Snow White: The Fairest of Them All [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

Stunning.......2007-12-21

I LOVE this film. I live in the UK and wanted to buy it so i could watch it at home however after i checked with all these sellers i found out that none of them are selling this movie for the region that england uses. So everyone in England would find this certain product useless. I personally feel i wasted my money on thermite (the cheapest seller of this DVD ) because it has not arrived yet and it was my girlfriend who bought this, as she didn't realize that this DVD is unusable in England because she doesn't use Amazon much.
As i said before i ADORE this movie, so yes buy it however if you want this DVD to work in the UK, buy it From someone else.

Darker than Disney..........2007-03-26

"Mirror, Mirror on the Wall.... Who's the Fairest of them all?"

Miranda Richardson speaks to the Mirror on a regular basis after she is magically transformed from a lonely, extremely unattractive, blemished peasant to a Beautiful, Ravishing, Queen, a transformation she revels and delights in!! She has a wonderful on screen presence and with her fine features, flame coloured hair and elegant medieval costumes, she carries the role of beautifully, with wonderful acting. She is beautiful on the outside, but definitely not within. (Which you can see in her eyes, as well as her actions.) As Snow White points out, when the Prince tells her that she herself is beautiful... "What does that mean?.... Beautiful... Do a person's outsides have anything to do with them being kind or considerate or careful towards others?.... No.... Or gentle... or generous?.... No.... Or loving.. or giving.. or just.. or wise." Kristin Kreuk is suitably cast as Snow White with her smooth flawless white skin, long shining dark hair and red lips, capturing the innocent sweetness and beauty of this fairytale heroine. Beautiful inside and out ..... but haunted by an inner sadness and feeling quite unloved. She is an unhappy and vulnerable girl trying to grow up, who feels isolated and cut off. There is no maternal figure in her life, as her stepmother is cruel, cold, jealous of her beauty and always working against her.

This film breathes new life into the Classic that is "Snow White" creating a very colourful film. For instance, the garden with its beautiful flowers and vibrant red rose bushes, which the King delights in, as did his first love and true love, Snow White's mother, who passed away shortly after childbirth, leaving the unfortunate Snow White in the hands of the wicked Queen. The King is blinded to the Queen's cruelty, as he is under a spell that began with a blizzard, a sinister creature, three wishes and a mirror smashed into pieces, a shard of which entered his eye blinding him to the queen's cruelty and binding him to her in an obsessional way which he believed to be love. His obsession with the Queen leads him to neglect his daughter and refuse to see the Queens nasty treatment of the Princess. The tragic Garden Gnomes also add colour to the garden and are not all that they seem, which Snow White finds out later in the film when she meets seven strange colourful men, unusual in the fact that together they can form a Rainbow. (A symbol of Hope).

The Mirror which the Queen regularly admires herself in is exquisite, in fact it is a mirrored room. It has a wonderful effect, and she can see herself from all angles. She also has a hand held mirror, which has many uses, such as being an instrument for evil purposes... The Queens illusions are shattered when Snow White is suddenly revealed as the fairest of them all, and the Prince rebuffs the Queens Advances, which she punishes by transforming him. Bored of the King who no longer has glass in his eye and can now see clearly, she had tried to cast her spell over the Prince, but the Woodchopper accidentally falls victim instead and it is he she sends to kill Snow White, while the King is helplessly trapped elsewhere.

In the Land of Fairy Tales nothing is simple and Snow White runs for her life into the forest. The Queen is a mistress of disguise and manipulation and soon catches up with her, fuelled by the Green Eyed Monster, Jealousy, and tempting her with a Blood Red Apple, much to the distress of the seven men and the prince. But, as they say, what goes around comes around, and the Queen has her worst fears realised as the mirror is smashed... As it shatters and the Queens cruel reign comes tumbling to an end, good triumphs over evil, Snow White is resurrected, the ice melts and transformation takes place. Everything becomes clear... Nothing tarnishes Beauty as quickly as a Wicked Heart...

Take a Trip back in Time to this popular Fairytale classic with modern twists. A truly enchanting film, capturing the darkness, magic, suffering and unrequited love that often lurks beneath the surface of most fairy stories, but obviously, culminating with the triumph of light over dark... A superb and colourful re-creation.

EXCELLENT........2007-01-19

What an amazing film. I was mesmerised, I simply couldn't take my eyes off the screen for a minute! I bought it after seeing it on TV and then my 9 year old son, husband and 81 year old mum watched it. They were equally enthralled by it. Amazing film. It was so unusual..so well done, such good actors who were perfect for the part that they were given to play.

Just SO interesting. When I watched it the second time I couldn't remember the whole story which was great..it felt like I was watching it for the first time..not many films can boast that, with all its twists and turns..the magical bits were great too ie the mirrors and the bear in the 'snow ball'. I could watch it again and again and still be captivated.
I even sent my daughter a copy!
Very highly recommended.

Great retelling of a classic fairytale! So magical!.......2003-12-13

I loved this film! All the stories you read about as a child. The feeling of being transported into such a magical and mesmirising place. It's so beautiful and enchanting. There's a few extra scenes that make this movie so much more enjoyable. It's set in such a peaceful almost tranquil atmosphere. That's magic in itself! Whether you're 13 or even 31 please watch this movie! It deserves the recognition!!!

wonderfully surreal for both kids & adults..........2003-10-25

Hallmark have been making elaborate made-for-TV productions for some time, but this dark retelling of Snow White is certainly unusual. This is a fairytale the way The Brothers Grimm would have told it, full of life but disctinctly surreal.

John [Tom Irwin] and Josephine are a poor couple living in a forest. After the birth of a daughter, whom they name Snow White, Josephine dies. Trying to protect his child, John becomes trapped in a blizzard. Weeping for his infant, his tears free the Green-Eyed One, a horrifying creature trapped in the ice. Out of gratitude, he grants John a wish, convincing him to wish not only for food and shelter, but to marry a Queen. For the Green-Eyed One has a sister to marry off, and John is granted a lavish castle with the formerly hideous, but now beautiful Elspeth [Miranda Richardson], who soon becomes jealous of her step-daughter's beauty.

Screen writers Caroline Thompson and Julie Hickson are clearly not content to follow the established version of Snow White and embelish their story with a number of new elements, which certainly keeps things interestingly original. It has its own unique charm with a host very well designed characters. Interestingly, both writers have worked with Tim Burton (Hickson and Burton even dated for a time) and the darker influence that mingles with a plot that is generally sweet is sometimes reminiscent of Burton's style, though perhaps not quite so dark. The result is something mellow, without being too taxing to watch.

Queen Elspeth is certainly the most interesting character, due to a delightfully wicked performance by Miranda Richardson. Irwin fails to invoke much sympathy from the audience, and while Kreuk certainly looks the part of the innocent princess, she often lacks screen presence, leaving her character bland and without personality, and making it difficult to empathise with her. Far more enjoyable are the seven dwarfs (Wednesday, you will note, is in fact rather tall to the dismay of some purists, but we discover he is accepted by the others because of his child-like mind, suggesting "height" is not solely about appearances, but is rather about one's mental attitude). Named after the days of the week, and donning colourful clothing, these are quirky but intriguing characters, which much amusing banter between them.

The visual effects are sumptuous throughout, putting some big budget productions to shame through its careful usage, in a particular all effects involving the mirror. The Queen's circular room of mirrors is great, entrapping and distorting characters. The medieval costumes are always perfect, with long flowing sleeves and a perfect fairytale appearance. Sunday's subtle costume and makeup to reflect his half-statue/half-man appearance is excellent. The dwarfs ability to "rainbow" and teleport is also an interestingly conceived idea. The cinematography is equally wonderful, capturing scenes perfectly, and using a palette of bright and bold colours to great effect. Also noteworthy is the Green-Eyed One's makeup, which is truly terrifying, fitting this dark tale of sinister plot twists.

Despite some superfluous threads, such as the glass shard and Snow White's love interest who serves little purpose but to be turned into a bear and wake her at the end, this is a beautiful production, and it is wonderful to see a darker, "Grimm"-er version of this classic tale which is intended for childrens' viewing, not just adults. The whole family can truly enjoy this (in part due to Richardson's performance which even adults cannot find dull!) although the very youngest of children may not appreciate its surreal atmosphere.

Customer Reviews:

Not quite a 'double pump'!.......2007-08-22

I've got some really challenging home fitness dvds and the title of this suggested it would be another a good workout to add to my collection.
However, if like me you're at an advanced level of fitness and are looking for a challenging dvd to workout to then this will prove disappointing. Whilst Shpresa's instructions are clear and her timing is easy to follow, the workout won't make you break a sweat.
It takes just over 30 minutes to complete the whole workout (including stretching) so I didn't find this value for money given that it didn't challenge me during the main part of the workout.

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