Snow White in the Movies
Original Animated Feature Inspires Amanda Bynes Film Sydney White
The timeless forces of good and evil fighting to the death continue to light up the silver screen.
Although the Walt Disney animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs dates back to 1937 and the Grimm fairy tale on which the story is based goes back even further, the characters of Snow White and her nemesis the Queen still thrive in various movie adaptations. The newest version, Sydney White, is a live-action comedy starring Amanda Bynes as a college freshman harassed by a sorority witch and befriended by seven nerds. Taking a comedic spin on the subject represents a daring move on the part of the filmmakers, as previous live-action versions (including 2002’s Snow White starring Miranda Richardson and Kristen Kreuk and 1997’s Snow White – A Tale of Terror starring Sigourney Weaver and Sam Neill) emphasize the more frightening aspects of the story.
Fairy Tale Versus Film
As scary as the original animated version was (and still is) to some children, it was a sanitized version of the original Grimm fairy tale that added, deleted, and changed elements in order to make the story more appropriate for a general audience. The film uses extended sequences of little importance in the Grimm version in order to include songs made for the movie, e.g., Snow White’s loneliness at the wishing well and her terror/joy in the woods. Because the dwarfs’ cottage is filthy in the film, Snow White can whistle while she works to clean it, even though it was immaculate in the original Grimm story.
The film version also makes the violence more palatable for children: Snow White’s liver is not required as proof of her death; the poison apple represents a sleeping death rather than a literal death; and the evil Queen has a fatal off-screen fall rather than being tortured with red-hot slippers as in the original story. The basic struggle between good and evil remains, however, which makes Snow White a popular story for film adaptations.
Struggle Between Good and Evil
This struggle is inherent in the story, rather than the characters, because these early Disney depictions are one-dimensional caricatures. Unlike later Disney animated features (such as Aladdin) that include heroic flaws and villainous assets, these characters are shallow. Snow White and the Queen represent good and evil (respectively) and the comical dwarfs are reduced to one character trait apiece, e.g., Bashful is shy and Sneezy has allergies. The shallow prince falls in love with Snow White instantly because of her beauty. Today’s movie audiences won’t settle for these one-dimensional caricatures, and demand layered performances from live-action and animated characters.
One technique that Sydney White must employ to bring out the comedic side of the story is to emphasize the romantic elements of Snow White as opposed to the more terrifying images and ideas (including death, disfigurement, hallucinations, and sorcery). Like any good romance, the Snow White story leaves few mysteries at the end. The Queen is deadly jealous of Snow White’s beauty. Only true love can save her. To simplify the story further, the Disney version’s characters are limited to the Queen, Snow White, the Prince, the huntsman, and the seven dwarfs. By the film’s conclusion, we know how everyone’s individual story ends.
When good and evil struggle with each other, and true love lies in the balance, audiences will keep watching, thus ensuring that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (and Star Wars for that matter) will be box-office winners regardless of their various adaptations and derivations over the years.
For more information about fairy tales, read Cinderella in the Movies.
