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Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror were not the only two Snow White-inspired films of last year. Spanish cinema goers were treated to their very own version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale that was directed by Pablo Berger who could have been inspired by the success of the French-American silent film, The Artist, as his version of the tale is also a silent one.

Shot in glorious black-and-white (as was The Artist), the film looks and feels like an actual film from the silent era. The simple style of Blancanieves hearkens back to the silent era of film and Berger has created a fanciful homage to those wonderful films of several yesteryears ago that have inspired countless filmmakers ever since.

Berger's unique vision of Snow White takes place in southern Spain in the 1920s and features actress Maribel Verdu (Pan's Labyrinth, Y Tu Mama Tambien) as this version's wicked stepmother. Verdu's Encarna loves her husband's fame and fortune (he is a paralyzed bullfighter whom she met in the hospital as his nurse) but loathes him and his daughter, Carmen. As the story goes, the young Carmen/Snow White (Macarena Garcia) flees the evil clutches of her mother and finds herself helped out along the way by a band of little people who travel the countryside and perform as a novelty act. Carmen finds a talent as a novelty, female bullfighter herself ... and her newfound fame attracts the attention and wrath of Encarna. And, well ... we know the story.

Berger has ingeniously and believable captured this tale in this setting ... and it all works. The over-the-top theatrics of the stars (over-emoting for lack of sound) is spot-on and there are no weak-links in this production. The sets and costumes are lavish. The blacks and whites are sumptuous and beautiful. By Berger choosing to incorporate some of the darker elements of a classic Grimm tale, he has made this version the most successful of last year's three Snow White re-tellings.

This is the fairest one of them all.

A silent movie, filmed in black & white, which moves the familiar Snow White fairytale to a bullfighter arena in Seville and spices it with some morbid and melodramatic themes. I admit, it sounds weird. But in fact, it's wonderful. Blancanieves is a great cinematographic accomplishment. Anyone who loves film, should go and see it.

Many silent movies are still a joy to watch, even though they are made almost a hundred years ago. That's because they put so much more emphasis on the visual aspect of the movie. It's about what you see on the screen, not about what the actors say.

Director Pablo Berger has understood this perfectly. Blancanieves is a visual feast from beginning to end. The scenes are filmed in high-contrast black & white, often with deep focus. Everything looks extremely stylish, from the wardrobes to the interiors. Sometimes the images could have come right out of a fashion magazine.

Moreover, the actors know that they have to act differently and use much more expression. Maribel Verdu is a joy to watch as Blancanieves's evil stepmother. Her facial expressions are worth more than a hundred lines of dialogue. Watch for the chicken-eating scene!

In silent movies, the soundtrack is of course extremely important. Blancanieves doesn't disappoint. From the no holds barred, full-scale orchestral pieces during the most melodramatic scenes, to traditional Spanish flamenco music, it all accompanies the images on screen perfectly. Sometimes the soundtrack turns into source music, for example when we see the orchestra playing during the bullfight, or when Blancanieves puts on a record.

it's hard to review this film without mentioning 'The Artist', the Oscar-winning silent movie from last year. Inevitably, Blancanieves stands in the shadow of this successful film. That's bad luck for director Berger, who has started this project long before anyone had even heard of The Artist. Perhaps, if The Artist wouldn't have had as much success as it did, Blancanieves would have attracted more attention. The Artist was a multiple Oscar-winner, Blancanieves didn't even get nominated, although it was the Spanish selection for the foreign language category. That does seem out of proportion, because both films are really great. Blancanieves is old-fashioned film making at its very best.

Blanca Nieves, or Snow White, is a variation on the old fable, with bullfighting being a major thematic difference. A great matador is seen praying in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary, as he awaits is battle with el toro. He enters to a worshippig crowd, which includes his pregnant wife cheering him on. Of course, things go horribly wrong and he ends up in a wheelchair and his better half has a difficult childbirth. A daughter is born and she winds up at an estate with a wicked stepmother, as in the original tale. This is all in black and white and it is also a silent film. I was reluctant to watch it, but once I got used to the placards used for dialogue, I was carried along by the story. Carmen, the little girl, grows up and circumstances bring her to a group of; you guessed it, seven bullfighters. They are little people, in keeping tradition with Grimm's book. I won't give away the ending, but I was thoroughly entertained by Blanca Nieves. The cinematography is beautiful and the acting excellent throughout. Be open minded, as far as watching a silent movie is concerned, and you will not be disappointed.

I watched this film today at the Toronto International Film Festival. After many years of attending the festival, few if any films have made such an impact on me. Visually stunning, every scene shot in crisp black and white shouted out that colour is a mere distraction, a passing fad.

In a silent film, apart from the occasional inter-title, the visuals must tell the story, and in this case the filmmaker borrowed from the tropes of 1920s cinematic narrative, but added a more modern appreciation of human appetites and moralities. Much effort was made to reproduce the look and tone of classic silent film down to the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, but the current technologies used in production added an extra snap, crackle, and pop.

The story is Snow White, but set in the Seville of the 1920s: a girl, the daughter of a famous bullfighter, is raised by an evil stepmother. Instead of a mirror on the wall (though she has one of those, too) the stepmother relies on a fashion magazine to say who's the fairest of them all. A plot to kill the girl - now grown up - fails when she is rescued by a band of travelling bullfighting dwarfs who care for her until she's ready to fulfill her own destiny in the ring.

As befitting a fairy tale, the story is simple and direct, though there are shades of grey here and there in this black and white world of good and evil. But simple as it is, like the best children's stories, this one resonates at a deep level. And speaking of children, it can be debated whether any Grimm fairy tale is actually suitable for children. I would certainly not take a young child to see this one.

Have I mentioned the music? Anchoring the story to the setting, glorious Flamenco appears at key moments making the pulse quicken in time to the castanets.

Such a gorgeous film. I must see it again, if my heart can take it.

Blancanieve (Snow White) is in every sense one of the best films of 2012. Coming directly in the footsteps of Oscar winner The Artist, this is another film that proves that Silent Film is not a derogatory term but rather leaves us to bring more not less of ourselves to what is a stunning film.

Where Blacanieve triumphs is in its storytelling, its acting, and yes, its melodrama, which here works and makes us feel like we are really watching a Spanish film from the birth of Spanish cinema - the casting of the extras, and the attention to detail just adds to this sensation - and it really is a good watch from beginning to end.

I used to watch films all the time, now I find most are so generic, uninspiring, and just plain dull, that I have almost lost the desire - but then you see a film like this and it restores your faith - a simply excellent film about love, passion, jealousy, and sadness.

One of the latest fashions to appear during this new modern century-and it is a trend that is certainly celebrated by this German count- is the rescue from oblivion of the art of the silent film, an art that has been in eclipse since those new technologies of ancient times helped silent actors to .. tsk, tsk… speak.

Last year a good example of what this Herr Von is talking about was the premiere of Herr Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist" (2011), a French homage to the Amerikan silent film industry and by extension to the Silent Era in general. This modern silent enjoyed considerable success and internationally good reviews.

"Blancanieves" ( Snow White ) (2012),a film directed by Herr Pablo Berger, is also a modern silent but, due to problems with financing such a bizarre film project, "The Artist" won the race to movie theaters. No doubt the two films will be compared in lengthy discussions complete with boring controversies which this Herr Von will leave to those interested in such trivial subjects.

"Blancanieves" is certainly a fascinating, mesmerizing, modern silent film, and is inspired by the famous German fairy tale collected by Brothers Grimm; Herr Berger transfers the story to Spain during the 20s of the last century.

The film is primarily influenced by European masters, notably German Expressionism, and is full of astonishing aesthetics and visual techniques and creates a magical and dark atmosphere that suits perfectly the strange and sad story wherein our heroine will suffer the abandonment by her father and the anger of a stepmother, all against a background of the world of bullfighting and its many peculiar characters. Herr Berger's film is not a simple tribute to the Silent Era but is original and modern, a bold update of silent pictures. It is no mere pastiche.

Deep Spain, namely the Andalucía region, is the setting and we have a star bullfighter who will die tragically, six dwarf toreadors in a travelling show, a wicked stepmother ( great Frau Maribel Verdú ) and a helpless heroine who is looking for protection and love ( what a sad ending, MEIN GOTT!! ), By a twist of fate, "Blancanieves" is the best Spanish silent film ever made.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must wave his cape in front of a dangerous Teutonic rich heiress.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com

Although The Artist, the first Best Picture winner I've agreed with in a long time, took the mainstream by storm of its silent film renaissance style, Blancanieves is a similar revivial, if not as self-referential, and is on par with The Artist. Silent cinema in the modern age feels like it offers a brand new way of expressive cinema and Blancanieves is oozing with expression. With textured black and white shots and energetic editing, it's a rush of raw inspiration, making full use of the frame. With such a timeless story, there's a risk of it being a complete retread, but Blancanieves tells it in such a refreshing and unpredictable way in which I was constantly looking for the famous plot points and then pleasantly surprised me when it's revealed which character is playing what role. It's a film with such a warmth for the characters and builds their relationships in a great archetypal way. With its great pace, it hits story beats efficiently and I was never bored and always caught off guard with its reinventions, with the bullfighting angle implemented seamlessly. The highlight is the fantastic score, which also rivals The Artist, with its variety of styles, the best parts being when it has flamenco influences. Blancanieves is a very entertaining and tragic rendition of a great story that avoids sentimentality all the way. Although it winds down a little in the last third where it's run out of steam too much to develop the seven dwarfs fairly, its highs are still strong. One of the best the year has to offer and rivals Disney's own Snow White.

9/10

The professional reviews for this were so ecstatic that I may have been a bit over-hyped, and felt a twinge of disappointment in seeing it, which is not to say I didn't enjoy it

Entertaining and beautifully made, this is another modern black & while silent film, this one an adult re-telling of the Snow White myth. There's no denying the technical virtuosity on display, and the ways that film-maker Berger finds to update the tale to Spain in the 1920s, center the story around bullfighting, and still stay true to the original story are clever and sometimes very amusing.

What was missing for me was a deeper layer of emotion, I appreciated and respected the film, but it was too much a fairy tale for me to believe in it, yet too real for me to be carried away into a fantasy. That said, it's good enough that I will gladly re-visit it.

Silent, black and white, expressionist, virtuoso in his classically vintage mise en scene, "Blancanieves" is a triumph of real cinema and invention, folk culture and Iberian poetry, a post-modern masterpiece in which the aesthetic of silent cinema – with its quotes and its expressive forms, the single power of pictures and musical score – it's not only an end, as it has been for the contemporary and more exalted "The Artist" (in which retro style was justified by the homage to old Hollywood), but a mean, a perfect mean, to tell a story: the usual one, by Grimm's brothers tiredly taken to screens so many times in so different ways, but here completely twisted, tipped over, in a Gothic, Spanish and extravagant version where Snow White and seven dwarfs are toreros, the set is Seville between '10s and '20s, and the usual Disney fable hearts and flowers go to hell in benefit of a dark tonality, a black humor and a grotesque taste which unchains an unstoppable series of stylistic, comical, poetic inventions, unpredictable as sensational. Under the aegis of a deep patriotic identity, "Blancanieves" has the rhythm of a corrida, the passion of a flamenco, the blood of the arena, the twists of circus and the weight of jealousy, of love duel, which is heart and root of Spanish romanticism. It's a modern "Carmen" with Oedipus complex, tuned with "guitara" and castanets, and painted with the oldest cinema aesthetic, close-ups, gags, depth of field, lights and darks of great silent cinema, here in its maximal expression, without any self-satisfaction at all. It's not a divertissement, and not a simple homage, not a pastiche: it's like a film should be, simple, dry, moving, as cinema in its beginning. Cinephile mannerism of Pablo Berger doesn't make lose the film in a style exercise, but helps to tell a black fairy tale, out of time, revolutionary and anarchic, which couldn't be represented some way else. A bond of immediate emotion and narrative synthesis, which discovers in the arena a theater of all life sensation range: laugh, crying, show, anguish, childhood lightness and horrid adults' cruelty, the weight of past and memories, ghosts and returns, a little antique world in which good and evil, hate and love, jealousy and solidarity, clash and overturn in front of an enraptured, manipulated audience who asks for more, who wants to be thrilled, who gets touched, who has fun, and in the end asks grace for the bull. And, on the very last scene, cries for masterpiece!

Laden with awards; entered as Best Foreign Language Film for the 2013 Oscars; it seems rather churlish to criticize Pablo Berger's silent retelling of the Snow White myth, bearing strong visual and stylistic parallels to Michel Hazanavicius's THE ARTIST (2011).

And yet the film's overall impact is reduced by an uncertainty of tone. There are sequences of quite graphic violence - notably at the beginning, when bull-fighter Antonio Villalta (Daniel Giménez Cacho) is gored by the bull; or when the infant Carmencita (Sofía Oria) is force-fed roast chicken by the evil Doña Concha (Ángela Molina), the remains of her once-faithful pet Pepe. Such moments exist uneasily with the comedy of the adolescent Carmen (Macarena García) as she joins up with the bull-fighting dwarfs, who tour the country with a specialty act. Then there is the problem of the ending which is positively necrophiliac in tone. Perhaps director Berger wants to make a veiled comment on the ways in which innocence is at once cherished yet abused in contemporary societies, but the sudden shifts of tone prove uneasy.

On the other hand, BLANCANIEVES contains some stunning individual sequences, attesting to the director's abilities as a filmmaker; for example, the use of dissolves unifying past with the present, as the dead Antonio continues to affect Carmen's life, even after he has been thrown down the stairs by Doña Concha; or the moment when Doña Concha meets a grisly end at the bull-fighting venue, gored to death by an angry bull. The use of shadows to suggest violence in this latter sequence is memorable.

As a piece of silent movie-making, BLANCANIEVES is hard to fault. Berger understands how one image is worth a hundred words, and keeps the dialogue to a minimum. Rather he relies on the gestural versatility of his cast to communicate emotions - a task they embrace with relish. Add to that the snappy editing, with a plot that positively zips by, and one can see why this remake of Snow White proves so diverting. If it wasn't for those tonal shifts ...

it is not an answer to The Artist. it is not exactly an adaptation of the brothers Grimm. it is a Spanish story in a wonderful manner. the performance, the music, atmosphere and each scenes are parts of a real gem. Maribel Vertu does one of her memorable roles. and presence of Angela Molina is inspired, delicate and seductive. it is a homage but not only for an age of cinema. it is a homage for a type of art, literature, joy, beauty and love expression. a show, of course but one who broken many frontiers. the end is admirable. the white/black image not a tool but skin for a ball of feelings for who the color is just oppressive. the best part - maybe its special delicacy. the precise use of melodrama. the taste of humor and revolt, sadness and joy. the discover of old bricks who was used for Don Quijote by Cervantes. the frame of cruelty, the force of innocence, the heart of freedom and courage, the slices of authentic mute movie, the silk of dream and pink novel, the crust of adventure, the universal motifs in a warm light.

Snow White with flamenco and bulls.

The outdoor, hilltop venue undoubtedly added to the allure. The screen was hung on the castle wall on Barcelona's Montjuic and the orchestra was live. The flamenco songs were performed by a singer with a soaring voice standing under the screen. But this was just extras and Blancanieve is well worth watching without it. The music is transporting and the stunning B&W photography alone makes it worth while.

Wonderful entertainment and deeply satisfying.

Just go see it.

Pablo Berger has done a fantastic job of bringing a bygone era to our doorstep.The lighting, photography and script is easily one of the best I have seen this decade.

The film soars like a phoenix into a clear blue sky, out of the filth of mediocrity. Excellent acting skills by all the actors; the director somehow managed to keep the movie flowing effortlessly from one scene to the next. I was sick and tired of watching Hollywood and British movies with its crappy dialogues, horrible acting and mediocre script.

Its a relief to see a movie devoid of talk and watch the actors coping with facial and body expression to the best of their abilities, breathing life to the movie.

Make sure you don't miss this movie; its sure to light up even the darkest days of your life.

"Blancanieves" (literally Snow White in Spanish) places Snow White into 1920s Spain in black and white and classic silent film form. This version of Snow White not only takes on a Spanish twist, but a dark and Gothic twist too; however, you will have to wait until the end for the latter twist to reveal itself. The beginning establishes the bullfighting setting with a Flamenco dancing flourish.

Antonio Valletta (Daniel Giménez Cacho) is a champion bullfighter; he's a hero in Seville. All men want to be him, all women want to marry him. Even when he's trampled by an enraged bull and his life hangs in the balance, all women still want to marry him. Simultaneously, his wife dies during child birth, Snow White - Carmencita - is born, and his nurse, the evil step-mother-to-be, is by Antonio's side. It's probably fitting that she's not likable but the "twist on a classic fairy tale" would have worked better if the actress had a disarming smile and wasn't over-the-top evil.

Carmencita grows up in the care of her grandmother with an adventurous pet chicken and an unfortunate need to spend the evenings Flamenco dancing. But the child actress, Sofia Oria, captured Snow White in her early years and held our attention and stole our hearts. We know, but fear anyways, that it would only be a matter of time until she was shipped off to live with her quadrapeligic father and selfish, depraved step-mother.

The handful of scenes with her father, theoretically bullfighting and discovering the indescribable joy that connects them with one another were some of the best acted scenes in the movie. In the lonely castle, the chicken Pepe was always in danger of being dinner and the now teenage Carmencita (Macarena Garcia) spent her days sewing, cleaning and scrubbing. The first dark twist occurs and Carmencita is left unconscious in a river, and five short-statured adults find her and re- name her Blancanieves. Yes, that would be five dwarfs. This takes place in a realistic version of 1920s Spain where the Grimm Brothers' Show White was universally well-known. One dwarf provided the humour (although I'm assuming four of them were supposed to) and one dwarf provided the heart.

At times, Blancanieves was a genre-pushing, brilliantly re-designed, inspiring filmmaking achievement. But somewhere between Snow White's childhood years and her triumphant rise to confidant young woman, the film lost my sincere interest and care for her well-being. It became an exercise in inventive and impressive filmmaking (with a sometimes questionable score) instead of also having an emotional core. But, hey, two out of three ain't bad.

Beautifully shot , memorable roles and wonderful cinematography mark this special adaptation ¨Snow White¨ , being realized in ¨The artist¨ style . It is set in 1920s Seville . On the day Carmen was born , her father named Antonio Villalta (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) suffered a Toreo accident, and her mummy named Carmen De Triana died (Imma Cuesta) in childbirth . Her dad bullfighter quickly remarries a nurse , Encarna , (Maribel Verdú came aboard in 2006 after a conversation with Berger and stuck with it) , but the little girl is rejected by her father . Raised by her grandmother (Angela Molina) during her early years, Carmen went to live with Encarna while a teenager , but her Stepmom treated her as a slave . Many years later , the daughter meets her wheel-chaired and disabled daddy . The Stepmom/Stepdauther battle increases and the unbalanced and wrathful Stepmom orders her lover (Pere Ponce) Carmen's death . Carmen (Macarena Garcia) escapes and a group of bullfighting dwarfs save the life of young girl with amnesia . Only she's rescued by seven outcast dwarfs living in a carriage and acting by means of bullfighting spectacles .

Sensitive silent film full of good feeling , haunting mood-pieces , wonderful scenes and sense of wonder . This is a special adaptation of the Grimm Brothers fairy tale about the fairest them all . A twist on the Snow White fairy tale that and centered on a female bullfighter and definitely puts the grim in the Grimm Brothers version of the fairy tale . Colorful picture though filmed in Black and White , including marvelous frames , being mostly filmed at Sevilla, Andalucía, Aranjuez, Madrid, Pedraza , Segovia, Vilanova i la Geltrú, , Mataro , Barcelona, Catalonia , including sunny outdoor scenes . This extraordinary flick spells through intricate patterns of images , sets , sound and photography . In addition , a magnificent main cast as Maribel Verdu , Daniel Gimenez Cacho , Macarena Garcia and splendid support cast of known and prestigious players as Pere Ponce , Imma Cuesta , Ramon Barea , Angela Molina , among others . Splendid , luxurious photography with juicy atmosphere by Kiko De La Rica , it was shot on color film stock and desaturated to black & white in post-production . Moving and emotive musical score by Alfonso De Vilallonga who replaced Alberto Iglesias when he proved unavailable due to prior commitments.

There are other versions about this marvelous tale , as the classic animated rendition was ¨Snow White¨ (1937) , being the definitive rendition by Walt Disney ; ¨Snow White¨(1989) by Michael Berz with Diana Rigg , Billy Barty and Sarah Patterson , plus ¨Snow White a tale of terror¨ (1997) by Michael Cohn with Sigourney Weaver , Sam Neill and Monica Keena . The best adaptations result to be ¨Snow White¨ by Walt Disney and this ¨Blancanieves¨ or Snow White by Pablo Berger .

This touching picture will appeal to Spanish films buffs ; being deservedly the official submission of Spain to the Best Foreign Language Film of the 85th Academy Awards 2013, and won European Film Award , Best Costume Designer to Paco Delgado and several Gaudí Awards . Furthermore , achieved Goya prizes as Won Goya : Best Actress , Maribel Verdú , Best New Actress , Macarena García , Best Costume Design , Best Cinematography , Kiko De La Rica , Best Original Score , Alfonso de Vilallonga , Best Screenplay , Pablo Berger , Best Original Song , Best Make-Up and Hairstyles , Best Production Design , Best New Actor, Emilio Gavira , Best Special Effects : Reyes Abades , Ferran Piquer , Best Production Manager , Josep Amorós , and Best Director .

The motion picture was perfectly produced and stunningly directed by Pablo Berger , a very good Spanish movies director . Director Pablo Berger developed the project for eight years before being able to shoot it. Pablo is a well recognized filmmaker both nationally and internationally, and in proof of it he won many prizes in several Festivals , as his previous picture titled ¨Torremolinos 73¨ , as this ¨Snow White¨ or ¨Blancanieves¨ . Rating : Above average , essential and indispensable watching .

Did anyone think that the success of "The Artist" would prompt other European directors to make black and white silent pictures? If not, think again for here we have "Blancanieves", an elegant re-telling of "Snow White" set in the bull-fighting milieu of Seville circa the 1920's and done, yes, as a silent picture.

It is, of course, ravishingly pretty, (Kiko De La Rica's black and white images are often breathtaking), and it's very well played, particularly by Maribel Verdu as the evil stepmother and by the great Angela Molina as the grandmother, but it's also something of a pointless novelty that could just as effectively been done in colour and with sound. I certainly enjoyed it, (the director, Pablo Berger, does enough variants on the Snow White story to make it interesting), but I hope that this is the end of this kind of experimentation. I don't want to see "Avatar" every time I go to the cinema but neither do I want endless variations of "Sunrise" either.

The best film I've seen in a long while. A modern silent film, it's a true visual masterpiece. Words definitely would have just gotten in the way. Based on the Snow White fairy tale (though it's at its best when it's not following that story closely), the film follows a young girl, Carmen, after her mother dies in childbirth and her father (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) is made a paraplegic in a bullfight. As a child (played by the lovely Sofia Oria), she lives with her grandmother. When she dies, though, Carmen goes to live with her father and his new wife (Maribel Verdu, one of the most photogenic people on Earth). Of course, her stepmother is wicked. Her wheelchair-bound father is restricted to his bedroom. She's forbidden to see her father, but eventually she sneaks up to his room, where he teachers her the art of bullfighting. When Carmen grows up (now played by Macarena Garcia), her stepmother tries to dispatch her. She's saved by six bullfighting dwarfs, who, teaming up with the girl in their shows, bill themselves as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the tale is known to them). This film isn't much about the story, although it is actually quite involving. The images are astounding. It's the kind of film where you could take any frame and hang it on your wall. The three main actresses are stunning. Verdu in particular - man, can that woman wear some clothes! The actresses playing Carmen both have these amazing eyes. I was swept along and absolutely amazed.