I will immediately admit that I am not a fan of Kristen Stewart and originally had no intention of watching Snow White and the Huntsman. Upon realizing that was my family’s intention in sitting down in front of the television, I acquiesced fairly readily, slightly curious to see this movie that had garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. Let me say now, the visual effects were the best part of the movie.
When I first became aware of the sudden upswing in fairytale remakes, I admit I was interested. Once Upon A Time, Snow White And The Huntsman, Mirror Mirror, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Grimm, Alice In Wonderland, the list goes on. However, my question was, if you’re going to pick a fairytale to rewrite as a feminine power story (as was so clearly the attempt with SWATH), why choose Snow White And The Seven Dwarves? Honestly, it’s not one of my favorites and probably least lends itself to the modern retelling. In the original story Snow White is the picture of passive innocence, she takes no action except to run away, and everything that happens to her happens because she is pretty. The Queen is jealous of her beauty and sends the Huntsman to kill her; the Huntsman spares her because she’s pretty; she runs away and is taken in by seven dwarves because she’s pretty; the prince shows up out of the blue, kisses her, saves her, marries her, all because she’s pretty. Where is the inspiration for a Joan of Arc style revenge story? Throughout the entirety of this fairytale Snow White is at the mercy of other people.
In the movie itself the attempt to turn Snow White into a symbol of feminine power was weak. Logic was swept aside in an effort to make her ‘badass’ and capable of any death defying daring-do. She was locked in a dungeon for a majority of her life and then managed not only to manufacture a perfect escape, but to overcome both the Queen’s guards and her magic. No thought was given to the psychological or physical effects of being alone in a dark room for over a decade, nor was she given much opportunity to express herself or her motivation for escape and/or revenge. It was all taken for granted. The writers essentially created a Mary Sue who could ride a horse and wield a sword. Kristen Stewart probably had the fewest lines in the entire film, and the character was given no chance to speak her mind, to come to terms with her abuse, or to identify herself. Every piece of information the audience learned about Snow White came from other characters, all men.
Despite the effort to make a movie with a female protagonist there was really only one other female character in the entire film: The Queen. While I am of the opinion that Charlize Theron’s acting is far superior to Kristen Stewart’s, her character was also given 10 times more depth. The Queen was given flaws, motivation, relationship, and moments of reflection, none of which Snow White received. The Queen had the power, literally and figuratively, and was the one who changed, grew, and evolved. And while I appreciated the fact that ‘true love’ was not forced on Snow White at the end, the bait-and-switch set up was heavy handed and could be seen a mile away. Neither interesting to watch nor satisfying to conclude.
Needless to say, I will not be seeing this again, nor do a heartily recommend it to anyone else. What I do recommend is watching Once Upon A Time, however you manage to find it.
Autumn Micketti 