Snow White & the Huntsman [Blu-ray]

A wise author once wrote: "Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.""Snow White and the Huntsman" is a dark, stylistic work full of spiritual prowess which takes the classic German fairytale and turns it into a mature experience at the cinema, performing a balancing act between the sacred and the profane in a visual spectacle of a movie. The film, to put it bluntly, is mere Christianity, in all its sublime, multifaceted dimensions; including its vivid characterizations of evil, personified in the beautiful but wicked and gothic Queen Ravenna, played with fire by Charlize Theron. Like Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," this film is filled with Christian imagery, symbolism, theology, and even sacred spirituality.Consider this scene: locked up in a dark, cold dungeon within a tower in a haunting, gothic castle, after her father (the king) was murdered and his kingdom was overtaken by a brutal army, we see a young woman, Snow White - played by Kristen Stewart - dirty, hungry, and forsaken; on her knees she makes her way toward a fire-place in her cell, starts a fire for herself, then contemplates the memory of her dead parents, as - with a spirit of perseverance - she prays:Our Father, Who Art in HeavenHallowed be Thy NameThy Kingdom Come,Thy Will Be Done,On Earth as it is in Heaven,Give us this Day our Daily Bread,And forgive us our sins,As we forgive all those who have sinned against us.Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.The prayer is spoken with such reverence, humility, and undying hope in the face of so much darkness and suffering which surrounds the main character and her people. I cannot remember the last time (if there was one) wherein a major Hollywood motion picture gave such due respect to the recitation of the Lord's Prayer, transmitted to us by Christ throughout 2,000 years of sacred tradition.Meanwhile, Queen Ravenna, the murderess of Snow White's father, sits nonchalantly on her gothic throne surrounded by black ravens, the ominous birds seem to follow her endlessly (at times personifying pieces of her identity, as her very name - Ravenna - exemplifies). There is a depth to her evil. It is not simply a worldly evil that this character personifies but a spiritual one, it is demonic. She is not just the classic "Evil Queen" in this story. She is a sorceress, possessing paranormal powers, having a history with the occult that included a spell being placed on her as a young girl intending to empower her. There is something deeply cannibalistic about her, too, savage and animalistic, as she intakes the hearts of other human beings to keep her youth and physical beauty - this is connected to the spell that she lives by. At times, she eats the raw (bloody) organs of dead birds. Her encounters with the "Magic Mirror," far from the innocent childhood story of the Brothers Grimm, have the ambiance of a person encountering the occult, playing with black magic, embracing forces that should be avoided."It is her purity and innocence that can destroy you," the Magic Mirror tells Queen Ravenna of Snow White, who eventually escapes the castle and becomes a threat to the dark queen.The theology here is powerful. Ravenna had a spell cast on her which gave her paranormal powers and reign over endless kingdoms of the world. She possesses the kingdoms of the world, like the Devil who came to tempt Christ in the desert. Only one of pure blood can undo the spell, destroying Ravenna's powers. We are reminded of the connection between Eve and Mary. One was a woman who was responsible for bringing Original Sin into the world while the other a Woman - the one creature who was made pure, immaculate and spotless - who could undo the sin of Eve by bringing Christ into the world. In other words, only one of purity can undo the evil."Remember this old trick," Queen Ravenna tells Snow White after offering her a red apple to eat in a chilling scene. The apple is poisonous. Snow White didn't know. Queen Ravenna disguised herself as a friend when she offered the poisonous apple, as someone good, someone unrecognizable, someone from Snow White's childhood. The scene is rich, the allusion in the language - "Remember this old trick" - goes back not only to Snow White's childhood encounters with her friend but all the way back to the Garden of Eden, when Eve accepted the poisonous fruit from the serpent, who came disguised as a friend.Snow White dies from the poison. Her resurrection, clothed as she is in royal, white garments, has a touch of the sacred in it. It is Christ-like when she rises again, conquering death, experiencing a mystical light, a vision known only to her, before her body rises again. It was one of the seven Dwarves who encountered Snow White in an earlier scene who prophetically sees her destiny as a Christ-like figure. The Dwarf, an old blind man, "sees" what others cannot see. He is like Simeon in the temple as the baby Jesus is being presented. He makes the prediction that this one, Snow White, is of the pure blood, that she "is destined."As she rises, her resurrection gives oppressed people hope, seeing that death has been conquered. She puts on an armor and commands an army, leading them to overthrow Ravenna's kingdom. Seeing Snow White, a young woman, in a medieval armor, leading an army of men on horseback, instantly the knowledgeable viewer should know whose soul the filmmaker is channeling through the powerful imagery: it is the soul of Joan of Arc. Snow White becomes Joan of Arc in the final battle scenes of the film: a young, charismatic woman, sacred, beloved by the Almighty, armored up and leading a group of knights into battle.Trinitarian symbolism also has a prominent place throughout the film. It is seen powerfully, as one example, in the opening scene, set years into the past, when Snow White's mother, a good and beloved queen, walks through the gardens of the castle on a bright white, wintery day surrounded by snow. In the dead of winter, the queen sees a single red-rose blooming despite the cold, frozen season. Admiring the flower, she touches it and pricks her finger, as three drops of red blood fall onto the snow - the number three would remain a mystical number, returning throughout the movie. As she notices the three drops of blood she makes a wish that she may one day have a child with lips red as blood, skin white as snow, hair as black as a raven's wing; a child possessing the same spirit and defiance as that red rose which bloomed in spite of the cold winter, in spite of all the dead surroundings. A few months later Snow White is born.Consider here not only the Trinitarian imagery but also the story of Juan Diego and his apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531. He asked for a sign to give to his bishop, proving the presence of the apparitions. The sign that he was given was a bush of blooming red roses in the middle of winter in December when nothing bloomed. He was told to take the roses, folding them up in his tilma, and show them to the bishop. After Juan Diego dropped the roses at the bishop's feet his tilma opened up and the iconic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared, made permanent on his tilma.It is noteworthy that Snow White's very name speaks of an immaculate purity - snow white, she is, untouched and spotless. The imagery of this character speaks beautifully to the Woman conceived without sin who also showed up (in Mexico) after the miracle of red roses in the dead of winter.

Thank you for showing a strong queen and not a feeble girl. Snow is fierce and it's the story every little girl should learn.

Every time FXX shows this movie on television, I've been compelled to watch it for a couple of reasons:1. I have seen more versions of the Snow White fairytale in cinematic form than any other fairytale, from a campy children's live-action version starring Smallville's Kristin Kreuk to the famous animated classic from Walt Disney feature animation to the chilling live-action version starring Sam Neill and Sigourney Weaver. While Disney's Sleeping Beauty is my favorite animated film, my favorite childhood fairytale goes to Snow White. The Queen has fascinated my from my earliest years as a villain and this particular version thanks to the gorgeous and talented Charlize Theron highlights exactly why that is.2. On that note, when I saw the trailer for this film back in 2011 or so, most of us, me included, were still trying to purge our minds of the Twilight films, so the very idea of seeing another live-action fantasy starring Kristin Stewart was anathema. However, due to my history with the story being adapted (as mentioned above), I couldn't resist the opportunity to sit down and watch it whenever it aired on TV.Now, from the last two or three viewings I had, I can honestly say that this is how fairytales are meant to be portrayed: dark, scary, but with the intention of drawing young peoples' attention to the punishment of vice and the reward for virtue. Snow White and the Queen are two perfect dichotomous embodiments of those concepts. Also, whenever you're writing a story which has a clearly defined hero and villain, it is a well-said phrase that your hero is only as strong as the villain they go up against. The Queen is a legitimate villain: she is a powerful sorceress who is a master of disguise, deceptions, and poisons. In every version of the fairytale I ever read I understood, even as a child, that this story would not be resolved until either our innocent heroine or her villainous stepmother had DIED. The Queen embodies vanity and jealousy whereas Snow White embodies purity and innocence. Snow White was always in legitimate danger while the Queen was at large, and I always feared for her. Not every heroine needs to be a sword-wielding, cynical badass to engage our emotions and support. While Kristin Stewart does not exhibit much of any range at all, it is our villain as well as the supporting cast that buoy up the plot and execution. Charlize Theron is not only terrifying as the Queen, but with one mere flashback scene (at least in the theatrical cut) lasting all of about 30 seconds, she is humanized as well, allowing us, the audience to connect with her, if only briefly, as the broken, battered, embittered beings we are all capable of becoming. This vain, power-mad witch is also a woman, unlike a villain such as Maleficent, who meant to be the personification of pure evil, or the stepmother in Cinderella who could only attack psychologically due to her hold over Cinderella's freedom. This villain can attack mentally and physically, but is also able to make us recognize her shattered, deformed humanity.As for the other aspects, they're all perfectly serviceable. This no Lord of the Rings, despite their obvious attempts to draw that crowd in, but for me, they work just fine. While not a ground-breaking cinematic spectacle, it is a visually-satisfying adaptation of something from my childhood. I give it a B- for effort and an A- for casting as Stewart's performance was stilted, but inoffensive.

Great film

great

Good quality blu-ray disc. Good story line.

The behind the scenes and the making were very excellent to watch, only problem is that I made the mistake of buying it because I Iive in England and don't have a multinational dvd player but if you live in America I would recommend buying it!

Test effectué du 13 Novembre 2012 sur vidéoprojecteur JVC DLA X3 3D Blanc, écran lumene 2.70 m diagonale, ensemble 5.1 Bowers & Wilking, double subwoofer Velodine CHT -10 Q, platine Blue Ray 3D Pioneer BDP - LX54, ampli Yamaha RX - V1067.Autant le dire, Blanche Neige et le chasseur est une somme d'heureuses surprises, à commencer par l'écrin1) Le Blue Ray :Très beau digipack métallique, laissant transparaître l'ombre maléfique de la Reine au recto, et le pommier rédempteur au verso. Une note celtisante dans le graphisme, en phase avec la tonalité du film.Prestations techniques extraordinaires, tant sur le plan visuel, que sonore. Image limpide en toutes circonstances, toute en ombres et lumières. Mention spéciale pour la séquence du "prés aux fées" simplement magique, qui rappelle "Legend" de Ridley Scott. Bande son exigeante : pleine d'échos entre les murailles de la forteresse, oppressante dans la forêt, apaisante dans le sanctuaire, furieuse dans la bataille.Un sans faute technique, à la hauteur du propos.2) Le filmBeaucoup a été dit. Inutile donc de revenir sur la stupéfiante prestation de Charlize Theron dans le rôle de la Reine, qui la désigne avec la force de l'évidence pour la prochaine cérémonie des Oscars.Face à sa présence glaçante, Kristen Stewart, toute en fragilité, fait corps avec son personnage de Blanche Neige, sans céder un pouce de présence à l'écran.Les rôles masculins, plus convenus certes, par contraste, expriment une réalité forte : ce sont les femmes, et non les hommes, qui forgent l'Histoire, la Grande.Mention spéciales aux effets spéciaux qui prêtent à Bob Hoskins et Ian MacShane les traits des nains, avec un réalisme stupéfiant.La mise en scène - claire, sans esbroufe, le montage - cohérent et dynamique, les décors - d'une beauté sauvage, les effets spéciaux à quelques exceptions près... tout participe de l'émerveillement.Mais ce qui stupéfie le plus, est l'équilibre du scénario : les références artistiques et historiques abondent.Le Seigneur des Anneaux et Jeanne d'Arc bien sûr, mais également le Cid d'Anthony Mann dans la bataille finale qui évoque le siège sous les remparts de Saragosse Le Cid [Blu-ray ]. Enfin, la comtesse Elizabeth Bathory, accusée d'avoir assassiné des centaines de jeunes filles pour s'assurer de la beauté éternelle, et dont Julie Delpy a fait un film remarquable  La comtesse [Blu-ray ].Les parallèles avec la mystique chrétienne sont également frappants : Notre Père esquissé sur les lèvres de Blanche Neige, résurrection dans le transept de la cathédrale. Force de l'Amour sur la mort. Combat eschatologique, victoire de la Vierge sur la Bête aux sept couronnes...Ce qui aurait pu aboutir à un infâme patchwork fait ici sens, et renoue avec la symbolique des contes originaux. Il s'agit non pas d'une copie, mais d'un retour aux sources.En effet, Tolkien a abondamment puisé dans la mythologie nordique et la mystique chrétienne. Charles Perrault, quant à lui, a allié tradition populaire et ésotérisme rosicrucien. Tous ont puisé leurs figures légendaires dans celles de l'Histoire, le mythe de la Table Ronde et la Légende dorée de Jacques de Voragine.Se trouve une fois de plus illustrée la thématique classique de la nécessaire mort mystique pour renaître à la vraie vie, chère aux franc maçons et à toutes les traditions antiques de la résurrection d'Osiris à la pendaison d'Odin aux branches du frêne universel Yggdrasil.Force est de reconnaître que le scénario que d'aucun ont critiqué, constitue un modèle d'équilibre et un impressionnant panorama de la symbolique des contes.Un beau moment de cinéma qui n'a rien a envier à ses grands modèles. Bravo ! Le Cid [Blu-rayLa comtesse [Blu-ray