Aesthetic Choices in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Movie Review Example

Final Film Critique English Essay 8 October Stage Analysis Introduction Movies and films are works of art that seek to entertain and influence the society. In order to reap maximum benefit from movies and film, it is important to be aware of the main ideas that the film intends to portray. This paper uses the genre theory to analyze and identify important attributes in the film Snow White and the seven dwarfs. The paper aims at portraying the creative use of art to convince the reader why they should take their time to watch this film. Title: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Directors: William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Ben Sharpsteen, and Perce Pearce Cinematographer: Luciano Tovoli Major actors/actresses: Adriana Caselotti (Snow White), Lucille La Venne (Queen), Harry Stockwell (Prince), Roy Atwell (Doc) and Pinto Colvig (Grumpy). Year of release: 1937 Type of film: Animation Genre: Fantasy Story/Plot The film is about Snow White, a beautiful princess who lives with her wicked foster mother, the Queen. Envious of Snow’s beauty, the Queen compels her to work as a cleaner. The Queen owns a magic mirror, from which she enquires who the most beautiful woman is. One day, the enchanting mirror informs the Queen that Snow White is the prettiest woman. The outraged Queen commands her huntsman to murder Snow White and come back with her heart as evidence. The huntsman does not kill Snow White and instead warns her of the Queen’s intentions. The huntsman takes to the Queen a heart that belongs to a pig as proof of her death. Snow White is asked to flee and never return to the palace after which she finds herself in the home of seven dwarfs. The dwarfs welcome her and allow her to stay with them because she can prepare meals and clean properly. Later on, the Queen realizes the truth about Snow White when the magic mirror responds that Snow White is yet the most beautiful woman. The Queen masquerades as an old woman with the aid of magic and sets to slay Snow White using a poisonous apple. The apple carries with it a curse that causes whoever eats it to fall into a deep sleep that mimics death. The curse is only destroyed by a kiss from a true lover. The Queen manages to trick Snow White into eating the apple. However, the dwarfs pursue her to her death. Snow White falls into a great slumber and is kept in a glass casket by the dwarfs, who are unwilling to let her out of their sight. A while later, the Prince, who is in love with Snow White, hears about her eternal sleep and comes to kiss her goodbye. Surprisingly, the kiss breaks the curse and rouses Snow White, who goes to live with the Prince in his castle. There is a distinct difference between the story and the plot in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A story can be defined as a chronological succession of occurrences while a plot is the causal and logical organization that links the events. The plot of the film can be summarized that jealousy and wickedness lead to destruction while purity of spirit and kindness attract favor. A sequential organization of events comprises the plot of the film, which provides details of the film’s story. Consequently, major themes that the story depicts in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are fantasy and magic. The film shows various instances of magic, which lead to the development of the plot. The film begins with the evil Queen talking to her magic mirror that reveals to her that Snow White is the most attractive woman. The same magic mirror reveals to the Queen about the deception of the huntsman. Magic is employed in the formation and declaration of a curse on a poisonous apple. In addition, the Queen employs magic to masquerade as an old woman to hoodwink Snow White into consuming the lethal apple. The development of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs comprises a mixture of various styles that establish and develop the theme of magic and fantasy (Heisner, 2004). Aesthetic Choices Mise en scene a) Cinematography Cinematography is used to bring out the theme of magic in the film. The use of cinematography is witnessed during the Queen’s transformation into a witch. According to Girveau (2006), the German films Nosferatu (1922), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) influenced the development of this scene, which enhances the theme of magic. The development of the film promotes fantasy. The plot of the film is based on a whim that hopeless romantics often have, which is to be rescued from a precarious situation by prince charming or a knight in shining armor (Watts, 2013). This phenomenon is illustrated clearly in the plot of the film when the Prince awakens Snow White from eternal sleep. The two then live happily ever after while the evil Queen dies. b) Design The design of the film goes a long way in enhancing the theme of magic. Disney’s use of inspirational sketch artists breaths a lease of life into the entire film and enhances the feeling of magic and fairy tale. There is adept use of color and form, which create contrast amongst the various scenes. According to Canemaker (1999), Albert Hurter was mainly responsible for the design of all settings in the film ranging from the appearance of the characters to the background scenery. The lavish background art embraces a variety of styles, mood and settings. For example, it depicts the gothic terror of the Queen performing black magic in her cell as well as Snow White toiling away in the dwarfs’ cottage. The skillful use of color helps one scene to take on varying moods. For example, the peaceful existence of Snow White and the dwarfs transforms the forest into a rustic paradise. However, when the evil Queen walks into the forest, the trees appear scary. c) Lighting The skillful use of light brings a distinction between two scenes to illustrate the effect of magic. For example, the transformation of the Queen to a witch is characterized by a change from the beautiful scenery of the palace to a dull, dark forest setting. In addition, the revival of Snow White by the Prince’s kiss is brought to life by the incorporation of light. The scenery suddenly brightens up to signify the magical phenomenon of breaking the curse. d) Hair and Makeup The use of hair and makeup enhances the theme of magic in the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. For instance, makeup transforms the Queen from a normal looking woman to an evil witch who looks like an old woman. Additionally, Snow White’s appearance is enhanced to match her name by the use of make-up. Her skin is flawless and White, her lips are pink and her hair is long and black, which makes her appear exquisite. This appearance is echoed by the magic mirror when the Queen enquires about the most beautiful woman. Editing During the initial stages of development of the film, approximately 50 names were suggested for the seven dwarfs. However, the final seven names were chosen by elimination from the 50 names to come up with names that suited the anticipated personalities of the dwarfs. A number of scenes also had to be cut to come up with a smooth storyline. For example, comical features such as the prince serenading Snow White had to be eliminated to develop the character of the Queen. Technology The film has been noted as one of the best productions by Walt Disney. A technological invention that has led to its success is computer- generated imagery (CGI) where computers are used to develop an illusion of motion from pictures. This technology has contributed to the creation of special effects in the movie, which advance the theme of magic. The use of soundtrack and an official soundtrack album for the movie are some of the technological advancements that make the film unique. Social/Personal Impact The plot of the film can be summarized that jealousy and wickedness lead to destruction while purity of spirit and kindness attract favor. This film condemned jealousy in the society by showing that it ultimately leads to destruction. The film shows that the Queen was consumed by jealousy over Snow White’s beauty, which drove her to try all kinds of tricks to get rid of Snow White. In the end, the Queen died after giving Snow White a poisoned apple. Snow White, on the other hand, had a kind and gentle spirit, which won the heart of the Prince. In addition, her humility and hardworking nature won the favor of the seven dwarfs who decided to protect her. Therefore, this film has a positive social impact by encouraging virtues such as humility and kindness. In addition, the film influenced the production of storybooks and clothing lines for kids. Conclusion Overall, Snow White and the seven dwarfs is an interesting film. It appeals to individuals of all ages because it echoes the fantasies of most people, which is to have good triumph over evil and live happily ever after with our true love. The creative use of art as explained in the above makes watching the movie interesting. Stage 2: Reflection Analyzing films enables one to be conversant with the process of preparing movies. It also helps one appreciate the role played by movie directors. It also helps in evaluating the formal elements of a film such as shot length, structure of narrative music as well as styles of acting. Consequently, an understanding of the choices made by the movie director when selecting these elements enables the appreciation of the overall work. Analyzing films improves one’s film making skills and prepares them for a career in the film industry as an actor/actress, a director, a cinematographer or even a makeup artist. The process of analyzing film has altered the way I view movies. My perception of movies has changed from looking at moves as just a source of entertainment to viewing movies as combinations of several ideas and skills. I can now be able to distinguish between plot and story of a film as well as provide a detailed analysis that is different from merely providing a synopsis or story of a film. Film theory and criticism enables me to use various perspectives in the interpretation of movies. For example, I am able to use a realist approach in interpreting the application of the movie to real life scenarios. I am also able to use the formalist approach to analyze the way the plot presents the story and compels the viewer to observe things at different angles. Other approaches such as the dualist approach enables the distinction of two contrasting themes in movies. For example, in my analysis of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the dualist approach enabled the identification of good (Snow White) over evil (the Queen). This course has altered my understanding of how movies are related to society by looking at movies from a realist approach. This approach reveals how a movie present the reality thereby showing that what happens in movies is what happens in the current society. References Canemaker, J. (1999). Before the animation begins: The life and times of Disney inspirational sketch artists. New York: Hyperion. Girveau, B. (2006). Once Upon a Time - Walt Disney: The Sources of inspiration for the Disney Studios. London: Prestel. Heisner, B. (2004). Production design in the contemporary American film: A critical study of 23 movies and their designers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. Watts, S. (2013). The magic kingdom: Walt Disney and the American way of life. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. Read More