Snow White (1961) User Reviews

More enjoyment from repeated viewing

[suchenwi · 7/10 · 8 January 2009]

Snow White has come to be an archetype in world culture (even Japanese are quite familiar with the story, the 1937 Disney animation is a classic), so I was thrilled to see this 1961 East German live action version (which came with SuperIllu magazine today).

Years ago, I've often read this fairy tale to my then young daughters, so I was familiar with the story, which the movie rendered quite OK. Except - the classic ending was very watered down. As Wikipedia has it, "As punishment for her wicked ways, a pair of heated iron shoes are brought forth with tongs and placed before the Queen. She is then forced to step into these and dance until she falls down dead." In this movie, the evil queen is just ordered to leave the (however small) country of Prince Charming forever. Of course, to get a rating of "0 years and up", you can't show such drastic gore...

I liked the sets (castles, the dwarfs' house) and costumes (especially at the young king's wedding), as well as the dance. The dwarfs looked not so convincing to me, and didn't provide much fun. I read that "Purzelbaum, Ordnung!" was a classic appeal to kids in then East Germany, but well...

After the first viewing I was a bit disappointed (maybe I had expected more interesting details?). Last night I watched it again, back to back with Dornröschen (1971), and must say that this film is worth multiple viewings.

Trust the name Kolditz here, this is a good film

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 11 September 2017]

Here we have the East German approach to the famous Snow White story and this one is from 1961, so this one came out pretty much the exact time that the Berlin Wall was built. It is another collaboration by writer Kalkofen and director Kolditz and if you have seen some of their other stuff, then you may agree that these fairy tale films (some of them based on the Brothers Grimms' works like this one here) are pretty much among the very best the GDR had to offer in terms of films. The use of colors sure helps a lot, but it is also the costumes, makeup and cinematography that make films like this one here a pretty satisfying watch. Like more recent fairy tale films, this one here is really short and does not even make it past the 1-hour mark if we don't count the credits. As a consequence, this is also a truly essential film. There is basically not a single minute when nothing important happens and they did a good job by including repetitive sequences like the mirror asking or the scenes in which the evil queen poisons SW in a way where they did not feel too repetitive. And then of course the acting is strong from everybody involved. Snow White as always does not have the greatest material, but lead actress Doris Weikow in her early 20s is as stunning as it gets and perfect for the character. Marianne Christina Schilling is the one to watch here giving the best performance with the best material, while the dwarfs, the prince and the hunter also make the most of their (not too) limited screen time. So yes, this is a well-rounded effort thanks to everybody working on it in front of and behind the camera as well as the rest of the crew. There's a reason why this tale is still among the Grimms' most famous and they did the subject justice here. It is at least as good as the West German version from the mid-1950s. A good watch for everybody and a must-see for fairy tale lovers. Go check it out.

Pure Enchantment!

[oznickolaus · 10/10 · 6 July 2002]

When the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in 1989, a cornicopia of cinematic history was discovered......children's films from another time and another place. Delightful family entertainment from one of the most respected film studios in the world, DEFA Studios. Among these films, is the 1961 "Schneewittchen"....known in the English language as "Snow White". Directed by Gottfried Kolditz, "Schneewittchen" brings the 1812 fairytale by the Grimm Brothers magically to life.

As the title character, Doris Weikow brings grace and charm to our heroine. When playing Snow White, it is very easy to be over the top with sweetness, making the audience mock the performance. Miss Weikow plays the part sweet, without sending the audience into sugar shock. Most fairytale heroines are written as helpless victims. Snow White is no exception. But we have to remember, in the original fable, Snow White is only a seven years old child. With severe objection to a small girl marrying an adult prince, the character is most often portrayed as a young woman, making her victim status seem somewhat ridiculous. If you can get beyond that, this Snow White will certainly win your heart.

Marianne Christina Schilling plays the jealous Queen to the hilt. She truly hates her new stepdaughter. Her vanity controls her life to the point of madness. Not caring who knows she wants Snow White dead, this queen prances around the castle in full peddle woman disguise, several times being undressed by her handmaid, played by Steffie Spira. This shows the fear this new queen has put into her subjects. Although they all adore Snow White, they are helpless to come to her aid, for fear of punishment. If you love to hate a villian, then this is the villian for you!!

The Seven Dwarfs in this production are adorable. Unlike most versions, these guys aren't grotesque little imps, but simply very short men. They instantly fall in love with Snow White, and it shows on each and every one of their faces. These little guys truly want to protect and care for the princess, as will the audience for that matter. And unlike the Disney version, Snow White doesn't boss them around as if they were children. As much as I love the Disney film, that always bothered me a bit.

On the whole, this film is a must see if you are a Snow White fan. You won't regret watching this!!!

Not quite the fairest of them all...but close

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 5 May 2019]

For as long as can be remembered, 'Snow White' has always been one of my favourite stories, fairy tales and otherwise. The story is timeless with lots of suspense and creepiness and some poignancy, as are the characters, especially the Evil Queen. It is one of the Brothers Grimm's most famous stories, and rightly so, and this is coming from two brothers that were responsible for some of the most deservedly iconic stories in literature (plus they put their own interesting spin on pre-existing stories, namely their darker version of 'Cinderella').

DEFA distributed a number of fairy tale adaptations from East Germany, some are better than others but they do intrigue. Mainly for seeing older versions of these stories and some have some very interesting differences to the original stories. All are worth a look, if some more for curiosity and completest sake. Their 1961 adaptation of 'Snow White' is one of their best, actually think that it is one of the better adaptations of the frequently adapted story. It is not as well known as the 1937 Disney version, the most famous version and the most historically important, love that version on its own terms and prefer it slightly personally but this adaptation is every bit as great and has a few improvement. There is a reason as to why this is one of the most successful DEFA fairy-tale films.

'Snow White' may not quite have the timeless songs of the Disney version, the dwarves' personalities are not quite as distinct from each other here and nothing in this adaptation is scarier than the transformation and the first close up reveal of the Evil Queen's hag disguise. 'Snow White' however is much more faithful (actually one of the most faithful versions of the story), with the only major change being the very end with the Evil Queen. It is not as deliberate in pace and Snow White is, while not as famous in image, is much more interesting as a character here.

There really is next to nothing wrong in 'Snow White', just that the charming music is not quite what people are likely to be humming in the streets for a while after and the staginess that can be seen in most of the DEFA fairy-tale films can be seen at times here.

With that being said, 'Snow White' is one of the best-looking DEFA fairy-tale films. It is beautifully photographed with lots of rich colour and a lot of effort went into the sets and costumes, more so than most DEFA fairy-tale adaptations. The standouts being the dwarves' cottage and the wedding costumes. The script doesn't become too camp, is lively and it feels natural. The story has all the suspense and charm of the Brothers Grimm story, the character interaction shines (especially between the dwarves and Snow White, very important as it is that relationship that is most dominant in the story) and the dwarves' grief is genuinely emotional. The film flies by with no padding and the short running time helps and doesn't feel too short.

Loved the characters, Snow White is not bland, sugary sweet or passive (too easily fooled, but that is the fault of the original story and should not be considered a fault for any adaptation), the Evil Queen is rightly despicable and the dwarves, while a little less distinct in personality than with the Disney version, are adorable with well-rounded personalities. The acting is fine, with the best performance coming from a deliciously evil Marianne Christina Schilling.

In conclusion, deserves to be better known, it is a great adaptation and film. 9/10