Snow White: The Fairest of Them All

Hallmark production
2001

I like this version of Snow White. In it, Snow White’s parents are ordinary people, living in their little cottage in the middle of nowhere. But when her mother dies, the father (played by Tom Irwin) leaves the cottage, his dead wife and takes the daughter to find people and food for the little one. He gets lost in a snow storm, and realizes that they are both going to die, his newborn baby and him, he cries. His tears melt The Green-Eyed One (Clancy Brown), a demon or genie, who fulfills his three wishes, even though he didn’t realize expressing them. His first wish is milk to the baby, second is his wife and queen, and the third one… I have to say that the Green-Eyed One interprets his words a bit freely there – “If you want a queen, you should have a kingdom. Do you wish to have a kingdom? “ “Everyone wishes for a kingdom”, he says, and the next thing he knows is that he’s sitting on a throne and is being crowned to a king of a small kingdom.
The Green-Eyed One goes to his sister (Miranda Richardson) and makes her beautiful. He makes the king fall in love with her.
Everything is just fine the next 16 years, but then Elspeth, the queen, starts looking for a younger husband. Unfortunately, her love interest isn’t interested in her, but the young and beautiful Snow White (Kristin Kreuk).

The make-up is interesting. I love Miranda Richardson as the genie's sister was really cute.

As this is a Hallmark production, you will see a lot of faces known from the television. The dwarfs in this version are a bit different. They are the Weekdays or colors of the rainbow. One of them, for example, is over six feet tall. (Vincent Schiavelli). If you are any way the same like me, you’ll recognize also Sunday (Michael J. Anderson – Carnivale), Friday (Martin Klebba; Black Pearl’s crew man) and Saturday (Warwick Davis; Willow.) Warwick Davis and Michael Gilden both played also ewoks.

This movie has been directed by Caroline Thompson, who is better known as the playwright of Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride.

The setting is interesting, as they seem to have taken more inspiration from Russian fairytales than the German ones.

Snow White: “What does it mean, beautiful? I hate that. Beautiful. Do person's outsides have anything to do with being kind, or considerate or caring towards others. No. Or gentle or generous? No. Or loving or giving or just or wise...”