The Snow Queen
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Movie Reviews of The Snow Queen
Movie Review: Not the best, but definately not the worst either *WARNING: SPOILERS*
Summary: 4 Stars
While I agree the story was heavily adapted for flighty modern tastes and there are some incredibly horrible dialogues sporadically put here and there that are searching for laughs rather than being inherently funny, it was overall a nice adaptation. It at least tried to keep close to the original tale and only adapted it in a similar spirit whenever possible.
SPOILERS
Kay(Kaye) is now Kai. They're also a few years older and don't start out as best friends (which was the original impetuous for Gerda's search). However at the end of the tale they realize they love each other anyway, so this I can quite easily forgive.
The Eternal Summer Witch becomes the Spring Witch, but the mothering tendency & brainwashing is still there. Really the only thing that changed about that scene from the original story was that she was rechristened as Spring.
The Princess looking for a prince to marry becomes the Summer Princess set on marrying Gerda off. It's a bit of a change, but the spirit of the original part of the story is kept. Quite frankly this scene is very much adapted for modern tastes and is obviously looking for laughs, but it wisely gives us a look at how air-headed & almost blindly idealistic the season actually is, which is something summer fanatics I think tend to forget.
The Robber Hag and her daughter the Robber Girl become an Autumn couplet who capture & keep Gerda along the same lines of the story. As for why they became Autumn, it's quite obvious in my mind. Gypsies, as the Robbers in the original story & this adaptation were portrayed, do a lot of harvesting after all. Also the cynical spirit that comes along with them matches growing pessimism of Autumn in contrast to the bubbly idealism of Summer. Also the gypsy defiance and celebration honors the harvest festivals where people would indulge themselves and play games with one another throwing society into a bit of a chaotic environment. Think of Mischief Night where modern teens go TPing and egging houses. Think of All Hallow's Eve being the one night of the year that people believed evil could break the natural laws that ruled them the rest of the year roam the land for a night. Think of La Dia de los Muertos where the dead are believed to come back to life for an evening and eat the food the family brought for them. Think of Saturnalia in Rome where masters pretended to be servants and the servants as masters. Scandinavia and Britain also held similar holiday revels in the form of Yuletide. Where do you think the concept of Halloween came from? Not from the Candy Companies--they only exploited it.
The adaptation, in my mind was all pretty close to the original plot or the spirit of it until they took out the Lord's Prayer bit that Gerda says to defeat the Snow Queen's army. However most adaptations do that so that's almost to be expected with our secularized society. However they kept the Christian Rose symbolism and changed the Lord's Prayer into Gerda's mother's magic brooch. This part of the adaptation pales in comparison to the original tale, but it attempts to adapt in a similar spirit. The only terribly corny part was the "wake up" sequence, but that I can close my eyes and ignore quite easily.
Also Gerda's mother dying and getting rid of Granny (replacing her with Minna was nice though) made me a little sad, but I thought what was done with that gave a more realistic feeling to the story. It also was a way to make Gerda the traditional "quiet girl" stereotype (with a realistic reason why she is that way) without upsetting the ultra-feminists in our secularized society.
Overall it was a better adaptation than the amazingly bad one that Fairy Tale Theater put on. I didn't expect quality from that, but after seeing something THAT bad, this was kinda nice.
Also, I don't know about your translation of the original tale, but mine goes back and forth between calling the Hobgoblin the devil and a hobgoblin. However I think the devil works best considering the Christian symbolism and parts in the original tale. It's a shame though that the adaptation didn't hold true to the original Christian part of the story, it would've balanced out and explained the Devil part nicely. However, we're dealing with a secularized society so it's not too surprising.
END SPOILERS
Also, I've read some other posts where reviewers go off on that it's not meant for children?!? Fairy tales are inherently seductive, bloody, violent, and full of this kind of stuff--the Snow Queen that HCA wrote is actually is a little more tame in comparison to some original folk tales. Consider for the fact that Hansel and Gretel push an old woman into an oven and roast her to death. Beauty and the Beast is the equivalent of wife beating. Each little pig--in the original story of the Three Little Pigs--dies and is eaten until the Wolf gets to the last one and can't blow down the brick house. But even he is turned into Wolf Stew by the last little pig. The Hare in the Hare and the Hedgehog is outsmarted by the Hedgehog (and his wife) and runs himself to death. In the original Cinderella, the father is still alive and doesn't care for his daughter, the stepsisters cut parts of their feet off to fit into the slipper, and the birds who befriended Cinderella peck the stepsisters blind in the end.
That is the legacy of our original folktales and myths: blood, violence, and gore. The fact that generations of children have been reading/hearing variations on these tales for centuries doesn't surprise me. Those things were a large part of life back then (and still are, no matter how much we try to avoid & deny it), and these stories actually gave a way to deal/introduce such things quite well. They also did so in a in a safer environment & probably provided a comforting effect to children who were already severely effected by them. The Devil is also a frequent visitor in fairy tales, and many characters in many stories go through periods of temptation from him.
So, seeing a man in red makeup portray the Devil, seeing Gerda attempting suicide (which was close enough and adapted along a similar line of self-sacrifice which the original tale drives home as a core theme of the story), and the multiple attempts of seduction and temptation for both Kai & Gerda are actually cornily fluffy compared to what original folklore contained for children.
What society has to recognize is that the real harm comes from editing these stories until there are no "offensive parts" left. At which point the innocence of the original stories looks trite and corny with nothing left to balance it out and the stories lose their true meaning and influence in society. What you learn from these stories is that in order for true innocence & goodness to exist, the darker side of human nature must threaten its very existence, otherwise it has no true meaning. The worst harm that can be done to a fairy tale is editing out the gory bits, however, I digress.
IMO, this movie is meant for kids & preteens--how could it not be? Also, for those who fear that seeing Gerda jumping off a bridge or a personification of the Devil will scar the kids for life, allow me to digress for a tiny bit: I watched Bugs Bunny get drunk on numerous occasions, and what was actually happening went right over my little head at the time. It was only upon revisiting the cartoons recently that I realized what I had actually seen.
So, if any of you still feel like censoring this and all other offensive bits in the sake of "protecting the children", just hire three monkeys, I'm sure they could help you quite easily.
Movie Review: . . .first you must go through each season. . .
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm an adult who is still a sucker for and fascinated by faerie tales, especially when they are faithful to the origingal concept/intent of the story. I feel that for the most part, this filmed version of 'The Snow Queen' does a fine job of it. Contrary to many reviews, I enjoyed Bridget Fonda as the Snow Queen. She was cold, detatched and potentially cruel-as is the season that she embodies. All of the other actors were invested and talented, except the woman playing Summer, but more on that later.
What I love about this particular faerie tale is how it relates to the concept that love must endure all seasons and be tested harshly at every turn. This is a human truth and a morality tale that holds true through the time that has passed since this story's genesis. Gerda is tested by each of the seasons to retrieve her lost love, Kai, as he has been abducted by the Snow Queen. The movie is wonderful at personifying each season (except summer) as Gerda fights to rescue Kai. The imagery is lush and easy to get lost in.
Gerda begins with Spring. I loved the unyielding innocence of the lady of Spring. The actress that portrays her is remarkable. Then Gerda confronts the lady of Summer. I hated this part of the film and it is the ONLY reason that I gave the film four instead of five stars. The actress is horrid. She reduces a timeless tale to Disney Channel/empty Hollywood fare. (and after all, didn't those two forces destroy faerie tales in the first place?) It's the only part I cannot bring myself to watch again.
Gerda them moves on to Fall. I loved this bit. She was very Earthy almost Pagan. Wild and unrestrained. She is fearless and destroys the remnants of Summer with a delightful glee.
Then, the finale. I really dug the bit about Satan and the mirror. I felt that it exposed the vanity of each of the seasons. Wonderful. Yes, I agree that it could frighten young children, but it is essential to the plot. What should be more frightening to these parents (who have written reviews) is Hannah Montana. Shows like that kill the imagination and waste the time of too many young children. Do them a favor and rent or buy this film and also Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre.
Movie Review: "Never underestimate the power of a kiss..."
Summary: 4 Stars
Fans of fairy tales and fantasy will absolutely adore this new version of THE SNOW QUEEN, loosely based on the original Hans Christian Andersen tale but filled with a lot of new symbolism and romantic touches. Gerda (Chelsea Hobbs) lives with her widowed father in a luxury hotel, still mourning the mysterious death of her mother. When the handsome Kai (Jeremy Guilbaut) is employed as the new bellboy, love begins to bloom, but when a beautiful, nameless woman arrives at the height of winter, Kai becomes infatuated and follows her into a world of numbing ice and snow. Grief-stricken Gerda throws herself into a river and wakes up in the care of the Spring Witch (Jennifer Clement), but despite all her best efforts at brainwashing and derailing the quest, Gerda escapes her clutches, and must travel through the rest of the four seasons, all the way to edge of the world, to rescue Kai from the clutches of the woman Gerda calls the Snow Queen...
Although the original Andersen fairytale did not include the characters of the Autumn Queen or the Summer Princess, the entire "Four Sisters" idea is fantastic and emphasizes the amount of time Gerda is away from home. The cycle of the seasons and the rhythms of the earth provide the core ideas in this treatment of THE SNOW QUEEN. Bridget Fonda is mesmerising in the title role, a woman whose glacial beauty is enough to seduce any mortal man. The amount of Jungian symbolism in this version is great to explore too. The costume and set designs are mind-blowing and the entire film is flawless in terms of screenwriting and casting. Highly-recommended.
Also starring Robert Wisden (Gerda's father), Wanda Cannon (Minna), Rachel Hayward (Gerda's mother), Meghan Black (Robber Girl), Kira Clavell (Summer Princess), Suzy Joachim (Autumn Robber Queen), Alexander Hoy (Chen) and Jessie Borgstrom (young Gerda). Originally shown on television in two parts. Hallmark Hall of Fame.
Movie Review: Frozen hearts...
Summary: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this movie. I actually rented it based upon the cover of the DVD itself. Love it ... beautiful cover. The movie was great too though. I have seen other versions of this fairy tale, Snow Queen, and loved those ... but I must say I am partial to this one. SNOW QUEEN seemed like a VERY long movie, but I kind of liked that about it. It was like you were going through the different seasons with the characters. It made you better feel what they were going through. Kai and Gerda are the 2 main characters ... both are great actors. I believed they were truly in love. The story line is excellent, as is the setting and dialogue. For this type of "innocent" movie, it doesn't get much better than this.
The script keeps you entertained ... love the Snow Queen (exceptional acting on her part), and the psycho sister Queen, (I think it was Spring?) was OK too, but I didn't much care for the "Robber/Gypsy Autumn Queen." It didn't quite fit. I'm guessing the directors did this because they wanted each season to be distinctly different from one another. For a "children's" movie, as a 20 something year old, I really enjoyed watching Snow Queen. I would say it's OK for children 8 years and older. If you like fantasy/fairy tale movies, SEE SNOW QUEEN. It will melt your heart.
Movie Review: Enchanting
Summary: 4 Stars
Wow, I didn't know you could still find good mainstream movies without vulgarity or massive amounts of sex. This was really good.The plot was good. Seeing the main characters overcoming their long-lived sadness at the death of the main character's mother was worth the whole movie. The scenery and characters were a delight. I especially liked the polar bear who was in love with the Snow Queen.
The only things that kept this movie from getting five stars are as follows:
1. The "Fall Robber Queen" and her daughter. The former just didn't seem to fit and the latter was just plain annoying.
2. The movie was rather long. Around three hours, actually. This is a little much for the "whole family," as younger children will probably not keep their attention focused for that long. And, if they do . . .
3. The scene where Satan is forging the mirror was a bit creepy for an adult. I can just imagine how a child will react to it.
But it is still a wonderful alternative to the stuff that normally comes out of Hollywood.