Snow White

Yet another remake of yet another often retold Disney classic is revisited as the Marc Webb-directed musical Snow White. Featuring a mix of new and old songs, a fresh cast, the same story by the Brothers Grimm rehashed by writer Erin Cressida Wilson, and some new but questionable creative ideas. Snow White is thus named by her perfect parents, the King and Queen, because she was born on a snowy night. They lead a happy life, spreading joy among their happy subjects. Young Snow White (Emilia Faucher) makes delicious apple pies for all the townspeople as they sing along merrily. But after her mother dies, her father remarries a beautiful woman who turns out to be singularly evil. This spells the end of the kingdom’s days of plenty, and long-term servitude for Snow White. Gal Gadot, with all the regalia, is the menacing Evil Queen, adorned in gems and drenched in complex vanity and greed. She repeatedly seeks validation from the magical mirror. But her evil reaches a new high when she is threatened by Snow White’s beauty and grace, condemning her stepdaughter to death. However, Snow White manages to escape and finds shelter in the unlikely company of seven dwarves.

Snow White is the new live-action version of Disney’s classic princess story. Unlike the previous versions the film does stick to some of its traditional roots. It is hard to ignore all the controversy that came before and after the film’s release but even with its overwhelming shadow, Rachel Zegler’s performance is commendable. Snow White is not the first time Rachel has been part of a musical and it shows, but the film does take some extra effort to present her as a princess. Most of the weight is carried forward by the young actress who played young Snow in the opening song. The film begins with the introduction to a happy Kingdom where the King and Queen are kind and loving people who believe in thriving along with the people of the village they rule over. The opening song talks about the royals teaching their young daughter Snow the right way to live and the kind of person she should grow up to be — Fearless, Fair, Brave and True.