By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com
Cinema history reminds us that after the first talkie was released in the 1920s, a sizeable number of artists thought silent movies and talkies would continue to co-exist artistically on parallel paths, much as ballet and modern dance have done.
That didn’t happen, of course, but in recent times the artistic possibilities of silent films have been re-examined with some fantastic results – the most obvious being the success of “The Artist.”
Several internet sources have also been reporting how the Spanish film “Blancanieves,” written and directed by Pablo Berger, was in direct competition with “The Artist” to see which one would be first to reach the mainstream movie theaters.
Because of behind-the-scenes financial finagling “The Artist” won that race and has reaped the benefits.
“Blancanieves (Snow White),” now playing at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd., is an equally fine film. In some respects, it is an even more pure evocation of the unique artistry possible with the silent film format.
The story is, indeed, a re-arranging of the Grimm Brothers tale made most famous by Walt Disney. This story isn’t anything like that story.
Shot in luminous black-and-white, set in and around Seville, Spain, and filled with the shadowy angles of German expressionism, Berger presents a tale much darker. Yet there is also much charm in the telling, which makes for a bitingly pleasant bittersweet experience.
Modern camera technology, lighting and image reproduction put more zip in the broad gestures and body language we have been trained to enjoy.
Those inter-titles are used sparingly, with the story’s own momentum carrying the viewer along.
Of course, calling these films silent movies isn’t correct at all. The soundtrack is luxurious and there are sound effects, as well. Strictly speaking many of today’s special effects crammed action movies – such as the new Tom Cruise vehicle “Oblivion” – are practically silent movies since there are long passages with no dialogue.
It would be more accurate to say we hope the box office success of “The Artist” and “Blancanieves” will encourage more filmmakers to explore the possibilities of making high-tech pictures that have no dialogue. Modern pictures, set in modern times, with a full complement of modern technology.
Just from a global box office standpoint, dialogue-free pictures full of extreme action would be huge hits all over the world because language would never be a problem.
Make no mistake, though, “Blancanieves” does want to capture the appeal of traditional silent films when a purely artistic presentation of adult themes is involved.
The story begins in the bull ring in Seville, where an idolized bullfighter is set to slay six magnificent bulls, as his wife expecting their first child, looks on proudly. The first five bulls are dispatched with fine displays of panache and pageantry, but the last one is a rogue that attacks unexpectedly.
The bull fighter is gored badly, his wife is so horrified she goes into labor and dies in the delivery room. Soon after, the bull fighter learns he is paralyzed for life.
The nurse, seeing an opportunity, agrees to marry the handicapped man and care for the child, Carmenita (Macarena Garcia). Alas, once she has moved into the bull fighter’s mansion, she keeps him a prisoner in his wheelchair on the second floor, and Carmenita locked in the basement.
Carmenita does eventually discover her father trapped upstairs, and escapes, where she is taken in by a company of midget bull fighters.
The rest of the story introduces the wicked stepmother bringing Carmenita a poisoned apple, and other touches of the classic fairy tale.
There will not be a happy ending for Snow White this time, but we in the audience will be delighted with an experience that will be fully appreciated by everyone who has truly loves film.
