Snow White

(J. Searle Dawley, US 1916, 73 min., 35mm)

Silent Tuesdays. Paramount Pictures’ first special Christmas release was this legendary and long-thought-lost version of Snow White starring Marguerite Clark, who had played the part on Broadway. Clark’s popularity in the 1910s rivaled Mary Pickford’s, but almost all of Clark’s films (unlike Pickford’s) are lost today. This enchanting film was the direct inspiration for Walt Disney’s 1937 version, and such was Disney’s enthusiasm and respect for the earlier telling that he brought Clark to the Hollywood premiere of his film. In this 1916 version, the interior sets were brought from the Broadway production to the New York studio and made even more fanciful. With delightful special effects and Clark’s uniquely cool charm, this film is an elegant and winsome experience.

Live piano by Philip C. Carli.