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Snow White and the Huntsman

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Snow White and the Huntsman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRupert Sanders
Screenplay by
Story byEvan Daugherty
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGreig Fraser
Edited by
Music byJames Newton Howard
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • May 30, 2012 (2012-05-30) (United Kingdom)
  • June 1, 2012 (2012-06-01) (United States)
Running time
127 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$170 million[2]
Box office$396,592,829[3]

Snow White and the Huntsman is a 2012 British-American fantasy film based on the German fairy tale "Snow White" compiled by the Brothers Grimm. The film is directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini. The cast includes Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, and Bob Hoskins in his last role before retirement. The film received two Oscar nominations for Best Visual Effects and Best Costume Design at the 85th Academy Awards.

Plot

Snow White is the Princess of Tabor, daughter of King Magnus and Queen Eleanor. After his wife's death, King Magnus marries the beautiful Ravenna after rescuing her from the Dark Army, an invading force of glass soldiers. Ravenna, who is in fact a powerful sorceress and the Dark Army's master, kills Magnus on their wedding night after noting that men like him exploit the beauty of women and discard them. As Ravenna usurps control of the entire kingdom, Duke Hammond escapes the castle with his son William, but is unable to rescue Snow White, who is captured by Ravenna's brother Finn. Snow White is then locked away in the north tower of the castle.

Tabor is left in ruins under Ravenna's rule as she periodically drains the youth from young women in order to maintain a spell once cast by her mother which allows her to keep her beauty. When Snow White comes of age, Ravenna learns from her Magic Mirror that Snow White is destined to destroy her unless Ravenna consumes the young girl's heart, which will make her immortal. Ravenna orders Finn to bring her Snow White, but she escapes into the Dark Forest, where Ravenna has no power. Eric the Huntsman, a widower who has survived the Dark Forest, is brought to Ravenna, who orders him to lead Finn in pursuit of Snow White. In exchange, she promises to revive his deceased wife, Sarah. Duke Hammond learns that Snow White is alive and has fled into the Dark Forest. William, Snow White's childhood friend, later infiltrates Finn's band as a bowman to find her.

The Huntsman tracks down Snow White in the Dark Forest but refuses to hand her over until he knows Ravenna will keep her word. When Finn admits that Ravenna cannot resurrect the dead, the Huntsman helps Snow White to escape, promising to escort her to Duke Hammond's castle in exchange for a reward of gold. The two leave the Dark Forest, escape the troll and pass through a fishing village where all the women have disfigured themselves in order to escape Ravenna, and where he learns Snow White's true identity. He then leaves her in the care of the women but returns when he sees the village being burned down by Finn's men. Snow White and the Huntsman eventually meet a band of dwarves — Beith, Muir, Quert, Coll, Duir, Gort, Nion, and Gus. Muir discovers that Snow White is the only person who can defeat Ravenna and end her reign.

As they travel through a fairy sanctuary, the group is attacked by Finn's men, resulting in Gus' death. The Huntsman kills Finn after learning he abetted in the murder of his wife. William reveals himself and helps defeat the soldiers before joining the others in their journey to Hammond's castle.

Ravenna disguises herself as William and tempts Snow White into eating a poisoned apple, but is forced to flee when the Huntsman and William discover her. William kisses Snow White — whom he believes to be dead — without seeing that she has shed a solitary tear. She is taken to Hammond's castle. As she lies in repose, the Huntsman professes his regret for not saving Snow White, who reminds him of his wife, and kisses her, breaking the spell; she awakens after a second tear has fallen. Snow White then takes command of the Duke's army and leads them into battle against Ravenna.

The Dwarves infiltrate Tabor through the sewers and open the gates, which allows the Duke's army to invade the castle. Snow White confronts Ravenna, but is overpowered. Ravenna is about to kill Snow White and consume her heart when she uses one of the moves Eric taught her on Ravenna and successfully kills her in the end, telling her that she cannot have her heart. Duke Hammond's army is victorious.

The kingdom is once again in order and peace as Snow White becomes Queen and in the end, Snow White and Eric share meaningful glances, indicating a possible romantic end for Snow White and the Huntsman Eric.

Cast

The Dwarves

The Dwarves were played by actors who had their faces digitally transmuted onto small bodies. This caused a protest from the Little People of America[6], despite the fact that the Dwarves were played by British actors.

  • Ian McShane as Beith, the leader of the Dwarves.
  • Bob Hoskins as Muir, the blind, elder Dwarf, who possesses the powers of premonition.
  • Johnny Harris as Quert, Muir's son.
  • Toby Jones as Coll, Duir's brother.
  • Eddie Marsan as Duir, Coll's brother.
  • Ray Winstone as Gort, an ill-tempered Dwarf.
  • Nick Frost as Nion,[7] Beith's right-hand man.
  • Brian Gleeson as Gus, the youngest of the Dwarves, who develops a bond with Snow White.

Development

Casting

Theron & Stewart at Wondercon 2012 in Anaheim, California on March 2012.

Film producers considered casting a lesser-known actress for the role of Snow White, with mention of Riley Keough, Felicity Jones, Bella Heathcote, Alicia Vikander, and Rachel Maxwell as possible picks. This idea became less likely as known actresses Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart were later rumoured to be short-listed for the role.[8] On March 4, 2011, the casting rumors were fuelled even more by a series of tweets from co-producer Palak Patel that confirmed that Stewart was offered the role.[9] The tweets also stated that an official confirmation would be coming out later that week, but it would be several weeks before her casting was officially confirmed by the studio.

At first, Winona Ryder was considered to play Ravenna, before the role went to Charlize Theron.[10] Tom Hardy was first offered the role of Eric, the Huntsman, but turned down the offer which then went to Johnny Depp, who declined the role as well.[11] Viggo Mortensen was in negotiations with Universal for the part, but ultimately turned down the role, too.[12] Hugh Jackman was briefly offered the role, but also declined.[13] In 2011, Thor star Chris Hemsworth was eventually cast in the role of the Huntsman.[14]

Production

The Marloes Sands filming location for Snow White & the Huntsman

Principal photography took place in the United Kingdom.[15] The beach scenes were predominantly filmed in Pembrokeshire, on the Marloes Sands beach near the village of Marloes between September 26 and 29, 2011.[16] Though the beach was not closed to the public during filming, as filming progressed, certain parts were advised to be off limits. A computer-generated castle was set on nearby Gateholm island. A field above the beach was used for production purposes, and a special wooden ramp was built for vehicles and horses to access the beach.

The English band Florence and the Machine recorded "Breath of Life" exclusively for the film, which was reportedly inspired by Theron's character Queen Ravenna.[17][18]

The film utilised academic consultants from the University of Chichester and the University of Oxford for back-up research on fairy tales and medieval battles.[19]

Rating

The BBFC rated the film 12A for "moderate violence and threat."

The MPAA rated the film PG-13 for "intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sensuality." To promote the rating, Universal Pictures released three "Roll Call" TV spots with the tagline, "This is no fairy tale."[20]

The ACB rated the film M for "fantasy themes and violence."

Release

The film had its premiere on May 14, 2012, at the Empire, Leicester Square, in London.[21]

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Region 1 on September 11, 2012.[22] The film was released on the same formats in Region 2 on October 1st, 2012.[23]

Novelization

A novel based on the film was written by Lily Blake. The novel follows the original plot with very few alterations.

  • When Snow White escapes through the sewage pipe in the movie she wades through of her own accord and leaps off the rocky cliff at the edge of the pipe, plunging into the sea below where she clambers out and finds the horse by a large flat rock. In the novel she is whisked away against her will and it seems to take ages until she shoots out, tumbling into the sea where she is tangled in seaweed and struggles to resurface. When she does she navigates a maze of rocks until she finds the horse.
  • When Snow White rides through the destroyed village she is faced with the entire village, gaunt and pale. She's surrounded and, panicking, urges the horse to canter on, closely pursued by Queen Ravenna's men. In the novel she rides through, never stopping, and sees some children, like skeletal figures, huddled by an old school building. Ravenna's men are still in close pursuit.
  • In the movie, Snow White is chased into a thicket of trees and arrives in a clearing, the battlesite at the start of the movie. The horse is nervous and rears and swings its head so that Snow White has difficulty holding on, then races into a pit of mud, hurling Snow White off and drowning. She tries to help, but the horse sinks and she runs on into the Dark Forest alone. In the novel she is chased but the horse merely races through until the ground gives way. He rears, throwing Snow White off. When she turns he has run away into the mist. Ravenna's men and her brother Finn rush in. Snow White flees into the forest.
  • In the enchanted forest, she encounters a stag, white and majestic with towering antlers, in a woodland clearing. One of Ravenna's archers shoots it and it bursts into butterflies which soar into the sky. In the novel, however, she encounters a stallion, which flees into the woodland after the archer shoots it.

Reception

Box office

Hemsworth at the Snow White and the Huntsman movie premiere, Sydney in June 2012.

Snow White and the Huntsman earned $155,136,755 in North America, along with $241,260,448 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $396,397,203.[3]

In North America, the film earned $1,383,000 from midnight showings.[24] For its opening day, the film topped the box office with $20,468,525.[25] It debuted in first place at the box office during its opening weekend with $56,217,700.[26]

Outside North America, Snow White and the Huntsman had an opening of $39.3 million, ranking second overall for the weekend behind Men in Black 3; however, it ranked number 1 in 30 countries.[27]

Indiewire placed Snow White And The Huntsman at #15 on the 2012 Box Office.[citation needed]

Critical reaction

Stewart at the Snow White and the Huntsman premiere, Sydney in June 2012.

Snow White and the Huntsman received mixed reviews; the film has a 49% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 196 reviews with a consensus reading, "While it offers an appropriately dark take on the fairy tale that inspired it, Snow White & the Huntsman is undone by uneven acting, problematic pacing, and a confused script."[28] CinemaScore polls conducted revealed the average grade that filmgoers gave the film was a "B" on an A+ to F scale.[29]

David Edelstein of New York praised the film's revisionist tone and said the film was "strongly influenced by a lot of smart, feminist thinking",[30] and Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4.[31] A.O. Scott of The New York Times praised Theron's performance and also wrote, "Though it is an ambitious – at times mesmerizing – application of the latest cinematic technology, the movie tries to recapture some of the menace of the stories that used to be told to scare children rather than console them."[32] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Ravenna hates living in a world where men can feed on women's beauty and then toss them away. She's a fascist of feminism, and Theron's acting has the blood of operatic anger coursing through it."[33] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times said the film is, "an absolute wonder to watch and creates a warrior princess for the ages. But what this revisionist fairy tale does not give us is a passionate love – its kisses are as chaste as the snow is white."[34] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers called it "A Visual Marvel!" while noting that Stewart "morphs convincingly from a skittish girl into a determined warrior princess."[35] MSN news said that Stewart "grows into her character, it seems, and eventually got this reviewer completely on her side.[36] Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune gave the film 4/4 stars.[37]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said that while the film is "less jokey than the recent Mirror Mirror", "this Twilightified fairytale has the same basic problem," and that, "The result is tangled and overblown."[38] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "[a] slow, boring film that has no charm and is highlighted only by a handful of special effects and Charlize Theron's truly evil queen."[39] Michael O'Sullivan of the Washington Post also gave the film a negative review: "Overlong, overcrowded, overstimulating and with an over-the-top performance by Charlize Theron as the evil queen Ravenna, the movie is a virtual orchard of toxic excess, starting with the unnecessarily sprawling cast of characters."[40] Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post gave the film two out of four stars and said, "Only Bob Hoskins as the blind seer Muir comes close to making us care. We can almost glean Snow White's heroic possibilities through his clouded eyes. As much as we'd like to, we certainly can't from Stewart's efforts."[41]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Year Recipient Award Category Result
2012 Charlize Theron Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Hissy Fit Won
2012 Kristen Stewart Teen Choice Award Choice Summer Movie Star: Female Won
2012 Chris Hemsworth Teen Choice Award Choice Summer Movie Star: Male (also for The Avengers) Won
2012 Sam Claflin Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Breakout Nominated
2012 Charlize Theron Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Villain Nominated
2012 Charlize Theron Teen Choice Award Choice Summer Movie Star: Female (also for Prometheus) Nominated (she lost to Kristen Stewart)
2012 Chris Hemsworth GQ Award GQ Men Of The Year award for International Breakthrough Won
2012 Colleen Atwood Gucci Award Best Costume Design Nominated
2012 Florence And The Machine World Soundtrack Awards Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film Nominated
2012 Chris Munro and Craig Henighan Satellite Award Best Sound (Editing & Mixing) Pending
2012 Wild Card and Universal Pictures Golden Trailer Award Best Action (for "Forever") Won
2012 Universal Pictures Golden Trailer Award Best Summer Blockbuster 2012 TV Spot (for "Ravenna") Won
2012 Universal Pictures Golden Trailer Award Best Motion/Title Graphics (for "Domestic Trailer 2") Nominated
2012 Universal Pictures and Wild Card Golden Trailer Award Best Summer Blockbuster 2012 TV Spot (for "Bound") Nominated
2012 Universal Pictures and Aspect Ratio Golden Trailer Award Best Summer Blockbuster 2012 TV Spot (for "Kingdom") Nominated
2012 Universal Pictures and Wild Card Golden Trailer Award Best in Show ( for "Forever") Nominated
2012 Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Visual Effects Nominated
2012 Greig Fraser San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Special Award Won
2012 Film People's Choice Awards Favorite Film Nominated
2013 Chris Hemsworth People's Choice Awards Favorite Action Movie Star (also for The Avengers) Nominated
2013 Charlize Theron People's Choice Awards Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress (also for Prometheus) Nominated
2013 Kristen Stewart & Chris Hemsworth People's Choice Awards Favorite On-Screen Chemistry Nominated
2013 Kristen Stewart People's Choice Awards Favorite Face of Heroism Nominated
2013 Kristen Stewart Golden Raspberry Awards[42] Worst Actress (also for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2) Pending
2013 Colleen Atwood Academy Awards Best Costume Design Pending
2013 Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson Academy Awards Best Visual Effects Pending

Sequel

A sequel is planned, with director Rupert Sanders in talks to return.[43] In August 2012, The Hollywood Reporter announced in the aftermath of the scandal involving Stewart and Sanders [citation needed] that the sequel was shelved, and a spin-off film concentrating on the Huntsman was planned instead, which would not star Stewart.[44] However, Universal announced a few days later that they had not shelved plans for a sequel.[45]

A recent report has stated that Universal has authorized a sequel.[46] Stewart is set to reprise her role, but it is uncertain if Sanders will return as the director.[1] The script has been written and production is set to begin at some point in 2013.[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Title « British Board of Film Classification". Bbfc.co.uk. May 30, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  2. ^ Masters, Kim (May 23, 2012). "Battleship Fallout: Lessons From a Box Office Sinking". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 13, 2012. Cite error: The named reference "BoxOfficeMojo" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "We are pleased to confirm the Snow White and the Huntsman cast will be Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Claflin". Twitter. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  5. ^ "The epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth & Sam Claflin opens 6/1/12!". Twitter. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  6. ^ Dwarfs threaten '100-midget march' over Snow White and the Huntsman film, Guy Adams, The Independent (UK), Thursday 07 June 2012
  7. ^ "Nick Frost is the Final Dwarf in '[http://www.slideshare.net/randomtos/download-or-watch-snow-white-and-the-huntsman-movie-online-free-hd-streaming Snow White and the Huntsman]'". /Film. Retrieved July 25, 2011. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  8. ^ "Kristen Stewart: 'Snow White And The Huntsman' Casting Talks". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2011-07-25. [dead link]
  9. ^ "Kristen is Officially Playing 'Snow White'". BlogSpot.com. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  10. ^ "'Snow White' Lands Julia Roberts As Evil Queen, So How Does She Stack Up Against Charlize Theron?". MoviesBlog.MTV.com. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  11. ^ "Exclusive: Johnny Depp Offered a Date With 'Snow White'". The Wrap. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  12. ^ Labrecque, Jeff (March 26, 2011). "Viggo Mortensen dumps Snow White ... for Superman?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  13. ^ "Hugh Jackman no longer in talks for 'Snow White'". InsideMovies.EW.com. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  14. ^ "IMDb entry with Chris Hemsworth as Hunstman". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  15. ^ Thomas, Holly; Watkins, Jade; McCormack, Kirsty (November 11, 2011). "Kristen Stewart looks all worked out as she continues to film Snow White And The Huntsman". DailyMail.co.uk. London. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  16. ^ McDowell, Martin (September 21, 2011). "Filming Snow White and the Huntsman at Marloes Sands". Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  17. ^ "Florence And The Machine debut new song 'Breath Of Life' – listen". NME. IPC Media. April 26, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  18. ^ Bell, Crystal (April 26, 2012). "Florence And The Machine, 'Breath Of Life': Singer Releases New 'Snow White And The Huntsman' Track". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  19. ^ Nick Clark (March 20, 2012). "Philip Pullman to publish new adaptations of Grimm's Fairy Tales - News - Books". London: The Independent. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  20. ^ "Snow White and the Huntsman TV Spot – Roll Call". TrailerAddict.Com. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  21. ^ "Watch Snow White and the Huntsman world première LIVE on MailOnline". Daily Mail. London. May 14, 2012.
  22. ^ 'Snow White and the Huntsman': Watch an exclusive clip from the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release -- VIDEO
  23. ^ {http://www.amazon.co.uk/Snow-White-Huntsman-Kristen-Stewart/dp/B006B7FM86/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1345124579&sr=1-1}
  24. ^ "Midnight Update for Snow White and the Huntsman". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  25. ^ "Friday Report: 'Snow White' Conquers the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. June 2, 2012.
  26. ^ "Weekend Report: 'Snow White' Takes Big Bite Out of Box Office Apple". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  27. ^ "'Snow White and the Huntsman' takes $20.3M bite of Friday box-office apple, eyes $55M weekend". Chicago Tribune. June 2, 2012.
  28. ^ "Snow White and the Huntsman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  29. ^ Young, John (June 2, 2012). "Box office update: 'Snow White and the Huntsman' leads with $20.3 mil on Friday; 'The Avengers' becomes third biggest movie of all time". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  30. ^ Edelstein, David. "Grim and Grimmer". New York Magazine. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  31. ^ "Snow White and the Huntsman (PG13) Review". Roger Ebert.com. May 30, 2012.
  32. ^ Scott, A. O. (May 31, 2012). "Movie Review The Darker Side of the Story 'Snow White and the Huntsman,' With Kristen Stewart". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  33. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (June 1, 2012). "Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  34. ^ Sharkey, Betsy (May 31, 2012). "Movie review: Forget fair, 'Snow White and the Huntsman' is fierce". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  35. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/snow-white-and-the-huntsman-20120531
  36. ^ http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-critic-reviews/snow-white-and-the-huntsman/
  37. ^ http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/155951485.html?refer=y
  38. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (May 31, 2012). "Snow White and the Huntsman – review". London: The Guardian. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  39. ^ "'Snow White and the Huntsman' review: Dwarfed". San Francisco Chronicle. June 1, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  40. ^ "Snow White and the Huntsman Review". Washington Post. June 1, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  41. ^ Kennedy, Lisa (June 1, 2012). "Movie review: Something awry in serious "Snow White and the Huntsman" Grimm fairy tale remake". Denver Post. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  42. ^ "The 33rd Annual RAZZIE® Award Nominees for 2012 Worst Actress". The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation and John Wilson. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  43. ^ Josh Wilding (June 7, 2012). "Work Moving Ahead On SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN Sequel". ComicBookMovie.com.
  44. ^ Kim Masters (August 14, 2012). "Kristen Stewart Dropped from 'Snow White' Sequel Plans (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  45. ^ Ann Lee (August 14, 2012). [http:// http://www.metro.co.uk/film/908723-kristen-stewart-hasnt-been-dropped-from-snow-white-sequel-says-studio "Kristen Stewart hasn't been dropped from Snow White sequel, says studio"]. Metro. Retrieved August 16,2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  46. ^ a b "Kristen Stewart Confirmed For 'Snow White And The Huntsman' Sequel: 'I'm So Excited'". Huffington Post. December 21, 2012. Retrieved December 26,2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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