Berger gets back behind the camera for new version of Snow White

by Sergio Ríos Pérez

12/08/2011 - In 2003, Pablo Berger directed his debut feature, the drama-laced comedy Torremolinos 73 [trailer] which became one of the hits of the year and was showered with praise from critics. However, over the next eight years the Bilbao-born director remained silent, cinematically speaking. Until now that is, as he has started making his second feature, a black-and-white gothic melodrama based on the Snow White story.

Shooting in Madrid and Barcelona started on June 17 and will continue until mid-August. The film is produced by Spain’s Arcadia Motion Pictures and Mama Films and France’s Noodles Production.

Penned by Berger, this big-screen adaptation of the Grimm Brothers’ popular tale is set in 1920s Spain. Aesthetically indebted to classic cinema, the film will be "a full-blown sensory experience", according to the director.

The cast is headlined by Maribel Verdú, Angela Molina, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Pere Ponce and Josep María Pou.

As a silent film, most of its dramatic impact hinges on the soundtrack, which will be composed by two-time Oscar nominee Alberto Iglesias. And music will be at the heart of Snow White’s innovative exhibition model: before its release in cinemas, it will be screened in several Spanish theatres accompanied by a live performance of Iglesias’ musical score.

(Translated from Spanish)