First Things First…
I don’t think I’d ever watched this full film as a kid. The last time I saw it—maybe the only time—was about 10 years ago. I was worried that a movie from 1937 wouldn’t be fun or enjoyable, and that it was only considered a classic because it’s historic. But that wasn’t the case at all. It’s great! I fully expect to love it again now.
4 Things I Like
4. Setting a High Musical Bar
We get a classic love song in “One Day My Prince Will Come” …
And TWO classic sidekick songs in “Heigh-Ho” and “Whistle While You Work.”
It’s missing a villain anthem, but still—three songs the whole world knows, and they all deliver. Plus a good one for Prince Charming in “One Song.”
I wouldn’t put this up against my favorite soundtracks from the Disney Renaissance, but it’s still great.
3. A Worthy Princess
There’s an argument to be made against Snow White, because her only desire is for her Prince Charming to return, sweep her off her feet, and bring her to live happily ever after with him in his castle…
But I don’t find her superficial at all.
First of all, before being forced to run away from her home, she deals with the queen’s mistreatment of her with total equanimity. As princess of the realm, she shouldn’t be dressing in rags and cleaning floors, but she still smiles, sings, and makes the best of her situation.
She inspires such devotion from the huntsman, without even doing anything, that he can’t bring himself to kill her. He must realize he’s risking his own life by letting her run away and trying to deceive the queen, but he does it anyway.
Speaking of devotion, she has the dwarfs wrapped around her finger after just one day. Even Grumpy warms up to her eventually. And it’s not because she cooks and cleans for them. It’s her kindness. Maybe it’s good none of the dwarfs hear her pray for them before she goes to bed, or they’d be even more smitten.
Even the animals do everything they can to save Snow White’s life. And though they and the dwarfs are too late to protect her from the queen’s ruse, the dwarfs keep silent vigil over her in the glass coffin until she’s awoken by the prince’s kiss. And if the prince never showed up, you just know they would’ve kept their vigil for the rest of their lives.
Snow White might not be one of the modern princesses who seeks empowerment and self-actualization. But her kindness, meekness, and thoughtfulness still make her a worthy princess.
2. Differentiating the Dwarfs
It would’ve been so easy to make the dwarfs all the same.
Instead, they have seven distinct personalities. And sure, the names are totally and obviously on the nose. But their individuality has helped them, as a group, stand the test of time. Grumpy and Dopey, in particular, are probably two of the most recognizable side characters from any Disney film.
1. A Stunning Dichotomy of Darkness and Light
“Now, a formula to transform my beauty into ugliness. Change my queenly raiment to a peddler’s cloak. Mummy dust, to make me old. To shroud my clothes, the black of night. To age my voice, an old hag’s cackle. To whiten my hair, a scream of fright. A blast of wind to fan my hate. A thunderbolt to mix it well. Now, begin thy magic spell.”
The Queen
This film gets seriously dark at times. And it works amazingly well as a contrast to the brightness of Snow White.
Snow White has such a sunny disposition. And most of her scenes upon finding the dwarfs’ cottage are light and cheery. She works alongside cute forest animals, she befriends the dwarfs, and she shows them kindness and a woman’s touch that they’ve probably never known.
But my favorite scenes are the dark ones.
Snow White’s desperate flight through the forest when the huntsman tells her to run away is fantastic. Trees, vines, logs, and brambles transmogrify into monsters, crocodiles, and other creepy creatures.
Then there’s the queen’s plot to poison Snow White.
It’s quite a contrast, moving from the dwarfs’ cottage to the queen’s dungeon and laboratory. There are skulls and full skeletons… black magic spell books… everything is made of stone…
And when she casts the spell to disguise her appearance, she transforms into the most hideous hag. She probably could’ve chosen something less repulsive to try to get past Snow White’s defenses a little more easily, but this is an iconic look.
She even cackles at the idea that, if Snow White takes a bite of the poison apple and no one knows the antidote, she won’t die but will likely be buried alive.
Finally, there’s the queen’s attempt to flee from the dwarfs after her plan succeeds. Darkness covers the dwarfs for the first time as a violent storm crashes around them. The queen tries to crush them with a boulder but instead falls to her death.
As good as the dark scenes are in adding excitement to the film and making the queen unrepentantly evil, they wouldn’t work nearly as well if not for the purity and innocence of Snow White and the dwarfs, and the light that permeates their scenes.
1 Thing I’m Mixed On
1. A Leisurely, Ambling Pace
This movie is just over 80 minutes, but it doesn’t even need to be that long. There’s just not much plot.
The scenes with Snow White and the dwarfs all take their time. And it can be fun to luxuriate in spending time with these characters.
But there comes a point—whether it’s Snow White cleaning the cottage with the animals… or the dwarfs washing up before supper… or the singing, dancing, and storytelling after supper—where I just want to get some forward momentum in the story. Some of those scenes feel like they take forever.
1 Thing I Don’t Like
1. Gullible
The dwarfs literally just finished telling Snow White not to let anyone in, and to beware the queen because she knows dark magic…
And then an old hag arrives, way too eager to know if Snow White is home alone, and offers her a magical apple that will make her wishes come true.
I’m not sure how else you get her to take a bite, but she really seems stupid, naïve, and gullible here.
Tim Matassa
