Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Michael Cohn

Writers (WGA):

Jacob Grimm (story) &
Wilhelm Grimm (story) ...

Release Date:

18 July 1997 (Greece)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

The fairy tale is over.

Plot:

Based somewhat more authentically on the Grimm Brothers' story of a young woman who is unliked by her stepmother...

Plot Keywords:

Apple | Stepmother | Crusades | Mirror | Snow White

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Sigourney Weaver	...	Lady Claudia Hoffman
Sam Neill	...	Lord Friedrich Hoffman
Monica Keena	...	Lilliana 'Lilly' Hoffman
Taryn Davis	...	Little Lilliana 'Lilly' Hoffman
Gil Bellows	...	Will
Brian Glover	...	Lars
David Conrad	...	Peter Gutenberg
Anthony Brophy	...	Rolf
Frances Cuka	...	Nannau
Chris Bauer	...	Konrad (as Christopher Bauer)
John Edward Allen	...	Bart
Miroslav Táborský	...	Gustav
Andrew Tiernan	...	Scar
Bryan Pringle	...	Father Gilbert
Dale Wyatt	...	Maidservant Elsa

Also Known As:

Snow White (USA) (short title)
Snow White in the Black Forest
Snow White in the Dark Forest
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (Canada: English title)
The Grimm Brothers' Snow White

MPAA:

Rated R for some horror violence and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Barrandov Studios, Krizeneckeho namesti, Prague, Czech Republic

Company:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

The role of Liliana (Snow White) was originally written with Alicia Silverstone in mind.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The snake that frightens Lilly in the forest is a Boa Constrictor, hardly likely to be living wild in medieval Europe.

Quotes:

[to Gustav]
Claudia Hoffman: Oh, brother, you mustn't feel bad. The blood you have shed is just the venom of a scheming child.

Soundtrack:

Lullay, Lullay

Flawed, but still excellent

When I picked this up, I wasn't sure I wanted to see it. I thought it looked kind of interesting, and I guess for five bucks in Wal-Mart, why not? I tend to like bad B movies, so what's the harm?

And despite my initial misgivings, I thought it was excellent.

The story wavered from the Grimm's version, but that's part of what makes it original. The portrayal of the era wasn't perfect, but then that didn't hurt the story much either. I thought the acting was done pretty well, especially Sigourney Weaver. She worked well with a character that was pretty weirdly written. I loved her as the old woman in the forest and in the final scene. Very eerie. Very cool.

The scenes with Lilliana and the dwarfs were a bit choppy in parts--first Will threatened her, then he saved her, then he yelled at her, then...yadda yadda yadda--but Monica Keena played the sheltered damsel well and Gil Bellows was good at the whole "tortured but sincere" act. I was definitely left imagining what the screenwriters should have put in the holes, but all in all I thought that storyline was sweet.

Definitely not a movie for children, but then the title and rating suggest so. Again, some of the story needed to be filled out and explained more, but in total, I loved it. Creepy and cool and fun.