 |
 |
Anamorphic
widescreen |
 |
Dolby Digital
5.1 |
|
DTS |
|
|
Trailer(s) |
|
Featurette(s) |
|
Documentary |
|
Audio commentary
|
|
Deleted scenes
|
|
Concept art
/ storyboards |
|
Multi-angle
feature |
|
|
|
|
Dwarfs
[singing]: We dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig in our mines the whole
day through / To dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig-dig is what we like to do!
The
princess Snow White escapes to the forest when her wicked stepmother
the Queen tries to have her killed for being the Fairest in the Land.
 When
Snow White and the Seven Swarfs first premiered in 1937, it had
an impact that can hardly be imagined today. Never before or since has
there been a cinematic experience so revolutionary in its form and contents
that it single-handedly established the ground rules for an entire film
genre and industry. When we compare it to other films that ended up
becoming milestones in movie history, they are in most cases popular
instances of developments that had been going on for some time, and
were hardly revolutionary in and of themselves. Few films truly present
an audience with a movie experience completely unlike anything they
had ever seen before. A more contemporary example of a film that nobody
thought would be successful but whose popular appeal ended up redefining
its genre and setting box office records would, of course, be Star
Wars. But though George Lucas's space opera yields an adequate comparison
for the unexpected commercial success and immense impact on merchandising
and popular culture that Snow White had, Star Wars was
more of a nostalgic throwback to the storytelling devices of a more
innocent age, dressed up with fancy new special effects. It still holds
up well today, but it does tell its age (one look at those hairdos says
it all...).
Not so for Snow White: its classic fairytale appeal and brilliantly
colorful design give the film a timelessness that defies its age again
and again. The incredible skill with which this first-ever feature-length
cartoon was staged, scripted and animated can hardly be improved upon.
Snow White may sound like Betty Boop on helium and the Prince may be
little more than a walk-on bit part, but the dwarfs and evil queen remain
as powerful today as they ever were. Several scenes are actually so
powerful and frightening that it might have been controversial had it
been newly released by Disney today. Bubbling along at a great and varied
pace, Snow White remains one of the most brilliantly executed,
most entertaining films of all time, that could hold its own in every
respect with a contemporary audience against any feature produced today. |
|
 |
 |
|
|
For
Region 1, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is available only as
a 2-disc Special Edition, the first in Disney's new Platinum Collection.
For Region 2, a single-disc edition is available across Europe, identical
to the first disc in the Region 1 release apart from the exclusion of
the short Silly Symphony and the absence of the original mono soundtrack.
The Special Edition release produced in the UK but available across
Europe as well [see separate
review] adds a second disc (identical in every way to disc 2 in
the Region 1 release), and comes packaged in a handsomely embossed storybook-shaped
box, which also holds a gorgeous collector's book with over 150 pages
of sketches, designs and art work from the film.
The
fullscreen image is framed at an aspect ratio of approx. 1.37:1. Snow
White has had quite a history of restorations and re-releases, probably
more than any other major theatrical release in history. The last significant
work had been done in 1993, when the film's original nitrate negative
was transferred and restored through digital frame-by-frame restoration
and re-release theatrically and later for VHS and LaserDisc. Further
advances in digital restoration technologies in the years since then
have prompted the Disney studio to undertake further restoration efforts,
resulting in the high-definition transfer presented for the first time
on this DVD release. The results are nothing short of amazing. Not a
shred of dirt or damage is to be found in the entire movie, and colors
are as bold and bright as any contemporary animated filmi could be.
It sound hyperbolic to say it looks as if it had been made last year,
but in this case, it's the simle truth in almost every way. If one takes
a magnifying glass to it, one might spot some occasional fading in a
few of the shots. But none of this is at all distracting from a presentation
that truly must be seen to be believed.
The original mono soundtrack has also been carefully restored and has
never sounded better. Noise reduction, hiss removal and careful remastering
have resulted in a full-bodied mono track (included on the Region 1
release) that served as a basis for the new Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. This
new mix is very true to the original mono source, widening the soundstage
a little and giving it some more punch, but thankfully without adding
new effects or forced split surround instances. Rear channels are mostly
quiet throughout, merely drawing the music forward a little, or adding
some body to the occasional thunderstorm. A great mix that sounds a
good as this film will ever sound, remaining completely true to the
film's original soundtrack.
The
main extra on the single-disc R2 release is a 24-minute featurette
titled 'Still the Fairest of them all: The Making of Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs'. It includes new interview footage from several
faces familiar from the recent Fantasia Anthology DVD box set,
and is for the most part quite similar to the featurette that appeared
on the 1993 VHS and LaserDisc release, down to most of the archival footage
that has simply been re-used. Like that earlier documentary, this featurette
once again makes the mistake of hastening through the backgrounds much
too fast, most likely in the name of accessibility, resulting in a documentary
that will provide real interest only to viewers unfamiliar with the previously
available material. A more substantial bonus feature on disc 1 is the
audio commentary, hosted by animation historian and Disney DVD
regular John Canemaker, who does an expert job of talking us through the
movie, and who also placed in context the numerous audio clips of Walt
Disney himself talking about several aspects of the movie's production
and history. These ancient recordings suffer from quite a bit of hiss
and tape recorder noise, and are therefore not always easy to understand.
But together with Canemaker's contemporary historical perspective, they
make for an invaluable resource of historical material and provide great
insight into the visionary mind behind this first animated feature.
Other extras on the first disc include a sing-along song version
of 'Heigh-Ho', an interactive children's game called 'Dopey's Wild
Ride' and - *gasp* - Barbra Streisand performing the song Some
Day My Prince Will Come, about which the less said, the better...
Taken on its own, this sinlge-disc release already holds enough extras
to hold its own against most other major DVD releases, and is sure to
please any buyer whose main interest lies in simply having a great version
of the film on DVD. Those with a keen love for animation history in general
or for Snow White in particular are advised to seek out a copy
of the two-disc Special Edition [see separate
review].
 Rising
up out of burning bright flames, the familiar face of the ghost in the
Magic Mirror slowly appears as the first disc starts up, speaking words
of welcome to its new master. To be honest, I hadn't expected too much
of Disney's self-proclaimed 'first immersive DVD experience' hosted by
a 'specially animated Magic Mirror', but was very pleasantly surprised
that the mirror has been animated with great skill and voiced by a good
actor, who does a great job with some rather witty and amusing monologues.
One of the additions to the familiar repertoire of choices available in
the first disc's Main Menu screen ('Play Movie', 'Scene Selection', 'Bonus
Features', 'Setup') is the new Guided Tour option. This is the
most obvious gesture towards the intended audience new to DVD, and offers
a choice of two showcases of the extras and features available on the
release (one for each disc). Seasoned DVD users will have little use for
this feature, with its rather embarassing banter between the mirror and
Disney VP Roy E. Disney and unhelpful explanations by Angela Lansbury,
but it might prove a welcome addition to some. Disney's strategy here
is clearly to make DVD novices feel comfortable with navigating a high-content
DVD - an experience that current DVD users take for granted but which
might baffle technophobes new to the wonders of this technology - without
boring those already familiar with navigating these kinds of DVDs. Disney
has in this case done a great job in catering to both audiences.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: 2001
Click
here for IMDB info on Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Click here
to return to the front page.
|
|
| |
