Blancanieves

Knowing nothing about the film Blancanieves, I went into it preparing myself for a rough hour and a half watching an old, outdated, foreign, silent, black and white film when it begun. I could tell within the first few shots that maybe this movie was not what I thought it was going to be, and that I had cast my judgment too soon. From the quick cut scenes, close ups, and modern cinematography, I knew that this movie had to have been made within the last couple years. Surprised at this, I decided to give this movie a shot, and maybe it wouldn't turn out to be as bad as I thought. Boy was I right. This movie I found utterly fascinating following the story of a Spanish Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with it's own twist. I didn't see it at first how it could be Snow White, (you would think the title would have gave it away, but because I wasn't really thinking, I didn't even realize blancanieves means white snow... or you know... Snow White), but as the movie developed and with the introduction of the bullfighting dwarves that's when I really saw how the title fit. It amazes me that a silent movie can convey such a story with no spoken dialogue, just a few written words on the screen here and there.
The beginning of the story opens up of a bullfighter who gets mauled and becomes paralyzed. At that same time, in his wife gives birth to Carmen, but his wife dies in the process. He then later marries his nurse, Encarna, while he was in the hospital, and Carmen goes to live with her grandmother, until her grandmother dies. Carmen from there goes to live with her step-mother, who turns out to be a gold digger and evil, and her father, but her step-mother prevents her from seeing her father, and Carmen's step-mother also forces her to live in the barn and do very tedious harsh chores. She eventually sneaks in to see her father often, and they develop a great relationship. Years pass, and Encarna kills her husband, and sends Carmen out in the woods, and has her worker attempt to kill Carmen. Here in the woods is where the bullfighting dwarves find her, take her in, and then she eventually becomes a great bullfighter with them. But, Encarna shows up at the big bullfight, gives her an apple, like in Snow White, Carmen eats it and she dies.
While that story may seem somewhat predictable, the way the story was presented was entirely different from anything that I expected. The music fit perfectly in with the movie with the serious tones, the flamenco dancing music, the traditional bullfighting music, and any other piece fit perfectly in with the scene. The cinematography in this movie was superb, and I suppose it had to be so to really be able to portray the story without having spoken dialogue. The extreme close ups really helped express the emotion of the characters. Without inflection or tone of their voice, emotion can be very hard to read. The actors were brilliant with their facial expressions (and sometimes a little overdone, but honestly I think that was a bit of the point. Most movies in the silent film era had over-expressed faces, and I believe that they were trying to mimic those films, but done in a newer, better, more modern fashion) and they were able to make the me understand almost all that was going on in the film. On the topic of cinematography, one shot in particular that I loved was after Carmen's first communion and when her grandmother died, her first communion dress was shown white, dipped in water, and then when it came out it was black. I do not know if the water was actually supposed to be the literal dying of the dress, or if it was just symbolism, but either way, I loved the scene. It showed that the dress that was once used to be for a celebratory time, was now changed into an object of a mourning period.
All in all, this story is heartbreaking and depressing. You keep expecting the "good guy" to win, but at the end, no one is really there to triumph. Carmen's life was harsh, and you keep hoping for her to get a break, but she never truly does. Even when Encarna dies by the bull (at least that is what is implied, it is never really seen), Carmen does not get that satisfaction of knowing her worst nightmare has finally perished because Carmen had already fallen to Encarna's apple trick. And at the end, when she is encased in the glass coffin, you expect when she is at the circus, that while people are kissing her to awaken her, that eventually her true love will come along, kiss her, and she will be all better. But the dwarf who was really in love with her, he kisses her in the final scene, and at this moment you expect her eyes to flutter open, and maybe, just maybe she may be able to finally live out her life happily. But, because not all fairy tales end happily, instead a singular tear runs down her face, she remains asleep, and her beloved dwarf lies down beside her. Nobody is happy, and nobody is satisfied.
Each aspect of the film I thought was brilliant. I would say the Blancanieves is on the top of my list for movies that we watched this semester. The cinematography, the acting, and the story line were way above my original expectations and I am happy to say that I was wrong about what I thought I was going to be seeing. I would definitely recommend this film to any others who are interested in learning about film, and other film fanatics. I don't know if everyone would be a lover of this film, but I would recommend it to those I know would appreciate it.