Candid Article 16

Snow White and the Huntsman - 4 stars ****

This is one of those films where there has been a surplus of anticipation for its release, and little mystery surrounding it. We’ve known who was cast in it, been shown pictures of costumes, and heard behind the scenes rumours from the minute director Rupert Sanders shouted ‘ACTION!’. However, perhaps one of the details that wasn’t broadcast to the world, was the actual plot. Maybe this is because everyone is presumed to know the tale of Snow White - originally by the Brothers Grimm - and this therefore sets up the first surprise for the audience: that this is no ordinary fairytale.

The film begins as one would expect, with a sultry female voice declaring ‘Once Upon A Time’ and going on to explain how a King and Queen had a beautiful daughter with lips red as a rose, hair black as a raven’s wing and skin white as snow. A harsh winter kills her adoring mother, and shortly afterwards an enchanted army is set upon the grief- stricken King. After his soldiers defeat them, he finds a prisoner (Charlize Theron) in the back of a carriage and, enchanted by her beauty, forgets his heartache and marries the woman the next day.

Ravenna, as we later learn she is called, is no innocent hostage, but a powerful sorceress, consumed with the desire to become ‘fairest of them all’. Hours after her marriage, she kills the King and steals his throne, throwing a young Snow White into a dungeon to prevent her beauty from surpassing her own.

Some years later, Snow White (Kristen Stewart) manages to escape from her prison cell, fleeing into the ominous Dark Forest. Enraged, the Queen hires a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), a drunken widower who is one of the few to have tackled the forest before. However, upon finding Snow White he is startled by her purity and innocence and is unable to kill her. He vows instead to help her reach the castle of Duke Hammond, to reunite her with childhood friend William (Sam Claflin), so that together they can defeat Ravenna, and reclaim Snow White’s throne.

Thus far, the story sounds much the same, but I think the main difference between this film and its folk-style counterpart, is that the gothic, scary elements have been drawn out and heightened to provide a more sensory based and modern feel. The enchanted mirror morphs into a gold hooded man who delivers the results of who is fairest. The Dark Forest, far from Walt Disney’s tame perception, contains pools of black writhing snakes, and a floor that turns to flesh eating maggots upon contact. It feeds upon peoples’ fears, so a plethora of dark magic ensues. Ravenna seeks out pretty young maidens, and sucks the youth from them in order to retain her striking looks, a process that we see graphically used upon Lily Cole in her cameo as Greta. There is also a scene where the evil monarch is seen surrounded by dead birds, using a sadistic contraption to pluck out their hearts for her to eat.

It is not all doom and gloom though. The seven dwarves (who of course are still featured) are a loveable bunch of drunken merry men played by some of Britain’s finest actors, including Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Nick Frost and Ray Winstone. They are definitely a source of light relief amongst the drama and chaos. In particular there is a gorgeous scene where they have just learnt Snow White’s true identity and purpose, where the frozen world they are used to is beginning to come back to life. The cinematic effects used to portray the Fairy World are top-notch and form a stark contrast to the dull grey lands created by Ravenna.

One of the only flaws in this film in my opinion, is the acting ability of Kristen Stewart. Having made her mark on Hollywood in the hugely successful Twilight saga, this was her chance to prove to the world that she was a diverse and capable thespian. There is no denying that the girl can act, and her appearance is Snow White personified, but I felt that the way in which she portrayed the character was eerily similar to that of Bella Swan, even to the extent that her kissing scenes could have been cut and pasted and you wouldn’t have known the difference. It is a shame that amongst such a high calibre of stars, (Charlize Theron in this is BRILLIANT) that one weak link reduced the credibility of the movie as a whole. I would still highly recommend Snow White and the Huntsman though, even if it is just to appreciate that a classic fairytale can be altered to such a degree as to change the focus completely. It is also difficult to fault the hard work that has clearly gone into producing such a visually high quality piece of cinema.