FILM REVIEW
SNOW WHITE
Rated PG
109 Minutes
Released March 21st
The Snow White fairy tale was compiled by the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800s, but this movie is set in 2025 language amidst a medieval environment. The oldest known adaptation of the story is the 1916 silent film Snow White, which was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s classic cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, released in 1937. The story, as in all fairy tales, takes on its life from reality and was undoubtedly told countless times over by troubadours, minstrels, and storytellers throughout modern history.
I went into the theatre “wide-eyed and innocent,” having deliberately avoided reading politically charged reviews and news flashes about this most recent cinematic version, so I found it to be a charming rendition of the tale. The first few minutes are a little weak, seeming a bit disjointed from the rest of the style. Instead of leading with the main stars, the movie opens with characters who are not seen in the rest of the film, and the dance scenes don’t succeed in dramatically establishing the realm of a fairy tale kingdom.
The film gets better as it goes on, however. Snow White and her love interest, “Jonathan,” are a great pair, and there are many “teaching moments.” Jonathan is no longer a prince as in previous versions but a commoner leading a group of misfits, which today’s kids will undoubtedly identify with more easily. The seven dwarves, done in CGI, are wonderful, unexpected, unique personalities. Snow White’s friendship with “Dopey” is a wonderful underdog story. The locations in the woods draw you into a lush world of nature, and “Whistle While You Work” is beautifully staged.
Rachel Zegler gives a very natural personality to Snow White. However, I felt that she was imprisoned in her costumes at times. The filmmakers were so intent on making her look like the Disney cartoon Snow White that she appears to be trapped in a Snow White Halloween costume with doll hair glued on her head, and I wanted so much for her to burst out of them. The only time I felt that she was dressed appropriately for her tomboy personality was in a scene where she falls into a creek and is soaked. Zegler says of her character, “She is dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be and the leader that her late father told her that she could be if she was fearless, fair, brave, and true.”
Gal Gadot lights up the screen as a sleekly powerful evil queen whose thirst for perfection and control wreaks havoc on her kingdom. Her metamorphosis into the old witch is superb.
The movie is very well cast. Zegler is of Polish and Colombian ancestry and grew up in New Jersey. One of the political criticisms is that she is not “white” enough to be Snow White. (Wow, have we regressed to the 1800s?) Zegler honed her vocal skills as a Catholic mass singer and wedding singer. She starred as “Maria” in Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021), Shazam! (2023), and The Hunger Games (2023).
Gadot, of course, played the title role in Wonder Woman (2017) and several major feature films. Gadot was “Miss Israel” at age 18, spent her 2 years in the Israeli Army while she kept working as a model and studying with an acting coach, and then worked in several Israeli TV shows. Andrew Burnap, who plays Jonathan, is an award-winning Broadway theatre and musical actor originally from Rhode Island.
Recent developments have complicated the rollout of this movie. Zegler had made comments online about her opinions of today’s politics, and she was asked by producers to issue an apology. I believe that Zegler, the person, is allowed to have opinions that she shouldn’t have to apologize for. Zegler is an actress. Snow White, the character, is not posting on social media. Or do we no longer believe in free speech? To lose that would be very dangerous, as in what was happening in the world around the time Disney’s first Snow White film was released.
Regarding all the politics and negative publicity surrounding Rachel Zegler for speaking her mind publicly and for using CGI to create the seven dwarves rather than casting real actors, my reaction is, “It’s a fairy tale, people!” As one of our modern-day tragic public figures, Rodney King, so simply and eloquently said, “I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?”…at least when it comes to art and storytelling. I guess the answer today, because of the great divide in our politics, is “no,” so even Snow White gets muddied by the storm of dissent.
Overall, this movie was great fun. I liked the dwarves, no matter what cultural or political upheaval surrounds this merry band. But please release Snow White from her plastic doll image and Free Rachel Zegler!
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com.
