The 1916 SNOW WHITE is undoubtedly one of the most important movies in the history of fantasy pictures. Without it, we would have no Disney SNOW WHITE, and without a Disney SNOW WHITE, the 1939 WIZARD OF OZ would have never been greenlit, along with many other great fantasy films we have enjoyed in the subsequent years. Regardless of this significance, the 1916 SNOW WHITE is not necessarily a classic in its own right,
The positives first though: Marguerite Clark is an exuberant lead, channeling both the princess's innocence and her burgeoning romantic yearning for the prince. The aesthetics of the film are charming in a classic storybook mode, filled with the usual anachronisms you'll find in the world of fairy tales. I also thought the other actors were game with their performances, especially Dorothy Cummings as the vain, scheming queen.
My main issue with this version is the storytelling. So much time is wasted on uninteresting court politics or the Huntsman's cuddly little kids. The dramatic moments lack urgency: when Snow White learns the Huntsman plans to kill her, she basically laughs it off. There is nothing like suspense at all, even as the story builds to its climax. It makes a striking contrast with the Disney adaptation, which, despite its sentimental nature and cheerful songs, undoubtedly had narrative urgency and moments of pure terror that made the happy ending feel earned.
Another problem is the direction, which is flat and static even by 1910s standards. You never really feel transported into another world like you do with, say, Douglas Fairbanks' THE THIEF OF BAGDAD from a few years later. The few moments of interesting staging, such as a close-up of Snow White peeking into the dwarves' cottage through the window (later aped for the Disney movie), throw the overall flatness into even greater relief.
Still, regardless of how this movie plays today, it inspired young Walt Disney to the point where he still treasured the memory of it into his thirties. And for silent film enthusiasts, the survival of this movie is still a great blessing, not just because of the film's historical significance, but because it gives us a glimpse of the otherwise elusive Marguerite Clark, who has so little work surviving.
The positives first though: Marguerite Clark is an exuberant lead, channeling both the princess's innocence and her burgeoning romantic yearning for the prince. The aesthetics of the film are charming in a classic storybook mode, filled with the usual anachronisms you'll find in the world of fairy tales. I also thought the other actors were game with their performances, especially Dorothy Cummings as the vain, scheming queen.
My main issue with this version is the storytelling. So much time is wasted on uninteresting court politics or the Huntsman's cuddly little kids. The dramatic moments lack urgency: when Snow White learns the Huntsman plans to kill her, she basically laughs it off. There is nothing like suspense at all, even as the story builds to its climax. It makes a striking contrast with the Disney adaptation, which, despite its sentimental nature and cheerful songs, undoubtedly had narrative urgency and moments of pure terror that made the happy ending feel earned.
Another problem is the direction, which is flat and static even by 1910s standards. You never really feel transported into another world like you do with, say, Douglas Fairbanks' THE THIEF OF BAGDAD from a few years later. The few moments of interesting staging, such as a close-up of Snow White peeking into the dwarves' cottage through the window (later aped for the Disney movie), throw the overall flatness into even greater relief.
Still, regardless of how this movie plays today, it inspired young Walt Disney to the point where he still treasured the memory of it into his thirties. And for silent film enthusiasts, the survival of this movie is still a great blessing, not just because of the film's historical significance, but because it gives us a glimpse of the otherwise elusive Marguerite Clark, who has so little work surviving.