Hossein Amini, Evan Daughterty, and John Lee Hancock drafted a 21st-century take on the Snow White fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm that was made into the 2012 film Snow White and the Huntsman, directed by Rupert Sanders, featuring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, and Bob Hoskins. There is a lot to appreciate in the adaptation, in particular the resonance of nurturing hand gestures of Snow White and her mother Queen Eleanor in the set up, and the antagonist—her stepmother Ravenna—at the in the denouement that hold profound depth, while significant moments between Snow White and an injured bird set a tone of compassion.
During the opening scenes, seven-year-old Snow White, finds an injured magpie. Cupping it gently, she speeds to the castle with the maimed creature. In her parents’ room, she bonds with her mother in their focus on the delicate bird, the matriarch placing her hands securely around Snow White’s. Eleanor bestows a blessing on her daughter commending her pure heart and inner strength, a last connection before the grief of the queen’s impending death, sealing empathy as Snow White’s nature.
The symbolism of the magpie takes this kindness beyond a save-the-cat moment showing that our protagonist is a good person, as screenwriting guru Blake Snyder discusses in the introduction to Save the Cat. Magpies represent omens and prophecies and are associated with witchcraft. Having these mother-daughter gestures of genuine care reinforced with meaningful symbolism makes them emotionally memorable to the audience. It suggests a timelessness and family bond that exists in a magical way beyond the moment. The gesture of caring for the flightless bird connects acutely with an unspoken part of ourselves, a body memory of deeply engrained compassion.
The queen lays her hand on Snow White’s heart, telling her, “You possess a rare beauty, my love. In here. Never lose it. Hold it dear. It will serve you well when you become Queen.” Touching her daughter’s heart while the audience knows she is dying adds wisdom beyond foreshadowing that Snow White will one day become queen by reminding the heroine to hold on to her nature. The message becomes about the type of person and leader Snow White will be.
Snow White’s heart is where the story returns again and again. The selfish Ravenna, who marries Snow White’s father only to slay him, is fixated on eating Snow White’s heart to stay eternally young. The battle for Snow White’s physical heart drives the plot of the film, but it’s her ephemeral communion with the life force that resonates, especially in the twist of sympathetic closing gestures between Snow White and Ravenna, the final clutching of hands more an assisted deathbed transition than a battle. As Ravenna gasps for air in her last moments, Snow White kneels beside her with a tear of compassion, a truthful, human moment of grace.
While the plot of Snow White and the Huntsman is brilliant, maternal, feminine gestures are its staying power, a mysticism that transcends spoken language.
C. M. Christie majored in English and screenwriting for her Honors BA from York University in Toronto and recently received her MFA in creative writing from Goddard College. She is a passionate fan of the adaptation of classics to film, and reads and writes supernatural fantasy in her spare time.