“Blancanieves” (2012)
Though the rain may be a dreary setting for a weekend, it’s a brilliant backdrop for classic storytelling. This Spanish retelling of Snow White is a dramatic and comic tale of 1920s Seville, directed by Pablo Berger. Through the light and shadow of this silent film the audience follows Carmen from the tragic circumstances of her birth into her childhood of rambunctious highs and grief stricken lows.
After her father’s death, Carmen escapes her evil stepmother and her henchmen by sheer luck, finding herself among a traveling troupe of bullfighting small people who care for her as their own. Soon she takes up bullfighting (her late father’s career) and takes the name Snow White. After accepting an invitation to Seville for bullfighting, her return home also marks the return of her memories…and the return of danger from her evil stepmother’s jealousy. Once more tragedy strikes, but will Carmen and her friends prevail? Head over to Netflix to experience the twists in the fairy tale.
Other black and white tales on Netflix instant include the romantic “Roman Holiday” (1953) starring Audrey Hepburn, the thrilling “Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1920), and the science fiction all-star “Metropolis” (1927).
