[Leica] Film: Blancanieves

[imra at iol.ie (Douglas Barry)]

I'm going off topic as this relates to composition, tone, and artistry which 
all of you appreciate.

Saw this film last night on the big screen in my local weekly cinema club, 
and would heartily recommend it. The film is amazingly accessible despite it 
being silent (bar a brilliant score), black & white, square format, and set 
in 1920s/30s Spain. The film is a loose interpretation of Snow White and the 
Seven Dwarves with a bullfighting theme, a wonderfully kinky wicked 
stepmother who steals the show, and the most gorgeous composition and 
framing. The director Pablo Berger drives the film onwards at all times and 
I never found myself looking at my watch as the plot twists, black humour, 
melodrama, and sheer beauty of Blancanieves took me over.

A fairytale? Let's put it this way - don't bring a child to it! However, 
there are lots of antique cameras, and Uncle Ted would concur with one of 
its key points - the use of flash can be very dangerous. That said, you'll 
have to watch the film to see why :-)

Douglas
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Douglas Barry
Bray, Co. Wicklow
Republic of Ireland