The many faces of: Snow White

Once upon a time as a queen sits sewing at her window, she pricks her finger on her needle and three drops of blood fall on the snow that had fallen on her ebony window frame.

As she looks at the blood on the snow, she says to herself, "Oh, how I wish that I had a daughter that had skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony.”

Soon after that, the queen gives birth to a baby girl who has skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony. They name her Princess Snow White. As soon as the child is born, the queen dies.

"Snow White" is a well-known fairytale, famously noted down by the Brothers Grimm in 1812, and adapted many times since.

In each version, the story centres on a princess whose stepmother the Queen is jealous of her beauty. Each will feature Snow White as fair skinned, with the darkest of dark hair, as well as the dwarfs that offer her shelter; the all-seeing mirror on the wall; and the dreaded poisonous apple.

Probably the best-known version to today’s audiences, is the classic 1937 animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As with all Disney adaptations, however, some liberties were taken with the story to ensure that it didn’t scare the children witless.

For example, elements of the Brothers Grimm version that were omitted from the Disney tale include the Queen’s insistence that the huntsman bring back Snow White’s lungs and liver, and the heated irons that the Queen is forced to dance in for punishment.

With two new adaptations being released this year – Mirror, Mirror starring Julia Roberts and Snow White and the Huntsman starring Kristen Stewart – it will be interesting to see the path that is taken by each.

Will they walk the tried and tested trail, or will they try to break new ground with this beloved fairytale?

In the meantime, here is a run-down of some of the famous depictions of Snow White – which is your favourite?

Lily Collins as Snow White in Mirror, Mirror (2012):

 Kristen Stewart as Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman:

The depiction of Snow White in Shrek the Third (2007):

 

 Sarah Patterson in the 1987 fantasy film Snow White:

 

Snow White a la Disney (1937):

  

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The many faces of: Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan is one of my favourite actresses. Ever since she giggled her way through Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, I was charmed - all of her work seems so effortless.

Kitty Bennet was her first acting role. Since then, she has amassed a great body of work, and many of the films happen to be adaptations. Here is a run-down of some of these roles, where she has lent her face to a famous, literary character.

As Daisy Buchanan in the 2012 adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby:

As Irene in Drive  (2011), based on the novel by James Sallis:

As Kathy in Never Let Me Go (2010), based on the 2005 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro:

As Jenny in An Education (2009), based on an autobiographical article by Lynn Barber:

As Isabella Thorpe in Northanger Abbey (2007), based on the novel by Jane Austen:

As Rachel in And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007) based on the 1993 memoir by Blake Morrison:

As Violet Willett in The Sittaford Mystery (2006) based on the 1932 detective novel by Agatha Christie:

As Ada Clare in Bleak House (2005), based on the novel by Charles Dickens:

As Kitty Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005), based on the novel by Jane Austen:

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The many faces of: Rachel McAdams

The many faces of: Leonardo DiCaprio
The many faces of: Mia Wasikowska  

The many faces of: Saorise Ronan

The many faces of: Daniel Radcliffe

The many faces of: Keira Knightley

May the odds be ever in your favour: How ‘The Hunger Games’ compares from book to film

How would you describe the perfect film adaptation?

For me, it is a film that respects the integrity of the original novel. Deviations from the plot are fine, as long as they enhance the story in its new medium. It is true to the novel, but not a slave to it – adaptation, not reproduction.

With this definition in mind, the film The Hunger Games comes fairly close to perfection. As stated by the author of the original trilogy, Suzanne Collins, the “book and the film are individual yet complementary pieces that enhance one another.”

The novel was a breath of fresh air. It took me two nights to read, and I wished that I didn’t have a day job so that I could finish it sooner. The story was fast-paced and riveting, the characters were intriguing, and the hint of a love triangle had my romantic side swooning.

Gary Ross did a splendid job in bringing the story the big screen. As the film played out, I was in awe at how so many of the scenes seemed to have been directly pulled from the page, and from my memory. As much as I don’t mind the odd creative difference, it’s such a relief when a filmmaker’s vision matches your own imagination.

Jennifer Lawrence perfected the character of Katniss Everdeen. She is strong and willful, and of course beautiful – but thankfully she shows none of the self-loathing and often plagues the inner monologue of her literary equivalent.

Liam Hemsworth is so hunky that you instantly forget Suzanne Collins’ description of Gale’s straight black hair and olive skin. Josh Hutcherson’s performance is also admirable, but like in Katniss’ heart, he is no match.

The true standout performances of the film come in glimmers, as expected, from the legendary Woody Harrelson and Lenny Kravitz. Again, they are not the actors that you would picture when reading Collins’ words, but they make the characters splendidly their own.

Once you have jumped on the bandwagon, it’s very hard to jump off again – so I find it very difficult to fault this film. By opening up the story beyond Katniss’ point of view, the film avoids all of the constraints of first-person narrative; the vivacity, colour and sparkle of the Capitol is a visual feast; and the rocky hand-held camera work gives the film an edgy, documentary-like feel.

So, clearly, I’m a fan. I also took my boyfriend to see the film with me – he’s a non-reader, who approached the film without very little expectation, except for the fear that I was dragging him along to another Twilight.

Except for the mutant dogs that could “magically appear” in the landscape – which were “a bit stupid” – and his lamentations that the game maker’s shouldn’t have aimed directly for Katniss with the fireballs, he was also suitably impressed.

Coming from a fan of action flicks, I thought it was a high compliment that he could enjoy the censored fight scenes, the suspense, and the girl-power message.

A must-see movie, and – dare I say it in March – the film adaptation of the year!


The verdict:
Book or Big Screen? Big Screen
The film is:  5. An exceptional improvement on the original

I would be very happy to receive your comments and feedback on ‘Book or Big Screen’ – please click on the below link to tell me what film adaptation you are excited about, or to suggest the book/film that I should review next.

What’s coming next? A review of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Mixed Reviews: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Based on the 2006 novel by Paul Torday, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a British romantic comedy starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt.

McGregor’s character is a fisheries expert and Blunt’s is a consultant, working on behalf of a Sheikh whose dream is to – you guessed it – bring salmon fishing to the Yemen.

Rotten Tomatoes describes the characters as “an unlikely team [who] will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.”

So far the reviews are mixed. Out of 69 ratings, 44 are positive – giving the film an overall rating of 6.2/10. And the experts had a lot to say…

Scott Bowles of USA Today said:

“Despite sporting the worst cinematic title since The Chumscrubber, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen hooks some charming laughs and a quaint romance by not delving too deeply into its subject matter.”

Mary F. Pols of Time Magazine said:

“Salmon Fishing was a novel first and you can see how all these juggled balls could stay in the air on the page, but in movie form, many of them just seem extraneous.”

Ann Horday of the Washington Post said:

“Somehow managing to be both twee and edgy, the absurdist but gently winning romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen works a strange kind of wonder.”

John Anderson of Newsday said:

“While both Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor are enormously appealing actors, Hallstrom has made a movie that pretends it is something it's not -- namely, an intelligent romantic comedy.”


It will be released in Australia on 5 April 2012.