A wildly imaginative re-invention of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Snow White, brought to life silent-movie style in gorgeous monochrome. Antonio, a famous matador, is gored by a bull; his wife dies during childbirth. Now crippled, Antonio marries his wicked nurse, who confines him to an upstairs room and treats his daughter, Blancanieves, like a lowly servant. Eventually Blancanieves escapes and joins up with a clan of dwarfs. When they discover her talent as a bullfighter she becomes a sensation, but her stepmother quickly starts plotting to bring her down.
Director Pablo Berger has created a visually dazzling, unique film experience, turbo-charging the language of silent film with thrilling music and dance sequences scored by Alfonso de Vilallonga, and effortlessly shifting in tone from comedic to tragic, knowingly campy to genuinely frightening. Macarena García won the Best Actress Award at San Sebastián for her bright and sexy portrayal of the adult Blancanieves; Maribel Verdú (Y tu mama tambien) is a villain for the ages as the wicked stepmother.
