Even though it
was released in 2011, there is no way of reviewing Blancanieves today without making comparison to the Best Picture
winner from two years ago, The Artist.
Both are modern silent films which attempt the appearance of being much older
than they are, for no clear reason.
With The Artist, it was a silent film about the difficulties a silent
movie star had with the advent of sound, something which we only fully
understand with the film’s only spoken words at the film’s conclusion.
Blancanieves, on the other hand, has no clear reason beyond novelty for being
made as a silent film. This doesn’t make it a bad film, although it is somewhat
inexplicably stylistic in these retro film choices.
In addition to
the silent-film style, the narrative is borrowed from the familiar tale of
“Snow White,” with all magical elements removed. Taking place in 1920s Seville
This is clever,
albeit unnecessary, filmmaking. It is an enjoyable little art piece which
relies a bit too heavily on one stylistic concept, but somehow manages to
remain engaging with a slight variation on the beloved fairytale. The DVD
features include a making-of featurette and a director’s introduction. There is
also a live concert of Blancanieves from Barcelona
and Madrid
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Disc Features: 7/10
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