Snow White & the Seven Bullfighters

Once every decade or so you find a movie that changes the way you view cinema and so utterly delights you that adjectives fail to adequately describe the experience. Not too long ago - this happened to us. We had literally stumbled upon the film - we had heard nothing about it. It showed up in one of the more obscured categories on our cable provider's pay per view section and we had no idea what it was about until we watched the preview (thankfully they had one) and we became quite intrigued.

The most original we've ever seen, period.

The film is Blancanieves - which is Spanish for "Snow White." It is both a work of art and a labor of love from Spanish director Pablo Berger. If you haven't heard of him, it's because this is one thing he's ever really done - but we have to say, it's enough to have established him as one of the unique visionaries in modern cinema. Which is all the more ironic, given that he essentially made a silent film.

The heart & soul of the movie is newcomer, Macarena García

While Macarena steals the show, the entire cast is outstanding; from the long-suffering Father, to the evil step-mother (Maribel Verdu), to the grandmother and of course let's not forget the seven bullfighting dwarves. Like the original tale, this story is pure fantasy - however it takes place in turn of the (19th) century Spain. After watching this, you'll have a hard time remembering the original brothers Grimm version of Snow White as Bergman's retelling is ultimately more human and touching than the old children's fable ever could be. And it accomplishes all of this without color and without audible dialog. Amazing...

There are some folks who will be put off by one or both of those factors. Although keep in mind that movie audiences fell in love with film as a storytelling medium in precisely these terms. There must have been something to it even then and as this movie demonstrates, there still is.

In this scene, young Blancanieves dances with her grandmother, but it proves fatal

This movie re-imagines who snow white is and all of the other characters as well and gives a unique glimpse into the culture of Spain and the practice of bullfighting. It is remarkable how much texture black and white film can bring out. Most color films are afraid to use shadow and do all they can to wash them out through excessive use of lighting - this film shows how much power shadows in cinema can bring.

The story is incredible, the images on the screen mesmerizing and the sounds of Spain captivating as a the background theme reflects the mood of each scene (just like in the old days of silent cinema) and the acting is simply superb. This movie rates a 10 out 10 in our opinion...



Copyright 2013, Raving Reviews


#RavingReviews
#Blancanieves