Snow White

"Snow White", directed in the far away year 1916 by Herr J. Searle Dawley, is a beautiful film adaptation of the classic Grimm fairy tale.This film was considered long lost but fortunately a copy was found in the"Filmmuseum", a kind of Dutch film archives where the nitrates are not very well arranged, certainly nothing like this German aristocrat's film archives where the films are perfectly organized and classified in a German way, so in this way no film is lost, including Herr Stroheim's "Greed" (in its 9 hours complete version… ). Anyway, thanks to the good luck of finding this lost silent film, every silent film fan can now appreciate Herr Searle's talent.

"Snow White" ( this German count doesn't think it necessary to relate this well-know story about beauty competitions in the Middle Ages ), as this aristocrat said before, is a visually lovely film in which the art direction and the sets are absolutely outstanding, not to mention the make-up, some charming special effects and even a little animated sequence. As it happens with some remarkable early silent film versions of fairy tales, there is a remarkable concern to depict and recreate in detail the magical atmosphere of those original stories on the screen and this one is a perfect recreation of the tale. It must said though that in those classic film productions, there is not usually a trace of transgression or boldness ( which is scarcely necessary most of the time since the original stories are full of cruelty ),and they are conservative and polite adaptations intended to be harmless and wholesome entertainment for families around the world. "Snow White" starred Dame Marguerite Clark, an important film star in the teens, and she plays her pure and chaste role very well, and the rest of the cast is equally good, all perfect for an early film that doesn't suffer with the passage of time.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count has an appointment with the evil Queen.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

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.

Adolph Zukor's company Famous Players in Famous Plays, despite releasing some stagy early feature-length films (e.g. "Queen Elizabeth" (1912) and "The Count of Monte Cristo" (1913)), managed to sign two actresses who become two of the most popular movie stars, Mary Pickford and, the star of "Snow White", Marguerite Clark. Clark had already been a hit on Broadway, including playing the title role in the 1912 theatrical version of "Snow White", for which this film is based. In just her first film, Clark's performance in "Wildflower" (1914) was voted by fans for Motion Picture Magazine the second greatest performance to date by 1916--right above Henry B. Walthall's third place role in "The Birth of a Nation" (1915). As further evidence of her fame, Clark was voted the second most popular movie star in a 1918 Motion Picture Magazine poll, below only Mary Pickford. A Princeton poll in 1919 placed her third among screen actresses. And, she was voted the top female box-office draw by a 1920 Quigley poll.

The filmed "Snow White" is comparable in film technique to another available Famous Plays production, "Cinderella" (1914), which starred Mary Pickford (also to Pickford's "The Taming of the Shrew" (1914), although the print of it that I saw wasn't in the good condition these other two films are in). The camera generally remains stationary as in the earliest feature-length films and mostly from a long-shot framing, but the shot succession is more frequent and better paced in these later films—changing shots based on character movement and with some crosscutting—and there are a few medium shots and closer views, although not nearly enough. "Snow White" seems choppy in parts today, but that's at least partially due to some lost footage.

Although rather stagy even for a 1916 production, "Snow White" is a somewhat enjoyable, light fairytale. As mentioned elsewhere, it borrows from "Cinderella" the part of Snow White forced to do chores by her stepmother. It's also interesting to see Walt Disney's inspiration for his 1937 animated version. The dwarfs are amusing. Additionally, Snow White is friendly with animals in the forests. I don't know how a lion got to a woodland in what one assumes is somewhere in medieval Europe, though. There are a few special effects shots, including the basic superimpositions and substitution-splices for lapse dissolves, as well as a brief animation shot of the witch flying away on her broom, and the miniaturized double exposure of the actors in the introductory tie-in of the film's release with Christmas. Clark does as well as Mary Pickford did; and, unlike the film, she isn't too theatrical. Like Pickford, she was small and often played child and ingénue roles. Unfortunately, most of her films are now unavailable, which makes "Snow White" an even more recommended treat.

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