Blancanieves (2012)

Director:

Pablo Berger

Writer:

Pablo Berger

Release Date:

28 September 2012 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

1920s | Snow White | One Word Title | Wheelchair | Bullfight Accident

Awards:

33 wins & 30 nominations

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
Pep Ferrer
Michal Lagosz	...	Manolín
Carlos Lasarte
Alberto Martínez	...	Josefa
Ignacio Mateos
Jimmy Muñoz	...	Victorino
Carmen Segarra	...	Cocinera
Pere Vall
Oriol Vila	...	Joven Arrogante

Directed by
Pablo Berger

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Pablo Berger

Produced by
Pablo Berger	....	producer
Jeremy Burdek	....	executive producer
Ibon Cormenzana	....	producer
Nadia Khamlichi	....	executive producer
Stéphane Lhoest	....	line producer: Belgium
Adrian Politowski	....	executive producer
Sandra Tàpia	....	associate producer
Jérôme Vidal	....	producer
Gilles Waterkeyn	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Alfonso de Vilallonga

Cinematography by
Kiko de la Rica

Film Editing by
Fernando Franco

Casting by
Rosa Estévez

Production Design by
Alain Bainée

Costume Design by
Paco Delgado

Makeup Department
Montse Damas	....	assistant makeup artist
Fermín Galán	....	hair stylist
Sylvie Imbert	....	makeup artist
Jesús Martos	....	assistant hair stylist
Lola Martínez	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Josep Amorós	....	production manager
Jordi Herreros	....	assistant unit manager
Alexandre Isidoro	....	post-production supervisor
Fernando Polanco	....	assistant production manager
Sandra Tàpia	....	post-production supervisor (as Sandra Tapia)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jon Espel	....	second assistant director
Marcos Fernández Aldaco	....	second assistant director
Carlos Gras	....	first assistant director
Iñigo Rotaetxe	....	second unit director
Violeta Salama	....	assistant director
Miguel Vargas	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Laia Ateca	....	assistant art director
Andrea Calvé	....	set decorator
Chan Canelo	....	set dresser and artist painter
Georgina Castellsegué	....	art department assistant
Miguel Ángel Delgado	....	set dresser
Luis Doce	....	set dresser
Mariona Ferrer	....	assistant set decorator
Alexis Fibla	....	set draftsman
Joxean Goya	....	set dresser
Irene Martos	....	art department assistant
Aitor Mendizábal	....	set dresser
Florian Müller	....	art department assistant
Paula de Granvar Palomares-Martinez	....	set dresser
Rosa Pariente	....	property master
Iñigo Rotaetxe	....	storyboard artist
Montse Soler	....	property master
Antonio Sánchez-Romo	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Felipe Aragó	....	sound
Laurent Granier	....	boom operator
Gareth Llewellyn	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michel Monier	....	sound consultant: dolby
Sergio Testón	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Juan Arribas	....	digital compositor
Helmuth Barnert	....	digital compositor
Moisés Cambra	....	digital compositor
Marta Cañavate	....	digital compositor
Jonathan Cheetham	....	visual effects supervisor: uFX
Marc Henry de Frahan	....	general manager: uFX
Bert Deruyck	....	digital compositor: uFX
Yusef El Khadir	....	visual effects artist
Javier Fernandez	....	digital compositor
Sergio Fernandez	....	massive animator
Rafael Galdó	....	visual effects coordinator
Dave Goodbourn	....	technical supervisor: uFX
Clare Heneghan	....	visual effects producer: uFX
Alberto Juárez	....	digital compositor
Pedro Lara	....	digital compositor
Sergio Paco Rubio	....	visual effects producer
Francisco Palomares Pozas	....	digital compositor
Óscar Perea Marcos	....	digital compositor
Sandra Picher	....	visual effects producer
Ferran Piquer	....	visual effects supervisor
Francisco Porras	....	digital compositor
James Rose	....	digital compositor: uFX
Francesco Rossi	....	digital compositor: uFX
Guillermo Valero	....	digital compositor
Ignasi Vidal	....	3D artist
José Miguel Zapata	....	digital effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Javier Alomar	....	additional "b" camera first assistant camera
Salva Castellarnau	....	key grip
Raul del Hoyo	....	second assistant camera
Beatriz Delgado	....	second assistant camera
Roberto Escudero	....	electrician
Lia Giralt	....	electrician
Kike Martínez	....	electrician
Raúl Morales	....	camera operator
Raúl Morales	....	director of photography: second unit
Imanol Nabea	....	focus puller
María de la Rica	....	video operator
Cristina Rodríguez	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Usue Sanz	....	second assistant camera
Víctor Sarasa	....	electrician
Xavier Sarasa	....	gaffer
Eric Solé	....	additional electrician
José Tamayo Fernández	....	electrician

Casting Department
Zara Cruz	....	extras casting coordinator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sonia Capilla	....	costumer
Fran Cruz	....	costumer: dailies
Ana Cuerda	....	costumes
Paloma Fernández	....	costume assistant
Natalia Ferreiro	....	costumer: dailies
Eva Fervenza	....	costume fitter
Sonia Isla	....	assistant costume designer
Ana Maria Marin	....	seamstress
Cristina Martín	....	costumer: dailies
Edgar Molinos	....	key costumer
Nuria Pascual-Andujar	....	costumer: dailies
Ariadna Pons	....	costumer: dailies
Bea Rivas	....	costumer: dailies

Editorial Department
Wim Dickens	....	post-production coordinator
Nicolas Duval	....	on-line editor
Claudio Guell	....	digital intermediate colorist
Ana Rubio	....	assistant editor
Emmanuel Vidal	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Chicuelo	....	composer: additional music
Raúl Cuevas	....	music recording: soloists
Roman Gottwald	....	composer: additional music
Roman Gottwald	....	orchestrator
Maria Kantorowicz	....	score pro tools recordist
Olvido Lanza	....	musician
Patrick Lemmens	....	score engineer & mixer
Manuel Martínez del Fresno	....	musician
Sílvia Pérez Cruz	....	musician

Other crew
Maéva Buisse	....	production coordinator: Belgium
Almudena Cormenzana	....	production secretary
Pablo Gomez-Castro	....	development coordinator
Zebina Guerra	....	community manager
Pierre Philippe Hendrickx	....	legal advisor: Belgium
Jaume Jordana	....	location manager
Clara Lago	....	financial controller
Arnau Lamarca	....	set production assistant
Martin Metz	....	production executive
Frank Mostert	....	di assistant
Iwona Sellers	....	production executive
Bastien Sirodot	....	production executive
Naila Vázquez	....	development coordinator
Jorge Yúdice	....	community manager

Thanks
Simón de Santiago	....	thanks
Fernando Victoria de Lecea	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Arcadia Motion Pictures
• Noodles Production
• Nix Films
• Sisifo Films AIE
• Thekraken Films, A.I.E.
• Mama Films
• arte France Cinéma
• Banque Postale Image 4 (in association with)
• Canal+ España
• Eurimages (participation)
• Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA)
• Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique (with the support of)
• Motion Investment Group
• Palatine Étoile 9 (in association with)
• Televisió de Catalunya (TV3)
• uFilm (in association with)
• uFund (in association with)

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2013) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cohen Media Group (2012) (USA) (theatrical)
• Espace Sarou (2013) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Londra Films P&D (2013) (Bolivia) (theatrical)
• Rézo Films (2013) (France) (theatrical)
• StraDa Films (2013) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Wanda Distribución Cinematográfica de Films S.A. (2012) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Zon Audiovisuais (2013) (Portugal) (all media)

Special Effects

• Imasblue (digital effects)
• uFX (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Galaxy Studios  post-production facilities
• Spanish Cinema from Spain  programming
• uFund  funding (in association with)

Also Known As:

"Snow White" - International (English title) (informal literal title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violent content and sexuality

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Spain | France | Belgium

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:16 | UK:12 | Canada:PG (British Columbia)

Filming Locations:

Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Arcadia Motion Pictures

Trivia:

The official submission of Spain to the Best Foreign Language Film of the 85th Academy Awards 2013.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Special Collector's Edition: La carrera del siglo (#5.8)" (2013)

A Masterpiece

I watched this film today at the Toronto International Film Festival. After many years of attending the festival, few if any films have made such an impact on me. Visually stunning, every scene shot in crisp black and white shouted out that colour is a mere distraction, a passing fad.

In a silent film, apart from the occasional inter-title, the visuals must tell the story, and in this case the filmmaker borrowed from the tropes of 1920s cinematic narrative, but added a more modern appreciation of human appetites and moralities. Much effort was made to reproduce the look and tone of classic silent film down to the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, but the current technologies used in production added an extra snap, crackle, and pop.

The story is Snow White, but set in the Seville of the 1920s: a girl, the daughter of a famous bullfighter, is raised by an evil stepmother. Instead of a mirror on the wall (though she has one of those, too) the stepmother relies on a fashion magazine to say who's the fairest of them all. A plot to kill the girl - now grown up - fails when she is rescued by a band of travelling bullfighting dwarfs who care for her until she's ready to fulfill her own destiny in the ring.

As befitting a fairy tale, the story is simple and direct, though there are shades of grey here and there in this black and white world of good and evil. But simple as it is, like the best children's stories, this one resonates at a deep level. And speaking of children, it can be debated whether any Grimm fairy tale is actually suitable for children. I would certainly not take a young child to see this one.

Have I mentioned the music? Anchoring the story to the setting, glorious Flamenco appears at key moments making the pulse quicken in time to the castanets.

Such a gorgeous film. I must see it again, if my heart can take it.