‘Schneewittchen’: Experiencing the death of cinema
- Samuel Stephenson
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
At the end of April earlier this year, I found myself at Glasgow Film Theatre (one of Scotland’s best) for one of the only screenings of Stanley Schtinter’s Schneewittchen. The film is very loosely based off Snow White. Robert Walser, a German playwright, adapted Snow White into a flash drama which begins where the original ends, where the characters are made aware of their roles within the fairy tale. The play was then adapted into a Portuguese film where the story is told by actors reading their lines in front of a black screen, which is occasionally intercut with images of clouds. So, what was born out of all of this was an English language adaptation, directed by Schtinter. The screening was the only one the cinema was offering, intended to be shown from a 35mm reel. Schtinter was also present for an introduction and a QNA.
In an interview with Gareth Evans, Schtinter describes João César Monteiro’s Portuguese film (on which this is based) as the last film that would ever be remade. Those words made the most sense when trying to piece together what the point of it was. The film itself was perhaps as interesting as a 70-minute black screen presented behind convoluted dialogue could ever be. It was rather the experience of it all which stuck with me. At the screening, there were probably less than 10 people there in total, in a theatre which could accommodate over 100. But I was still filled with excitement. To me, the prospect of getting to see any film projected on film is exciting, as it is a rare occasion for Scottish cinemas. Yet before the film, Schtinter reveals to us that he has bad news. The 35mm reel that this film was meant to be shown with was lost in Mexico, so now the film was going to be shown digitally. He then shows us some merch he is selling, including a melted snow roll-on stick, and a plain black t-shirt. Then the film begins.
What was experienced not only felt like how Schtinter had described it, as a remake of the last film that would ever be remade, but further, as the death of cinema itself (complimentary). The film stars really well-known, adored actors, including British national treasure Toby Jones, but you don’t even get to watch them act. In Schneewittchen, everything is stripped away. The source material, for example, has already been recycled and has been reproduced yet again, making it feel unrecognisable when compared to the original. The merchandise - of which you had to approach Schtinter after the film if you wanted to buy– had no real value to it as it was essentially based off of a largely empty work. Perhaps the only originality the film had going for it was the fact that it was planning to be shown on 35mm – a bewildering choice for something that uses images so sparingly – turned out to have disappeared. I wonder if that part was intentional.
After the movie, I got the chance to speak to Schtinter (who was really nice to me, even giving me his book) and was fascinated by what he had created. Sequels, remakes, and spin-offs are a good financial choice for studios, as people are obviously already familiar with the existing IP, therefore the films get butts in seats. Slap a few well-known actors in there and create merchandise as well as partnering with manufacturers and you are bound to make some cash. But with Disney’s Snow White, which released earlier this year, and absolutely bombed at the box office, it seems the magic of existing IP is slowly stating to wear away. And with Schneewittchen, a remake stemming from Snow White, one of the most well-known fairy tales, it is all gone. The film has lost what made the original tale adored in the first place, the attendance (for one of the only two screenings in Scotland) was lacklustre, and any merchandise fails in concept due to the lack of substance behind what it is based off. Completely unlike all work based off existing IP, the film was borderline inaccessible due to the fact that there are only two screenings in Scotland, hence you likely had to make a trip if you wanted to see it.
In the alternate reality where Schneewittchen exists, the world of IP has been fully drained. Everything has already been remade. With a live action remake of Moana on the way, less than two years after the animated sequel, things are not getting any better. Hollywood is dying, and recycling existing IP is its life support. Does the end of remakes result in a new era of original work, or the death of cinema itself?
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