Snow White (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, Emilio Gavira, Daniel Giménez Cacho

47 wins & 55 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Giménez Cacho	...	Antonio Villalta
Ramón Barea	...	Don Martín
Inma Cuesta	...	Carmen de Triana
Ángela Molina	...	Doña Concha
Ignacio Mateos	...	Fotógrafo plaza
Maribel Verdú	...	Encarna
Carmen Belloch	...	Enfemera mayor
Teresa Soria Ruano	...	Enfermera joven
Sofía Oria	...	Carmencita
Lito	...	Gallo Pepe (as Lito y Tomás)
Tomás	...	Gallo Pepe (as Lito y Tomás)
Pere Ponce	...	Genaro
Carmen Segarra	...	Milagros
Pep Ferrer	...	Pintor
Manel Castillejos	...	Fotógrafo entierro

Storyline

A band of bullfighting dwarfs save the life of a young woman with amnesia. They end up taking her under their wing when they find out that she has seemingly natural skills as a bullfighter, upon which they can capitalize not only for their act but for her own personal gain. As she does not know her name or background, the dwarfs coin her Blancanieves, after the famed fairy tale. What they are all unaware of is that she is really Carmen, the daughter of the once great matador, Antonio Villalta. On the day Carmen was born, her father suffered a career ending accident, and her mother died in childbirth. Her father quickly remarried his nurse, the evil Encarna. Although raised by her grandmother during her early years, Carmen, following the death of her grandmother, went to live with Encarna while an adolescent, Encarna who treated her as a slave. Carmen eventually found her disabled father, who was hidden away and treated poorly by Encarna. In the meantime, Encarna was cavorting with the...

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Plot Keywords:

grande dame guignol | matador | dwarf | bullfighting | murder | 

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Taglines:

You've never heard the tale quite like this.

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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 [Spain] Official site [France]

Country:

Spain Belgium France

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

28 September 2012 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Blancanieves

Filming Locations:

Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,264, 31 March 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$279,735

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,585,522

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arcadia Motion Pictures,Sisifo Films AIE,Nix Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White Color (opening sequence)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Antonio Villalta: [to Carmen de Triana] For you, and for our unborn child!

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Connections

References Battleship Potemkin (1925)

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Soundtracks

Die Furchtbare Nordwand
Written by Edmund Meisel

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.