Blancanieves (2012)

A twist on the Snow White fairy tale that is set in 1920s Seville and centered on a female bullfighter.

Director:

Pablo Berger

Writer:

Pablo Berger

Stars:

Maribel Verdú, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Ángela Molina

32 wins & 31 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Maribel Verdú	...	Encarna
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Antonio Villalta
Ángela Molina	...	Doña Concha
Pere Ponce	...	Genaro Bilbao
Macarena García	...	Carmen
Sofía Oria	...	Carmencita
Josep Maria Pou	...	Don Carlos (as José María Pou)
Inma Cuesta	...	Carmen de Triana
Ramón Barea	...	Don Martín
Emilio Gavira	...	Jesusín
Sergio Dorado	...	Rafita
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jinson Añazco	...	Juanín
Carmen Belloch
Manel Castillejos
Itziar Castro	...	Tocino de Cielo

Storyline

A twist on the Snow White fairy tale that is set in 1920s Seville and centered on a female bullfighter.

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Plot Keywords:

1920s | snow white | one word title | wheelchair | bullfight accident | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [es] Official site [fr]

Country:

Spain France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

28 September 2012 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Snow White

Filming Locations:

Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$25,264 (USA) (29 March 2013)

Gross:

$218,845 (USA) (3 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arcadia Motion Pictures, Noodles Production, Nix Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Pablo Berger developed the project for eight years before being able to shoot it. Maribel Verdú came aboard in 2006 after a conversation with Berger and stuck with it.

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Connections

Spoofed in Los Goya 27 edición (2013)

User Reviews

Stylish and original melodrama

A silent movie, filmed in black & white, which moves the familiar Snow White fairytale to a bullfighter arena in Seville and spices it with some morbid and melodramatic themes. I admit, it sounds weird. But in fact, it's wonderful. Blancanieves is a great cinematographic accomplishment. Anyone who loves film, should go and see it.

Many silent movies are still a joy to watch, even though they are made almost a hundred years ago. That's because they put so much more emphasis on the visual aspect of the movie. It's about what you see on the screen, not about what the actors say.

Director Pablo Berger has understood this perfectly. Blancanieves is a visual feast from beginning to end. The scenes are filmed in high-contrast black & white, often with deep focus. Everything looks extremely stylish, from the wardrobes to the interiors. Sometimes the images could have come right out of a fashion magazine.

Moreover, the actors know that they have to act differently and use much more expression. Maribel Verdu is a joy to watch as Blancanieves's evil stepmother. Her facial expressions are worth more than a hundred lines of dialogue. Watch for the chicken-eating scene!

In silent movies, the soundtrack is of course extremely important. Blancanieves doesn't disappoint. From the no holds barred, full-scale orchestral pieces during the most melodramatic scenes, to traditional Spanish flamenco music, it all accompanies the images on screen perfectly. Sometimes the soundtrack turns into source music, for example when we see the orchestra playing during the bullfight, or when Blancanieves puts on a record.

it's hard to review this film without mentioning 'The Artist', the Oscar-winning silent movie from last year. Inevitably, Blancanieves stands in the shadow of this successful film. That's bad luck for director Berger, who has started this project long before anyone had even heard of The Artist. Perhaps, if The Artist wouldn't have had as much success as it did, Blancanieves would have attracted more attention. The Artist was a multiple Oscar-winner, Blancanieves didn't even get nominated, although it was the Spanish selection for the foreign language category. That does seem out of proportion, because both films are really great. Blancanieves is old-fashioned film making at its very best.