Good concept, poorly executed.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Recall the fabulous 80s: Knight Rider, Wham!, Peewee's Playhouse. It was a time of artistic innocence, and as such it was the perfect era for fairytale adaptations. Cannon Movie Tales' "Snow White" falls squarely into that vibe, and if you watch it with the mind of a child (or literally with a child), you'll indeed be transported to a fantasy land much removed from our 21st century gritty reality & cynicism.Scenes are bright, songs are bouncy, acting is delightfully melodramatic, and the story is simple yet engaging. I hated it. But that's because I was expecting something a little edgier like maybe "Willy Wonka" (made a decade prior). When I accepted that this was a true children's film, not an adult's film under the guise of a children's film like "Wonka", I had a great time.This film adaptation, one of Cannon Movie Tales' 9 installments, is remarkably close to the Grimm's vision. For that reason, the story may seem a little drawn out & redundant, showing all 3 attempts by the Evil Queen to nix Snow White, unlike the famous Disney version which showed only the apple. But I think this worked because it showed the Evil Queen's growing frustration, obsession & Faustian descent into black magic, all leading to the frenzied climax. It might be fun for you to read the Grimm's version before seeing this movie so you can see the pages come to life visually, almost exactly as the story was meant (it's only 5 pages, on gutenberg.org). There is one small variation, the ending (which I won't ruin). I found it to be very symbolic, poetic & satisfying, much more than the original Grimm's ending which, in Grimm tradition, is rather sudden and extreme.Special effects are minimal but effective. Obviously there's no digital cgi; instead the film relies on good old creative stunts, like you'd see in Jean Cocteau's timeless "Beauty and the Beast" (1950) or the obscure Russian fantasy horror "Viy" (1967). I was really impressed, and slightly creeped out, by the talking mirror which was played by the head of Julian Chagrin painted white with no eyeballs, partially thrust through the wall creating the simple yet convincing illusion that he's part of the frame.The acting, as I said above, is delightfully melodramatic as a fairytale should be. I agree with everyone else that Diana Rigg (an ex-Bond girl from the 70s "Her Majesty's Secret Service") is well cast as the Evil Queen, cruel, intimidating and oddly funny when she sings my favorite song from the film, "More Beautiful Than Me", sort of a wicked tango in a minor key (check it out on Youtube).Other songs range from fun to forgettable, but none are bad. Something I found interesting was the way the song styles were deliberately anachronistic and inappropriate for the setting (as with the aforementioned tango ...in 15th century Germany??).As far as fairytale adaptations go, this one is worth the price of admission. The DVD is quite rare, but occasionally you'll see one pop up on ebay for surprisingly cheap. The 2005 DVD is non-anamorphic letterboxed, meaning it's made for standard 4:3 TV sets even though the film is widescreen, and on widescreen tvs it doesn't fill the entire set. It would be nice to see this with the HD Blu-ray treatment some day. But considering for 20 years there were only a few VHS copies floating around, it's great that this cute film is finally available on disc.

Cannon Movie Tales were a low budget string of films that had remarkably big stars in them, but were really much too corny for most people's taste. I highly urge everyone to avoid the clunky adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast". The only other one I've seen is "Snow White", which is marginally better... but that's damning with faint praise, considering this version of "Snow White" isn't particularly good and has a considerable list of faults.Take, for instance, Snow White and the Prince's meeting. He meets her right after she is awakened from the poisoned apple (instead of a revitalizing kiss, the piece is jostled out of her mouth). Instead of a courtship, they immediately marry in what is easily the most joyless and mechanical wedding to ever appear in a children's film. Neither couple looks remotely happy. It could be because they haven't had a properly dated; but then, when has that ever been important in fairy tales? Couldn't one of them at least crack a hint of a smile? As the Evil Queen, Diana Rigg seems to channel Gloria Swanson from "Sunset Boulevard". In every scene Rigg was in, I waited with baited breath to hear her say, "All right, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up!" Rigg also has a dreadful musical number (and the poor dear can't sing a note) and an appallingly hideous wardrobe. We're talking foot-high headdresses and shapeless, sequined tunics. Don't you think someone as vain as the Queen would be a little more fashion savvy than this? The editing is also inexcusably poor. When little Snow White (Nicola Stapleton) is running from the hunter trying to kill her, there are random, stock footage close-ups of animals that play no part in the scene whatsoever, like the lingering shot of a python that has no payoff at all. And for such a climactic, pivotal scene, it was rather boring and ineffective.The dwarfs are at least partially amusing, acting like a bunch of aging vaudevillians, and painfully attractive brunette Sarah Patterson ("The Company of Wolves") plays Snow White. She brings nothing new to the part, but since Snow White isn't supposed to be interesting, that's to be expected.Normally, I write reviews warning people against bad movies. However, this version of "Snow White" is worth a watch for its corny screenplay, bad acting, and some of the most ridiculous sequences ever. Remember when I mentioned the poisoned piece of apple coming out of Snow White's mouth? It actually flies out of her mouth, in a hilarious, bad blue screen effect, and soars through the sky and hits the Evil Queen in the head. Words fail me.Grab a movie buddy and have a some MST3K-style quips ready for this delightfully campy fairy tale.

This story most closely depicts the origional Grimm Farie Tale as we know it. It has the apple, the corsett, and the comb! It has the seven little men, it has snow white, it has the hunter, it has the father... it's only missing one SINGLE tiny thing... the fact that Snow White's MOTHER, and not her STEP mother, is the one that wanted her dead. Then again, that's EVERY version that I've ever seen... unless the Disney version was the right way there. Don't remember. Anyhow, my favorite part of the movie is "Billy Barty". He is in SO MANY of my movies, I can pick out his voice like THAT. *Snaps*. Sure, he's only one of 7 adorable men, but still... and a couple of the songs are so precious. Not the absolutely best of the Cannon Films, but one of my long time favs.

The rarest Cannon Movie Tale, and the best adaptation of Snow White ever made. I really love this film because of the very strong female leads. Diana Rigg is exactly cast as the wicked queen. NO ONE else could have played that scheming evil and annoyed queen, while singing in perfect tune. Sarah Patterson IS the living Snow White-the Brothers Grimm themselves couldn't have chosen a better one. This film is very hard to find, but it is so worth the effort. I highly recommend it.