Blancanieves. (12A.)
Directed by Pablo Berger.
Starring Maribel Verdu, Macarena Garcia, Sofia Oria, Daniel Gimenez Cacho and Angela Molina. Silent, Black and White. Released on DVD. 104 mins.
Blancanieves is a black and white, silent version of Snow White that opens in 1920s Seville and makes bullfighting and flamenco becoming integral parts of the fairy tale. Director Berger (whose previous film was the marvellous Torremolinos 73) has spent a decade trying to get it to the screen and must be cursing his fate that during that time his unique proposition has been usurped not just by two Hollywood versions of the same story but by another silent black and white film that was a worldwide hit and won the Oscar. In a few short years his dream project has gone from off-the-wall to old hat.
This is still a highly distinctive creation but I think it suffers from the dents in its novelty. If you’d never seen anything like it you’d be amazed by it; now you have something vaguely similar to compare it to, you notice that he hasn’t quite nailed it. There’s nothing especially wrong with it but it never quite excels; its eccentricity seems more obstinate than audacious but there are lovely moments and builds to a poignant climax.
After a cursory cinema release last month, the film is now available on Collector’s edition DVD from Studiocanal with a half hour Making Of documentary which is primarily of interest because you can see the locations and performers in colour.
Directed by Pablo Berger.
Starring Maribel Verdu, Macarena Garcia, Sofia Oria, Daniel Gimenez Cacho and Angela Molina. Silent, Black and White. Released on DVD. 104 mins.
Blancanieves is a black and white, silent version of Snow White that opens in 1920s Seville and makes bullfighting and flamenco becoming integral parts of the fairy tale. Director Berger (whose previous film was the marvellous Torremolinos 73) has spent a decade trying to get it to the screen and must be cursing his fate that during that time his unique proposition has been usurped not just by two Hollywood versions of the same story but by another silent black and white film that was a worldwide hit and won the Oscar. In a few short years his dream project has gone from off-the-wall to old hat.
This is still a highly distinctive creation but I think it suffers from the dents in its novelty. If you’d never seen anything like it you’d be amazed by it; now you have something vaguely similar to compare it to, you notice that he hasn’t quite nailed it. There’s nothing especially wrong with it but it never quite excels; its eccentricity seems more obstinate than audacious but there are lovely moments and builds to a poignant climax.
After a cursory cinema release last month, the film is now available on Collector’s edition DVD from Studiocanal with a half hour Making Of documentary which is primarily of interest because you can see the locations and performers in colour.
