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Rating:  -
This version of Snow White embraces the original telling and genuinely delivers the shivers the tale was intended to deliver. No talking wise cracking animated animals, this is over thirteen entertainment from the dark side. Well worth the purchase price and destined to become a horror classic, Sigourney Weaver delivers an intense performance that younger children and some adults as well might find disturbing.
Rating: -
"Snow White" has always been my favorite Grimms Brothers fairy tale. The story is rich in imagery and examines rivalry between parents and children and a young girl's awakening to maturity. "Snow White - A Tale of Terror" is a frightening an realistic examination of this familiar tale. Be warned, this version is not for children! The writers utilize scenes from the original Grimms story, which was not meant for children anyway. Instances of cannibalism, gore, and torture are graphically portrayed. This movie plumbs the psychological depths of the fairy tale and the characters are far from being "cookie cutter" models. Each character is developed very well and they are not all good or all evil.
The primise of this movie concerns a nobleman, Frederic Hoffman, and his wife Lilliana. After a carriage accident, Lilliana is near death. She pleads with her husband to save their unborn baby, and he performs a searean section. The child survives although the mother loses her life. A few years pass, and Fredric marries again. Lady Claudia (Sigurney Weaver), is a well-intentioned woman who strives to make her husband happy. However, from the beginning Frederic's little girl, Lilliana, resents her stepmother. As the years pass, the resentment and hostility between the two females grows: finally culminating in Claudia's giving birth to a stillborn child. Claudia learns she can no longer have children, and her irrational mind, caught within the throes of mental anguish, immediately blames Lilli. Spurred on by an evil mirror which belonged to her eccentric mother, Claudia orders her mute brother, Gustav, to take the now teenaged Lilliana into the forest and kill her. But wait! You think you know the rest of the story? Think again! In this version, as in real life, Prince Charming's are few and far between, and "little men" cannot always come to the rescue. It is up to Lilli to rescue herself!
The acting in this movie is magnificent! Sigurney Weaver is exceptional as the "wicked stepmother," taking the word "evil" to a whole new level! Monica Keana does a wonderful job portraying Lilliana: a "Snow White" with an edge. The other performers are just as excellent.
"Snow White - A Tale of Terror" is surprisingly moving. If you want to see a suspenseful movie that will make you think, please give this film a chance. Happy viewing!
Rating:  -
A phenomenal fairy-tale retelling worth seeing at least once. The movie begins with the death of "Snow White"s mother, whose husband is forced to perform a c-section to save his unborn child. Then we are taken years later to the child Lilli (Snow White) playing outside and listening to her maid tell the famous story of her mother pricking her finger and seeing her blood spill on the white snow. Lilli meets her stepmother-to-be and takes an instant disliking to her, which already does away with the perfect-girl scenario that exists in most Snow White tales.
Years pass, and the relationship between Lilli and her stepmother Claudia remains rocky. Sigourney Weaver does an excellent job portraying the human stepmother who is eventually consumed by evil and her own vanity. Contrary to popular belief here, I don't beleive she had magic powers of her own. The mirror is clearly portrayed to be pure evil before tensions reach their climax between the two women. I think the mirror is the true villian in this movie, and its evil preys on Claudia's vanity and grief, driving her to insanity. In a way, she's as much a victim as Lilli is.
There is also a hint of jealousy between Lilli and her stepmother over Lilli's father. In many fairytales, sexual themes between young girls and their fathers are common. I'm not saying Lilli was interested in her father in any way, but if one looks for it, one can see the references to WHY these stories were told in the first place. In Snow White, one theme is a struggle between the young girl, who's only male figure is her father, and the stepmother, who must take charge of the house and family as well as providing a son. A maturing girl who's only known her father will not willingly give him up, and a woman who must prove her place in the family against seemingly unfair odds will not be diverted by a girl.
Claudia's jealousy of Lilli is seen at the ball, where Lilli and her father dance, and she loses her baby. This is where insanity hits, and after the famous first killing attempt (by Claudia's brother), Lilli flees into a forest and finds shelter with seven wrongly convicted outlaws who hope to find survival through mining. Here's where the supernatural comes into play (the next two killing attempts are different from the original story yet add a terrifying thrill to the movie) and finally, there's the classic poisoned apple, Lilli's awakening (not by means of a kiss, thank God) and a final confrontation with Claudia.
Although the acting, music, and cinematic effects create a dark and creepy tone, there are still some holes that I think the directors should have filled, some things that aren't really explained that provide some head-scratching. The ending wasn't horrible, but it was rushed and left something to be desired. Overall, it was a sastifying movie experience, albeit in kind of a chilling way, and its a shame this never made it to the big screen.
Rating: -
This was surprisingly quite good. The first time I watched it, I was actually surprised to find it interesting and inventive. This is not your G version of Snow White. It is dark and depressing and creepy. It is also a beautiful film visually. The acting is all quite good in this and even though you will recognize the story in this film, it is twisted to a more darker adult type of film. This is not a movie for children. If someone is looking to watching something out of the ordinary, this is the perfect movie.
Rating: -
This is a pretty dark film, there's blood, there's death and murder and even some dark magic. Its definitely not one for the kiddies, but it is a great film. Its interesting to see different versions to classic fairy tales. The heroine in this film is tough, the "dwarfs" are outlaws hiding in the woods, the father stays alive throughout the film, and "Snow White" never meets a prince. Its got a happy ending though, and for me thats all that matters.
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