Snow White film response

Initially I found it very interesting that the mirror did not even have to give a name for the queen to know who Snow White was, so clearly her characteristics were well known. Snow White gets more time to herself in the movie than the fairy tale, as in the fairy tale she was kind of a side character that was used for plot rather than there being scenes dedicated to her. Not to say that she is any kind of well developed character in the movie, but in the tale she is hardly described and the readers know very little about her. Snow White’s ‘pure’ passive nature is exemplified in the scene where everything in the forest is scary to her and all of the trees and stumps come alive, as if to show how the outside world is a dangerous place for young girls. In the scene when Snow White finds the baby bird that lost its family, the bird symbolizes Snow White as she too is without family and has a very bird like voice. Perhaps the bird finding its family foreshadows Snow White getting her happy ending (since it is a Disney movie after all). Having such as long cleaning montage scene emphasizes the importance placed on Snow White being domestic and therefore an ideal girl, an ‘Angel in the House’. Likewise, the scene directly after this is in direct contrast as it shows the importance placed on men doing work and being successful. I think it is interesting that as the dwarves are leaving the mine, their shadows appear to be much larger than they are, perhaps to emphasize their small stature, or perhaps to indicate their large presence in Snow White’s life. I think the phrase ‘the cups have been hid in the cupboard’ is very funny as it suggests that the dwarves never put away their dishes. The quote goes to further emphasize the distinct roles of men and women in the film. The scene where the dwarves find Snow White asleep is awfully reminiscent of the end when Snow White is ‘poisoned’ so perhaps this is foreshadowing. Disney uses the character grumpy to teach the audience about the Queen, that she is capable of magic. It is interesting and completely understandable that the movie does not actually show the pig’s heart. The fact that the mirror specifically told the Queen how the huntsman betrayed her is interesting, because it suggests that the mirror, a male figure, is more intelligent and was able to figure out the deception, while the Queen, a female figure could not. I enjoyed the details put into the making of the Queen’s potion, that were not revealed in the fairytale. They, along with her evil lair had a certain Disney flare to them, being whimsical and imaginative. Snow White singing about the prince reminded me just how ridiculous Disney is sometimes, it seemed like she only met him once and then she was singing about how she wanted to marry him. I found the Queen’s glee at Snow White being buried alive interesting, obviously she was cruel, but it seems a little graphic to be a family movie, however since it was adapted from the Grimm fairy tale, some gruesomeness is to be expected. I’m not sure why they did not actually show Snow White eating the apple, only it falling from her hand. Also, the film went heavy on the pathetic fallacy when it started storming as Snow White fell.  At the end, I was quite surprised at the lack of shock and amazement from the dwarves and the prince, they just kind of accepted it and then she left with the prince.