Saturday, June 2, 2012

Raven hair, fair skin, red lips and a battle sword

June 2, 2012

Today I learned a little bit more about Snow White.  I went to see "Snow White and the Huntsman" today, which is really better than anyone is giving it credit for.  I was curious to see if this version was closer to the original tale than the Disney version (the only two versions I have seen, having never read the Grimm tale.)

And it's not.  Snow White never becomes a battle hardened queen leading an army to defeat the evil queen.  There is a poison apple, but in the original version the apple is the evil queen's third attempt to kill Snow White.  At first she, in disguise, brings her laces, and tightens her corset up so tight that Snow White cannot breathe. The dwarves save her.  Second she, in disguise, brushes Snow White's hair with a poison comb.  The dwarves save her. Third time's a charm, or so she thinks, with that poisoned apple.  The dwarves cannot save her, and they build her the glass coffin (absent from SWATH) until a prince comes along, falls in love with her beauty, and wants to take the coffin with him.  His servants trip while they're carrying the coffin, and dislodge the apple in her throat, reviving her!  No kiss?  What kind of Disney movie would that be?  Of course (spoiler alert) in SWATH the Huntsman (Thor) revives Snow White with a kiss.

And the dwarves were never Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Bashful or Doc.  And I didn't even have to look up their names.

The Disney Snow White cottages are a landmark in Los Feliz.  (Ignore that the LA Times said Silver Lake.)

These are the next block from our place, and had I been thinking I would have gone over while it was still light out to take a picture myself.

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