White story – set in Spanish bullfighting rings – cherishes the feel of silent film, and features clever composition.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

The story in “Blancanieves” is not as strong as “The Artist,” and the Snow White reworking is heavy handed, but director Pablo Berger adds his own outrageous camera work and point-of-view, imbibing the film with both a smart aleck “wink” at the camera and an example of silent film if Orson Welles had been directing back in those days. “Blancanieves” is a passionate night at the movies, unfolding in the clean lines of old time aspect ratio (square rather than rectangular) and mood music that approximates emotions in a varied and expressive way. This is a must see for admirers of the silent film era,...

Title: Blancanieves The Cohen Group Director: Pablo Berger Screenwriter: Pablo Berger Cast: Maribel Verdú, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Inma Cuesta, Ángela Molina, Pere Ponce, Macarena García, Sofía Oria, José Maria Pou, Ramón Barea, Emilio Gavira Screened at: Crosby St. Hotel, NYC, 3/26/13 Opens: March 29, 2013 How do you punish a wicked stepmother? Why, give her the silent treatment of course. To put everyone on an equal footing, however, director Pablo Berger, whose “Torremolinos 73” deals with an encyclopedia salesman and his wife who make an adult movie, gives everyone the silent treatment. Perhaps this is because “Blancanieves” is a silent film, paying homage to the 1920s silent pics in Europe, [ Read More ]

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