Like most of these Disney remakes, I'm more interested in seeing the animated version again. I haven't read the original source material, but I have seen the forgotten live-action horror version of the story from 1997 called Snow White: A Tale of Terror. I saw it once on cable when I was in the 8th grade and I really liked it then, but I'm not so sure I would now. Based on what you wrote about this new film, it reminded me of some similar elements:
First, she is born in the snow, but under much more ghastly circumstances.
Second, we see her father the king (Sam Neill), but he actually survives in this one.
Third, her love interest isn't a prince but part of a motley crew of "rough" characters, but I don't think they're bandits. There's one little person in it, just like that group that got scrubbed from the new movie.
Fourth, she is awoken at the end of the second act (not the end) by her love interest, but here he shakes her until she coughs out the piece of apple.
Lastly, the final sequence has her going back to the castle to defeat the evil queen (Sigourney Weaver) and she does it by stabbing the mirror, which oozes blood and magically causes the queen to have a fatal stab wound. This made sense to me though because throughout the movie, whenever the queen speaks to the mirror, she sees a misty image of her own face.
Speaking of the queen's death, does anyone else think that she is implicitly killed by God in the 1937 animated film? I mean, she's struck by lightning (kind of), falls off a cliff, gets smashed by the boulder she was going to use against the dwarves, and then gets eaten by vultures. I hope I'm not being sadistic (God forgive me if I am), but that's one of my favorite villain death scenes.
Awesome analysis! I only just heard of the 1997 film from my friend Stephen recently, but it seems quite interesting as a comparison.
And yes, I totally believe the witch in the animated classic was struck down by an act of God. Divine providence saturates those early Disney films, even if it's only ever alluded to. Such a great scene.
I have to wonder if the people who made this movie saw the horror version and used ideas from it, thinking that no one would remember it. Even though I only saw it one time 28 years ago, it still lingers in my memory, so it must have made an impression on me.
I wasn't planning on seeing Snow White, but your review makes it definite! Thanks for mentioning the live-action Cinderella which had a few weak moments, but overall was very well done. I particularly like the scene at the end where she forgives her stepmother, a good lesson for children.
I saw it because I have a six year old daughter. For that audience, it's innocent enough; she doesn't mind the obnoxious CGI, and doesn't care about my issues with the writing. I think if you want to see a movie in theaters with your kids this week, Snow White is fine. But I don't plan to rewatch it on streaming. Cinderella was good because it refreshed the innocence of the original character with humility and meekness. Snow White, however, refreshes the original innocence with self-righteous sanctimony.
Like most of these Disney remakes, I'm more interested in seeing the animated version again. I haven't read the original source material, but I have seen the forgotten live-action horror version of the story from 1997 called Snow White: A Tale of Terror. I saw it once on cable when I was in the 8th grade and I really liked it then, but I'm not so sure I would now. Based on what you wrote about this new film, it reminded me of some similar elements:
First, she is born in the snow, but under much more ghastly circumstances.
Second, we see her father the king (Sam Neill), but he actually survives in this one.
Third, her love interest isn't a prince but part of a motley crew of "rough" characters, but I don't think they're bandits. There's one little person in it, just like that group that got scrubbed from the new movie.
Fourth, she is awoken at the end of the second act (not the end) by her love interest, but here he shakes her until she coughs out the piece of apple.
Lastly, the final sequence has her going back to the castle to defeat the evil queen (Sigourney Weaver) and she does it by stabbing the mirror, which oozes blood and magically causes the queen to have a fatal stab wound. This made sense to me though because throughout the movie, whenever the queen speaks to the mirror, she sees a misty image of her own face.
Speaking of the queen's death, does anyone else think that she is implicitly killed by God in the 1937 animated film? I mean, she's struck by lightning (kind of), falls off a cliff, gets smashed by the boulder she was going to use against the dwarves, and then gets eaten by vultures. I hope I'm not being sadistic (God forgive me if I am), but that's one of my favorite villain death scenes.
Awesome analysis! I only just heard of the 1997 film from my friend Stephen recently, but it seems quite interesting as a comparison.
And yes, I totally believe the witch in the animated classic was struck down by an act of God. Divine providence saturates those early Disney films, even if it's only ever alluded to. Such a great scene.
I have to wonder if the people who made this movie saw the horror version and used ideas from it, thinking that no one would remember it. Even though I only saw it one time 28 years ago, it still lingers in my memory, so it must have made an impression on me.
I just watched the original, which I had never seen. My gosh, it’s so good! My husband notes that in the original, the queen dies ugly as well.
I wasn't planning on seeing Snow White, but your review makes it definite! Thanks for mentioning the live-action Cinderella which had a few weak moments, but overall was very well done. I particularly like the scene at the end where she forgives her stepmother, a good lesson for children.
I saw it because I have a six year old daughter. For that audience, it's innocent enough; she doesn't mind the obnoxious CGI, and doesn't care about my issues with the writing. I think if you want to see a movie in theaters with your kids this week, Snow White is fine. But I don't plan to rewatch it on streaming. Cinderella was good because it refreshed the innocence of the original character with humility and meekness. Snow White, however, refreshes the original innocence with self-righteous sanctimony.