Snow White (1916) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: Snow White
Year: 1916
Director: J. Searle Dawley
Country: US
Language: N/A

This 1916 film of "Snow White" is a screen adaptation of the 1912 Broadway play, written by Jessie Braham White. It was thought to have been lost, until the George Eastman House located a print in a Danish film vault. Legend says that this is the inspiration for Walt Disney's 1937 animated film, which in time also inspired numerous other pictures, some of which included the Three Stooges. 

Snow White is a motherless princess, who arouses the jealousy and hatred of Mary Jane, the ugliest woman in the kingdom. 

As you'd expect the plot takes the same route that every Snow White picture that came after it did. Evil step-mother, lots of little people, prince who makes out with a corpse...you know, the usual. While it does have its dark moments, it doesn't go Grimm far. Marguerite Clark gives a standout performance as she recreates her Broadway role. Clark is not a well known name nowadays, even to fans of silent cinema, but she was a success in the 1910's, particularly because she could grasp what audiences needed/wanted in an actor. 

The costumes are very well made, evoking a sense of whim that most fairy-tale pictures ought to do. Aimed at children, Snow White is quite charming but lacks emotional or intellectual depth. By the end everything is neatly wrapped up and all loose ties are...tied. My main gripe with this picture is the title cards. There is too much dialogue in this SILENT picture. Where's Norma Desmond when you need her? "We had faces!" 

Despite some flaws, overall the picture is entertaining and easy to get into because the story is so familiar. This version of Snow White will never gain more fans than Disney's picture, but it does have a timeless quality and should be seen by newer generations.