Original title card
"Lady Queen, you are the fairest"
- The Magic Mirror
Schneewittchen is a 1955 German film based on the fairy tale of Snow White by The Brother's Grimm . It is known as the one of the most traditional and faithful re-tellings of the story. The film was starring: Elke Arendt, Adele Adametz, Niels Clausnitzer and Dietrich Thoms. The film was directed by Erich Kober.
Plot
Once upon a time, a young good Queen wishes for a beautiful child. A daughter with hair as black as ebony, a skin as white as snow and lips as red blood is born. Because of this she is named Snow White. However, the good Queen passes away. A year later, the King marries another woman who is beautiful but proud and wicked. She has a magic mirror who she everyday asks who is the fairest in the land. For years, the mirror secures the Queen as the fairest of them all, but when Snow White has come of age and has grown into a kind and beautiful young girl the evil Queen's fears are realized. A Prince named Edelmunt comes to see if the rumors about the fair Princess are true. The evil Queen orders her Huntsman to take Snow White into the woods and murder her, and as prove bring her liver and heart. The Huntsman is at first reluctant but agrees after the Queen threats with prison.
He lets Snow White loose in the forest. Exhausted, the young princess stumbles upon a small wooden cottage. She enters and finds it occupied by seven kind-hearted dwarves. The dwarves take an inmidiate liking to her. Snow White asks them if she can stay to protect herself from her stepmother. The dwarves agree and in her honour they feast with happy music all night. One of the dwarves even falls in love with Snow White.
The Queen has learned Snow White is alive, locks away the Huntsman and disguises herself as a sales-woman. The dwarves warn Snow White never to let any stranger in. The Queen despite this manages to fool Snow White into letting her in and killing her with a cord. When the dwarves return from work, they cut the cord and save Snow White. The Queen returns some time later, this time with a poisonous camb. Snow White is again seduced by her and dies. The dwarves again save her. As final means to end Snow White, the Queen opens her book of spells and poisons an apple. She however, is overheared by her chambermaid Francisca who warns and frees the Huntsman. The Huntsman goes to the cottage.
The next day, the Queen - in peddler disguise - gives Snow White the poisoned half of the apple. As she collapses on the floor, it begins to storm and the evil Queen is hit by lightning which results in her death. The dwarves as well as the Huntsman and Francisca arrive to find Snow White dead. In deep gief the dwarves forge a class coffin for her.
Soon Prince Edelmund comes by. He ask the dwarves if he can take Snow White back to his own castle to give her a proper funereal. The dwarves accept but on the way, the poisoned piece of apple falls out of Snow White's mouth and she lives once more. Rejoyced she marries the Prince as two kingdoms unite and fireworks light the sky.
Cast
Elke Arendt...................................................................................................................................Snow White
Niels Clausnitzer.....................................................................................................................Prince Edelmunt
Adele Ademetz.........................................................................................................................The Evil Queen
Renate Eichholz...............................................................................................................Snow White's mother
Dietrich Thoms..........................................................................................................................The Huntsman
Zita Hitz................................................................................................................Francisca, the chambermaid
Erwin Platzer.............................................................................................................................The Little Moor
Background
"Schneewittchen" was made as a part of many classic fairy-tale adaptations in West Germany in the 1950's. It was directed by Erich Kobler, produced by Hurbert Schonger and written by Konrad Lustig and Walter Oehmichen. It was released on November 27 of 1955. As Snow White's castle Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, Germany was used. The dwarves where all played by children.
In 1965, the film was released in an English dubbed version, narrated by Paul Tripp.
Avalibility
"Schneewittchen" was released in Germany on DVD in 2007, and previously on Home Video. The English-dubbed version was released on DVD in 2008.
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