3/5
Stars
A black-and-white, silent film, from Spain,
‘Blancanieves’ is based on the Snow White and Seven Dwarfs fairy tale. The film
was screened at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival as the closing film.
Although the screenplay and the performances
move you, the film in totality is not a patch on 2011's ‘The Artist’. No
character in the film has been properly established. The story hurries on a bit
too much. However, by-and-large, it's a nice film. Just not a 'memorable' one!
Celebrated matador Antonio Villalta (Daniel
Gimenez Cacho) gets injured during one of the bull fights, an accident which
leaves him paralyzed. His pregnant wife Carmen (Macarena Garcia) goes into
premature labour and dies after giving birth. Antonio, who receives a double
blow of the handicap and the loss of his wife, becomes bitter towards his new-born
daughter and rejects her. He ends up getting married to the nurse who looked
after him (she is after his money in reality). However, things take a bitter
turn for everyone concerned except the nurse. The daughter, who is christened
Carmencita, lives with her grandmother, in deprivation of the love of her
father. The father, meanwhile, has been living in a disparate condition at the
hands of the 'then compassionate, now conniving' nurse Encarna (Maribel VerdĂș).
Things worsen once Carmencita's grandmother dies and the little girl is forced
to live by Encarna's rules. Carmencita, however, eventually ends up meeting her
father, who is confined to his wheelchair, and makes up for all the fun that
she missed during the childhood days. She also picks up a few matador tricks
from her father. A few years pass by and Encarna decides that it is time to do
away with Antonio. After her father dies, a murder attempt takes place on
Carmencita as well. Although she survives, her memory does not. And then, she
meets the SEVEN BULLFIGHTING DWARFS!
The performances are first-rate. The
characters could have been better established though. The screenplay is fine
for most parts of the film, but at times it does seem hurried. There is no
prominent 'threat' as such in the film. Encarna is the major antagonist but
even she gets side-lined during the latter half of the film. The film does lose
some of its purpose towards the end. There is no clear justification given as
to how Carmencita becomes such a fine matador. There is also no clear reasoning
given as to why, post her success as a bullfighter, does she not take revenge
over Encarna. There are a lot of unanswered questions in the film.
While a film
like this does not need to be logically flawless, these discrepancies do take
some sheen off it. However, the Snow White fairy tale has been adapted in a
fine manner. The 'black-and-white and silent' aspect has been handled
wonderfully. There is no blatant 'me-too-The Artist attempt here. Director
Pablo Berger has made a fine film.
Not a memorable film, but not a deplorable
one either. It's a fine attempt. Not a must-watch.
Shivom
Oza
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