After
watching the film Blancanieves, the Snow White fairy tale is obvious and evident
so it was hard to choose which version to compare it too. I picked the Brothers
Grimm version to compare because it is the one I grew up with so I figured it would
be the most interesting to compare it too.
Both the
story and the film share similar story lines. A girl who loses her mother in
childbirth and struggle with their stepmothers who mistreat them. One of the
similarities I caught are the spirit of the characters. In two specific
characters, Snow White and the Evil Queen I found that both the film and story
portray them the same. Snow White’s spirit is very courageous and she pushes
through all the challenges and obstacles. Similarly the Evil Queen has a very
jealous and insecure spirit. In both she is envious of Snow White and it is
what motivates her to be so cruel towards her and ultimately what pushes her to
try and murder Snow White.
While the
story line and even the characters are similar in both the film and the story
there are glaring differences. Besides the overtly obvious differences such as
place and character names and occupations there are other major differences.
For example, the role of the father in the film is very different than in that
of the story. In the film the father plays a much larger role in Snow White’s
life and even inspires her to become a bull fighter. It is his example and the
time she spent with him that really motivates her later in life. In the story
the father barely has an role and there is no evidence that he ever spent any
amount of time with her or taught her anything.
Both the
story and the film tell a story that is told over and over from generation to
generation. It maintains its timeless quality in both film and literacy.
I completely agree with your post and I compared the film to the Brothers Grimm version as well. I definitely agree that the father did not play a big role in the text like he did in the movie. We really get to see a connection between Carmen and her father Antonio in Blancanieves and see her motivation to become a great bullfighter.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the spirits of the protagonists and antagonists in both versions of the story upheld the same spirit. Particularly, in the case of the evil queen and Carmenita's stepmother. They were both extremely vein throughout the story and they both used a poison apple to kill their step daughter. They even shared the same fate by dying at the end.
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ReplyDeleteI also agree that the Brothers Grimm version was the most similar to the film, even though, as you mentioned, there were some key differences between the two. Another similarity between the two versions that you didn't talk about is the seven dwarves. They also generally shared the same spirit in both versions, accepting Carmen/Snow White to the group and trying to protect her
ReplyDeleteI like how you point out that major difference between the presence of the father figure. In the story, her father is absent and undefined. In the film, he is extremely influential despite his crippled state.
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked about the film was the connection Snow White had with her father. In every other version I've seen, he's pretty much an obsolete character. One thing I noticed about Snow White in this film is that she seems every more courageous and brave than I've seen in other versions. I mean, she's a bullfighter. You don't see that anywhere else!
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