Snow White: Mirror Mirror & Snow White and the Hunstman

Snow White

      I watched both Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman a while after they had come out. I was interested in both movies for many reasons.  I wanted to see how they would make the story more engaging, and the dealt with the themes and issues of the original story and how they made the characters more defined.  In both movies Snow White is portrayed as a good, pure hearted and kind person.  That being said I felt that Mirror Mirror's Snow White was given more different characteristics that made her a more defined character than the Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman.   Maybe it was how the director dealt with the scenes, or I may just have been more engaged by Mirror Mirror actress.  

    When the two movies had come out and I saw their trailers.  I was more intrigued by Snow White and the Huntsman because it seemed more greeter and realistic than the more fun and campy Mirror Mirror.  I think if Mirror Mirror had been more of a dark comedy or film noir, it might have been better and more people might have liked it.  

      Both Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman deal with Snow White and Seven Dwarves fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm and try to make it their own (at least I assume they wanted).   Snow White and the Huntsman said they would make their Snow White less a damsel in distress and their story would be more realistic as being set in a medieval kingdom. However, Snow White came off being a damsel in distress  then they suddenly try to make her in a warrior (many used the comparison of Jeanne d'Arc).  But it did not really work, it was just thrown in your face.  Through out the movie they force feed you this idea of Snow White being pure hearted, good, bringer of life, compassionate and caring. The characters keep telling you this over and over but there are not real actions to back it up.  Snow White seemed no different than any other female character we meet except that she is the King's daughter.   

       There is also this idea of that Snow White has this great inner beauty that allows her to kill the Queen.  While I believe that inner beauty is enormously important.  The story was Snow White did not really deal with that theme. Snow White dealt with themes of how beauty and youth are what are important for women and how because of this women are often pit against each other. This idea of there can only be one and how the importance of a woman is placed on her outer appearance.  Those ideas are still relevant today. 

      So when they seemed to always say that Snow White was being helped because she was good of heart and that it had nothing to do with her outside or the fact she was the King's daughter.  That would have been a great theme but they did nothing with it.   If they wanted to deal with the ideas of inner beauty being important why not write or create a new fairytale why try and change the Snow White story and not really deal with the ideas?

     In Snow White the iconic object is the mirror which reflects the outside appearance.  Inner beauty can be reflected outside, but you can not always tell a person character by looking at the outside.  In the fairy tale the fact that Snow White is nice is a plus and can be attributed to her youth.     

   I wanted to compare the two Snow Whites and how of the two movies, I felt that  Mirror Mirror's Snow White was more of a character to me than the other.  The 1st thing for me was when meet Snow in Mirror Mirror. She seems quiet unsatisfied at the window longing for more, to see the world more than being stuck where she was.  This is further added to when we see her hiding behind the pillar.  You get the feeling that she is never any part of anything.  She lives in the castle surrounded by people but hardly interacts with any.  We also see kind off the psychological shackles she has though she can move around.  You see her at this point internalize everything the things the Queen tells her.  Then for her birthday the baker lady gives her the King's dagger.  She also internalizes what the baker lady says. So, she has these two views of herself that are different. The 2nd thing from here is that Snow has a sense of curiosity, what is out there? How is the town and people? Snow not only has this curiosity she seeks it out.  Though no guards stop her, she is the one that makes the initiate to fulfill her curiosity.  In town she is devastate by the poverty she sees.  It's not what she remember or how her father had been ruling.

Snow returns from the Village sadden by what she saw

After coming back she is angry and frustrated and seeks to do something about it. So she crashes the ball, defying the Queen to get the help of the Prince someone who was not under the Queen. She defies the Queen knowing there will be punishment if she is caught, but does not give into the fear.  When she meets the dwarves, she asks them their names. This shows her interest in other people.  She makes them food and when she finds out that they stole the gold that came from the village.

Snow returns the gold to the Village

She gives it back knowing that the village needed it more than the dwarves and gives them credit for it.  This shows her concern for others.  As the movie progress Snow and the dwarves take care of each other. The scenes show her continue interest and bond with them as she learns from each what they are good at.

 There is a montage of her gaining physical strength, balancing on the ball, learning to use a sword, and quickening her reflects. She learns how to use her appearance to her advantage even when she gets a new costume to reflects her new self.  Then we see her put these skills to the test and gain experience when she fights the Prince.

Snow faces off with the Prince

She loses the sword fight because the Prince is more experienced but like the dwarves taught her finds another way to defeat her opponent.  Then she defeats the puppets that the Queen's mirror had send to kill her but attacked the dwarves.

Snow fights the Puppets

She is able to defeat them which shows her skills improving.  The next morning the dwarves find her letter, which expresses the guilt for the danger she put them in and they getting hurt.  The letter shows that she cherished them and did not want to to get hurt, especially because of her.

Snow faces the Forest Beast, breaking the spell over him.

 When the Queen sends the forest beast, again she feel responsible for the danger others were in because of her and locks them in to keep them safe. But her friends by their own choice want to protect her too.  She frees the beast, her father from the Queen's spell.   

Snow, dagger, apple and the Queen

At her weeding, the Queen, now old offers her an apple and this is where we see some of Snow's growth, she almost eats it because she still has some of her naivete and kindness, but stops when she hears what the Queen says.  The Snow from the beginning would have just eaten it, never thinking twice. But now is has more experiences, she offers a piece of the apple back to the Queen, who is defeated disappearing.  I liked this scene because it tied into the harsh deaths and punishment that villains got at the end of most fairy tale, even Snow White.  Although, Snow does not use her dagger to stab the Queen.  The death is harsh because of the psychological impact behind it.  The Queen realizes her utter defeat and is pretty much out witted into taking the very death she had prepared for Snow White with her own hands. 

    All these scenes in the movie although not done perfectly and were often subtle. They gave me a defined Snow White that was more her own character than what is in the fairy tale or Disney movie.  This movie did not go in depth with the themes and ideas of the tale or make it drastically new.  

Snow White and the Huntsman was the version of the fairy tale that I looked forward to more than Mirror Mirror.  Though it seemed yo play to more my preferences I felt that the Snow White character was not defined and was more of just a thing placed there to be pure goodness against the bad one.  In the movie you were being constantly told that Snow had a pure heart, was fair and had a defiant spirit but she never did anything that showed or convinced me that she was.  The only reason she was not killed or was the main character was because she was the King's daughter and at some random point became a chosen one.   The 1st we hear about Snow is the Huntsman narrating telling us that she had a defiant spirit and was compassionate and the movie tries to illustrate this by having her find a bird with a broken wing that she would nurse to health.  At this point her mother says that she had great beauty inside. For that was in no way an interesting or compelling illustration of her being defiant or compassionate.  Because in the scene Snow walks through a farming area and I though how many of those normal kids helped their parents every day and nursed many creatures to health but no one saw that as having great beauty.  Snow only was said to be especial and that act important because she was the King's daughter.  Then Ravenna kills the King and takes Snow.  10 years later Snow is a teenager and we see her saying the Lord's prayer.  I wondered, what was the point of having her say the Lord's prayer when it never applies to anything. At this point they say that because of Ravenna's rule nature had turned on itself and there was no hope. I wondered what did they really mean?  And if nature had really turned against itself and all was dead, how was anyone still alive anywhere near her.  Then Snow finds a nail at the window when two birds land near there.  I mean Snow had not just become that tall last night how come she is just finding the nail now? Has she never thought or tried to escape. She had stone, flint, and wood on the bed but has never tried to make a weapon? Then the girl Gerta informs Snow that the Duke is still fighting and asks what will happen to her but Snow says nothing.  This seemed a little uncaring to me because you would want to know as much about the situation you were in.  Then with the nail Snow scratches the face of the Queen's brother and is able to escape.  Why just scratch why not stab him in the eye? It's seems more realistic that a stab would hurt and buy her more time then a scratch.  Then she out dashes trained soldiers, slides into a sewage, makes her way out to a cliff and jumps down a jagged edge, 40 feet into crashing waves with rocks. Then she swims to the shore.  Had Snow been training in jail? When did she learn to swim? Even she some how knew how to swim, how did she survive that perilous distance to the shore? At the shore unhurt she finds a white horse just waiting for her.  

White horse, just sun bathing waiting for Snow to ride him to his death

Then rides it to the dark forest, where the horse dies in quicksand.  Where did the horse come from? When did she learn to ride? (The only reason that I came up with as to why the birds helped show Snow out. And it was probably them that had the horse waiting was because the bird she heal as a child was their leader or something. Do or say something along that line.But then it have died within a short time especially since Ravenna's rule did such bad things to nature. Then are such birds or animals in debts to help Snow and die? Why? She nursed one birds. And there seemed to be characters that her regular but had done more meaningful things. Or have that the wish Snow's mother makes and gives some blood would bestow something on Snow especially since she dies when Snow is like 8) Then she steps on mushrooms hallucinates falls and sleep on the forest floor all night (I assume).  There is really no sense of time because she wakes unharmed in this suppose most dangerous forest and the Huntsman finds her in no time.  The Huntsman does not hand her over because the Queen's brother tells him that his sister can not bring back the dead.  I blame the creators for the most part but why would the Huntsman just believe the Queen despite her reputation? Ravenna could have done a trick to demonstrate that she could bring someone back. Also why would the brother tell him that his sister could not deliver before he got the girl?  The Snow pleads with the Huntsman not to leave her in the forest promising him money.  If she was not beautiful, why would he believe an escape convict, who has no proof or guarantee. She doesn't give him her name, why would you after just being betrayed just believe her?   Then we see that the Huntsman is hurt badly on the chest and is bleeding. But Snow just stands there, she doesn't ask about this wound or try to do anything.  I know she is no doctor but why would that stop you from expressing your concern for the well being of the person keeping you safe and leading you out of the forest.  I mean most not everyone is a doctor but we ask after our friends, family even strangers when they are hurt.  Then the Huntsman teaches her a move to protect herself, but she says she would never stab anyone. Why? Not even the people who killed your family, are killing others and have imprisoned you for 10 years? What if the people hunting them ambushed the Huntsman? she would just give up then. They come across a troll, the Huntsman fight then tells her to run, but she just screams and the troll leaves.  The only reason I could believe was for the story's stake, because she was the King's daughter and beautiful. If it was anyone else the troll would have eaten them. Why would the troll is inside people's soul but only want to kill others and the Huntsman who are also good. And so far most of thee creatures that had Snow White died.  

Village woman patching the Huntsman up

Leaving the forest they see these women who take them in.  The head woman binds the Huntsman's wounds, then asks him "you don't know who she is?" How would she know who Snow was? Did Snow tell her? They just meet this woman, sure she helped them but Snow has been with the Huntsman for the longest and he has kept his promise keeping her safe and leading her out the forest.  But she trusts a woman she met moments before? Then the woman tries to guilt him into staying just because she is a Princess.  It seems no matter what Snow has done or not done everyone should give her their lives.  

Playing with a child and doll. Does not give you greater inner beauty than most regular people (wasted time)

The village is attacked and women died.  The Huntsman rescues Snow, as they leave Snow says we should help them.  This did not come off to me as really caring.  1. Snow did nothing but help the little girl run. 2. What could the Huntsman do against a whole group by himself.  Then she says something about it being her fault. This scene did not touch or convince me of anything as suppose to the in Mirror Mirror where I felt the guilt Snow felt (Maybe it was the way they constructed it).  Then Snow says "you left us". Was that suppose to be indignant and guilt the Huntsman? For what purpose.  He had no reason to stay and he couldn't really have done much except to rescue you, which he did.  So that line just didn't work with what had happened so far except to hammer it in that Snow has such a beautiful heart. 

   They get captured by the dwarves and here no one does or say anything that indicated that there was something different about their captured. Except one seemed to be familiar with the Huntsman.  It is only when Snow tells them that she is the daughter of the King that things change.  Suddenly, the blind dwarve can see her inner light and beauty.  So, if she had not said anything about being a Princess the Blind Dwarve would have not saved them.  Again here snow forest complete stranger with what she had been keeping from the one she knew longest (some might say the situation called for it but it still took me out). They go to his forest sanctuary and at the fire, drinking all the dwarves start talking about how they feel better. One says it's the booze, no. Does your gout feel better? It has to be Snow.  Here I wondered if Snow has such power why has she never used it.  Snow has been traveling with the hurt Huntsman a while, it took a normal woman to attend to him, but Snow can cure gout? Then there is a stag scene that looked to be a complete rip off of Mononoke Hime, that I got upset. It's only purpose seemed to be to show that Snow was this pure and beautiful messiah.  Where did this all come from? No one ever said anything about a messiah before in this story. We have already been preached through about what a special beauty Snow is, now you add the chosen one?  They get attacked again and the dwarve Gus (I think) gets an arrow in the back and dies.  Where was Snow's magical healing power? While Gus is dying all Snow does is whisper "breath".  I don't know about others but usually when one is in a lot of pain, they are spoken to in a loud and clear voice so that they can hear you over the pain that is consuming them.  Especially E.R doctors, you don't see them whispering away to an injured patient.  

    After a useless travel scene, Snow walks away from the camp and William joins her.  William (Ravenna in disguise) tells her that the people hate the Queen but love her and she should lead. Snow says it takes more than a name to lead. But in this movie it shows that it is exactly what you need.  All but the Huntsman a little bit have followed and protected Snow without question because she is a princess.  When the Huntsman had posed a question the blind dwarve call him blind. 

Snow kisses William

Then Snow kisses William.  With this scene the movie showed Snow's romantic choice.  Unless she is going to be one of those who feel it's okay to string two people along, that popular culture has been promoting as love lately.  By this kiss Snow is showing who she is romantically interested in and wants to be with. 

Apple from movie (different from trailer)

Apple Scene from Trailer

  Snow eats the apple falls dead and William's kiss does not wake her. 

William kisses the dead Snow

   

At the Duke's fort a drunk Huntsman says Snow has a defiant spirit like his dead wife. Where? I have yet to see that spirit everyone is talking about.  His kiss wakes her. Snow walks out sees William and standing in front of a group and just start giving a speech. I have so many questions here but let's move on.  Her speech made no sense to me, I had no context has to why anything she said she have been empowering. She mentions iron. fire and light that burns inside. Unless I saw a different movie no one at any time used those things for anything or even mentioned them at any point. 

Snow fresh from her sleep. "Ride and die for me because.......................beautiful princess"

There was no specific prayer or legend created in this tale that pertained to something that people would use encourage themselves, call up strength and hope or as their rallying call. Maybe if Snow White had used aspects of the Lord's prayer that she said in the beginning then it might make sense because I assume she prayed to give herself strength and comfort.  She could have used that to give these people strength and comfort.  Then Snow says about the Queen "I know what she sees, I know what she knows, I can kill her".  What does the Queen see? What exactly does she know? and why would that give you the ability to kill her? Magic? Military tactics? conquest? We never get any answers.  Just be her brother and die for her.

   Then for a reason we are never told they have to ride off that same day. No preparations, no strategy?  Then they are riding off during this whole time she never asks after her companions. I know she saw William but what about the others? What if they had been killed? It would have taken one line to address it. Then the Huntsman rides by her, and pays her a complement and she just looks at him. No reaction. The a group of like 40 of them are just standing at the closed gate. Why would you try to storm a castle without big weapons or archers to protect themselves and get the gate open. How were they not slaughtered by the guards standing on the walls. No worries, Snow knows another way in. Suddenly we have a shot of the dwarves in the sewage climbing into the courtyard.  How did this happen?  They made quite a deal about Snow's dangerous escape from the castle. She runs across the courtyard, down a long sliding drop into the sewage with water up pass her waist, goes a distance, comes out the open of a cliff with strong winds that dropped at least 40 feet into jagged rocks and crashing waves then she had to swim a distance to make it to the shore. If nothing else, how did the dwarves climb 40 feet straight up with no problem? The gate opens and Snow goes in fighting.  This is the Snow that was taught one knife move. She never practiced or used it. However now she is holding a sword, fighting veteran soldiers.  At least Mirror Mirror had a training montage, and Snow fought twice before she faced the forest beast. Give us a montage or have someone discuss how much she had been training and now is ready for a battle.  I know some liked this because it made up for her running for 2/3 the movie, but she wakes from being asleep/dead to a full warrior? This as to be a record. Some have even compared this Snow to Jeanne d'Arc, but please don't. Just putting a young woman in armor and placing her in front of some soldier does not make her like Jeanne d'Arc. Jeanne d'Arc had to fight mentally, physically and spiritually and had to constantly prove herself because most people wouldn't just take a random person's words at face value and in most cases you shouldn't. In the end Jeanne d'Arc was killed.  So I see no parallel between this Snow and Jeanne d'Arc. 

Snow stabs the Queen in the stomach

Then Snow goes to fight the Queen. She is being thrown around when suddenly she stabs her in the abdomen.  Now the only thing I could use to convince myself as to why Snow stood a slight chance of winning was by the spell Ravenna's Gypsy mother place on her. "by fairest blood it done and only by fairest blood can it but undone".  In a flash back her mother puts her blood into milk (I think) for Ravenna to consume. Since we are not told was fairest is defined since the mother was only, but apparently Snow is fair. So Ravenna had to consume some of Snow's blood to die.  But this does not happen. she just stabs her. If Snow had but her blood on the dagger then yes or if Ravenna had taken Snow's heart and consumed some of her blood then yes. But it did not happen. So what was the point. As Ravenna dies Snow sheds a tear. Why? You have been told so many times you have a beautiful heart, fine. But this woman has made your life bad. I am not saying to be happy at her death but why cry? 

Snow White Crowned Queen

      Then Snow gets crown. I thought Snow a liar.  She was telling William that it takes more than a name to lead.  But that is all it took for her to lead the army and now the country.  I am sure she would have a helper, but that completely contradicts what she said. A top of that Snow is most likely illiterate. The Snow in Mirror Mirror in the end just got married. Her father was still alive and if she ever ruled he would there to teach her how.   Having a defiant spirit and a beautiful heart does not conclude that you will be a good ruler. 

  Some have said that in the end of Snow White and the Huntsman, Snow is looking at the Huntsman longingly.  I did not get that feeling or see that, if so why? Why kiss William in the forest? Kiss him on cheek or something, if you wanted to show your affection for him but not love.  But kissing him on the lips indicates romantic feelings for him and showing him that.  

     This bring me briefly to the kiss that wakes Snow.  We are not given much about the workings of the world in this fairy tale so a lot is kind of left to assumption.  So, it is usually said that True Love's kiss wakes the person, although not in the original Snow White and Dwarves I read. But if that is the case then whose love? If it is Snow's who ate the apple then William kiss should have woken her.  Because she kisses William showing that she has feelings of love for him.  But then if it's the person that loves the enchanted person's then again William's kiss should have worked because he loves Snow.  Now if it has to be that both parties have to be in love with each other.  Then why have Snow kiss William at all? To throw the audience off and make it different? Does not really work.  

       Though Snow White and the Huntsman was more to my preferences it was not a good movie and was really disappointed. Although I will say that the cinematography was beautiful and some great images. None of it made sense, went together or served a purpose. The movie felt long and there was just too many big holes.  Just too much about the movie and performances took me out and had me asking so many questions none of which ever got answered. 

Snow White facing the Troll (not in the movie)

Armored Snow White over looking the castle (not in the movie)

      Another thing is to me trailer have been parts of the movie used to create something that will peek your interest into seeing the whole movie. The trailer of Snow White and the Huntsman I saw looked interesting. Especially Snow facing the troll, the apple scene and Ravenna's monologue about battle. I wanted to see these, but they were absent in the movie.  Ravenna didn't have that monologue, Snow never faces the troll on level ground and the apple scene is different in the movie then the one we get in the trailer.  In the movie, the apple turns kind of spiky but in the trailer is it melts almost like wax. Why preview something that is never going to be there? 

Bellow are more shoots particularly from the apple scene in the trailer that never appears in the movie or are different 

      So for me between these 2 Snow White movie adaptations the Snow in Mirror Mirror came off being a more defined character and I could follow and go along with. Snow White and the Huntsman just frustrated and disappointed me, though I wanted to like it and saw such potential. Of movies adapted from fairy tales where I though the character was defined and became more their own person are Lilli in Snow White: A Tale of Terror and Danielle in Ever After: A Cinderella Story.  I think both this movies are good and the titled fairy tale characters are better defined.