Snow White

The highlight of this version of "Snow White" is the lively performance by Marguerite Clark, who fits into the role very well and shows why she was so popular in her time. Overall, the movie is a pleasant, old-fashioned telling of the story, with a stage-like technique but some pretty good production values for the mid-1910s.

At one time, Clark was as popular as any other actress of her day, but almost all of her movies have since been lost. Even this movie is still missing some material at various points, although the reconstruction in the Treasures From American Film Archives collection is very nicely done, and makes it fit together as well as it possibly could have.

Even when compared with the other great actresses of her day, Clark works very well in the role of a young girl. Her small stature certainly helps, but her actions and mannerisms are also very believable. For the story to work, "Snow White" has to be extremely sympathetic and engaging, and Clark is able to do that quite well.

The story stays fairly close to the Grimm Brothers' original, though downplaying or eliminating some of its more violent aspects. Most of the supporting characters are one- dimensional, but the cast members do a solid job with them. Without Clark, it would have been a decent movie anyway, though probably of interest only to those who are devoted fans of silent movies. Clark's performance makes it pretty good, and well worth seeing.

Snow White (1916)

*** (out of 4)

Early version of the classic Grimm fairytale has the wicked Queen (Dorothy Cumming) ordering Berthold (Lionel Braham) to kill Snow White (Marguerite Clark) but he lets the future Princess in on the plan. He orders her to stay away and she finds shelter with the seven dwarfs but when the Queen finds out what has happened she goes out for revenge. According to legend, Walt Disney remembered seeing this film when it played his hometown and it left such an impression on him that he decided to make it his first feature. Seeing this film today it's easy to see why it was such a hit back in the day even though it's doubtful many kids of today would bother sitting through it. It's also interesting to note that the now forgotten Clark was 33-years-old when she played this role, which meant she was doing the same type of thing that Mary Pickford was doing, which was an adult playing children. I must admit that this was the first time I had seen anything from Clark and she was quite impressive. I didn't even realize she was as old as she was until I read the liner notes for the film and I was shocked to see the age. She did a remarkable job at pulling off this child role and not for a second did you not believe anything she was doing. I thought she did a fine job at capturing the spirit of the role, which was certainly the most important thing. Cumming was also very good in the role of the Queen and Braham also stood out as a likable character and performance. I think most people will be put off by the first ten or so minutes as these are clearly the weakest in the film. I thought it took a bit too long for things to really get going but once they hit the dwarfs house things really started to fly. The "look" they gave the dwarfs was another interesting thing. Elements of the Cinderella tale are thrown in and those just familiar with the Disney version are certainly going to notice a few differences. It's doubtful modern audiences will enjoy this but those who enjoy silent cinema should get a kicked out of it. It's certainly far from perfect but the 63-minute running time goes by quite fast and makes for some good entertainment.

Adapted by Winthrop Ames from his own 1912 Broadway adaptation of the tale published exactly a hundred years earlier by the Brothers Grimm, 'Snow White' was one of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players productions, the Famous Player on this occasion being Marguerite Clark in the role she had created on stage. Aged 33 when the film version was made but easily passing for a girl half her real age, Miss Clark is surrounded by a handsome if stagy production, lushly photographed by H. Lyman Broening, who when called upon also conjures up more spooky visuals for scenes such as down in the dwarfs' mine and - most vividly - the witch's lair; both of which can be recognised in the 1937 version produced by Walt Disney, who saw this as a 15 year-old. In this version, the witch and the wicked stepmother are separate characters; the former played for laughs by Alice Washburn, with Dorothy Cumming as the latter resembling Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth in John Singer Sargent's famous 1889 portrait.

Supposedly this what got Disney's mind oriented toward cartoon versions of well known "fairy tales."

But we can hardly blame it for the patronizing travesty he has performed on children's literature. The story here is a bit Bolwderized (some sex, and much cruelty have been removed from the traditional version). But it is still complex and has lots of side stories, like how she disguises herself as one of her maids in waiting. And how the stepmother tried a comb first, before the apple.

The structure of the play on which this is based is supposedly influenced by the revival of Macbeth then current in London, where the Shakespeare story is explained as controlled by the three witches. Here it is almost as if the witch were responsible for the Faustian deal the ugly stepmother makes.

This film was conceived as a direct result of the amazing popularity of "Birth of a Nation," perhaps the most influential film in history. That's because Birth cemented the notion that movies are like plays — not an entirely predetermined outcome. This was the first big budget play to be movie-ized afterward.

The film is in bad condition, so you have to imagine which cuts were original and which are because of missing segments. I prefer to imagine most of the jumps as missing material because the thing moves so languorously in what we see. For instance, there's a clearly drawn Queen's Toady who we spend many minutes watching in pompous walk.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

It being Christmas, Santa Claus enters (stage left) through the chimney, magically makes a decorated tree appear (begging the question, "Why didn't this household already have one?"); then, he deposits a set of theatrical dolls on a nearby table. They come to life and play-out the story of "Snow White (and the Seven Dwarfs)"…

Our heroine's beautiful queen mother bears a little princess "with skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony." She grows into the fairest Marguerite Clark (as Snow White). This rattles jealously wicked Dorothy Cumming (as Brangomar), who wants to be the most beautiful woman in town. She goes to bald-headed Alice Washburn (as Witch Hex), who grants Ms. Cumming both loveliness and a truth-telling "Magic Mirror"; in return, the Witch demands that, "in the future, she would receive the heart of Snow White." Mr. Washburn plans to use Clark's heart as a hair-growing tonic.

Within a year, Ms. Clark's mother dies. The newly-lovely Cumming marries the king just before he dies, then turns Clark into a "Cinderella"-like servant. Of course, this doesn't stop visiting prince Creighton Hale (as Florimond) from falling in love with Clark. Wicked Queen Cumming is upset that handsome Mr. Hale didn't propose to her, despite his being much younger; Cumming tells Hale she will allow him to wed Clark, after the Princess spends a year in boarding school. Actually, Cumming sends Clark on a wild goose chase, and orders huntsman Lionel Braham (as Berthold) to go rip out her heart!

This is the thoroughly charming original film version of Clark's beloved stage play "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1912) which was, as you'll see, the blueprint for Walt Disney's famous 1937 version. Mr. Disney saw this as a teenager, and was obviously enchanted. By 1916, Clark was rivaling Mary Pickford in popularity, and challenging her for highly-sought Christmas box office receipts. All this, despite the fact that Clark a decade older, and didn't like making movies. Still, she is the fairest "Snow White" of all, and hopefully more of her films will be found (like "Wildflower" and "Prunella").

For modern viewers, an initial weakness will be the film's certain staginess - but, director J. Searle Dawley and Paramount's "Famous Players" did not seek to simply film a stage play. Witness the editing, variety of shots, and constant movement of the performers on screen. Some good examples are Clark's walking down the center of the screen, after meeting Hale; and, her discovery of the Dwarf cottage in the woods. "Snow White" compensates for the fact that the screen, unlike the live stage, is flat. This is not the style of film-making which became standard, but it is an example of how to make it lively.

******** Snow White (12/25/16) J. Searle Dawley ~ Marguerite Clark, Creighton Hale, Dorothy Cumming, Lionel Braham