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Sunday, October 6, 2013

Milwaukee Film Fest 2013: Blancanieves



As the Milwaukee Film Fest moves along I realize that my I am writing my reviews quicker and the quality might be decreasing.  Sorry about that but I do hope I give these movies the credit they deserve.  

Blancanieves is a retelling of the classic Grimm fairy tale Snow White. The movie takes place in 1920's Spain and is filmed as a movie from that era. It is a black and white silent film. The story follows Carmen whose mother dies giving birth to her.  Her father is a famous bull fighter and he is horribly hurt the same day she is born.  He is not able to even look at his daughter so she is raised by a nurse.  But at the same time another nurse takes care of him and uses him for his money.  Eventually Carmen is forced to live in the same house as her dad and step mother and this is where the movie starts following the classic Snow White tale.  Eventually she meets up with The 7 Bull Fighting Dwarves which does bring some comedy.  

The movie is beautifully shot and well acted. It really feels like a classic.  Unlike The Artist which was a comedy and had the essence of a Chaplin film, Blancanieves is more of a drama and feels more like the 20's classic The Passion of Joan of Arc. I loved that it was the familiar story but with a distinct Spanish feel. The bull fighting aspect really makes it stand out from the typical Snow White story.  

Overall: 5 out of 5.  I really loved this movie and hope like The Artist more people see it and realize how powerful silent films can be and it motivates people to seek out some other classic silent films.  

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