One who seeks exclusively for an amuse-bouche blending of a new take on the fairytale with fabulous costumes, spectacular sets and beautiful cinematography, may miss an essential part of the keen subtext whose symbolism creates multiple layers to peel from Mirror Mirror, directed by Tarsem Sing.  

It should be mentioned right away that this film is not another Disney version of Snow White, though the quality of the picture makes it second to none of the Disney movies, thanks to the perfect eye of cinematographer Brendan Galvin, who manages to convey the magic and keep the viewer immersed in an atmosphere of wonders. The traditional focus of the story is altered in the script, and the narrative switches from  Snow White (Lily Jane Collins) to the defeated Queen Clementianna (Julia Roberts). Screenwriters Marc Klein, Jason Keller (screenplay), and Melisa Wallack (screen story) have tweaked the traditional story by adding social context and historical subtext to the struggle between good and evil.

The story is told from the point of view of the Queen, brilliantly played by charismatic Julia Roberts with a subtle sense of humor and irony. Her hilarious heroine -- who  experiences a hypnotic effect by looking at the “smooth and hairy” body of the rubbed Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) -- would do anything to convince him that she and Snow White, who caught his eye, are “roughly the same age.”  The scenes between Roberts and Hammer are genuine treats for comedy lovers. It is truly amazing to watch the fabulous transformations of Alcott from prince charming to prince-puppy, during which a great range of Hammer’s comical-dramatic talent is revealed.

Talking about symbolism, Queen Clementianna wears a peculiar necklace, a moon charm, designed with crescent and stars. It flashes throughout the movie as a reminder of the sinister power that, as we learn right in the beginning, had been defeated. The film, therefore, becomes a story of decision making – good and bad, brilliant and mediocre.

Using the light comedic tone, the director succeeds in conveying his weighty concept through various “lenses” of his artistic talent which exhibits perfectly well the presence of his holistic vision – the main condition for good directing. Sing’s language is rich, precise, and very artful; every detail, from makeup to costume design and sets appears carefully thought-out, though the interpretation is left to the viewer.

Still, there are a few nodal points which unobtrusively hint on the subtextual meaning of the movie. First of all, consider the phraseology used by the characters. Expressions such as “people’s money,” “ high taxes,” and the like, instantly create a contemporary context within which the story of the kingdom should be viewed.

Once prosperous, the kingdom enters the dark era after its founding father, the King (Sean Bean), disappears while off to fight evil. His second wife, whom he married to give a good education to his young daughter Snow, turns the kingdom from prosperous to poverty-stricken. The tax payers’ money gets frantically spent on the Queen’s amusements, and the only hope for change becomes the King’s young daughter.

The eighteen year old Princess, an incarnation of purity and strength, chooses to follow her father’s steps to liberate her country from the wicked foreign Queen who’s ruining all the principles the King once established. Instead of relying on the external help in the person of a wealthy, but not very bright, Prince Alcott (who had appeared at the ball in the costume of a rabbit and was later turned into the Queen’s puppy), Snow seeks help from her people, the dwarfs. Her decision making starts from that initial step.

Escaping the Queen’s revenge, Snow finds herself in the dwarfs’ abode, being carried there when she lay unconscious on the ground. Seven Dwarfs offer her shelter, but not before voting “aye” and “nay” just as senators do in senate. Scenes with the dwarfs are charming, laughable and witty at the same time, owing to the precise directing that also includes choreography of the well-staged mise-en-scènes. Every dwarf has his own history and personality, their performances sparkle with humor and ingenious acting that contributes tremendously to funny yet meaningful dialogues. It should be added here that no actor from the cast steals the show. Regardless of the hierarchy of their characters, they play as an ensemble, and every personage comes across as equally unique, interesting and memorable.

SPOILER ALERT

Later on, Snow discovers that those nice little creatures are no better than the Queen, for they also steal people’s money. Disguised as monstrous giants, the dwarfs rob the strangers and tax collectors in retaliation for their ostracism. The hint on senators, however, suggests yet another symbolism of their robinhoodic activities.

Referring to her father’s values, Snow manages to convince the dwarfs to switch to the right side of history and return the money to the people. She uses a clever tactic by pronouncing them true heroes and defenders of people in front of the countrymen who receive the news with enthusiasm. In turn, the dwarfs teach their new beautiful leader self-defense.

In addition to good tactics, this young Princess uses good strategy that assists her in fighting evil. Thus, she quickly realizes how to defeat black magic. Unlike the dwarfs who fight the wooden puppets, she aims at the strings attached, simply cutting the puppets from their sinister puppeteer -- the Queen. The cinematographic solution of this scene is witty indeed; it reveals how miniscule the wooden giants are compared to the puppeteer and how much their power is exaggerated by those who don’t see the puppets’ true source of acting.  In the same way Snow rescues the King by cutting with his dagger the chain of the moon charm he wears.  

The King’s disappearance creates yet another unusual and highly symbolic twist in the story. First of all, it sharpens the question of good and evil. What does evil represent in the kingdom? The Queen claims that it’s the beast dwelling in the forest while Snow is convinced otherwise. To her, it’s the Queen who is the source of all trials her country has undergone so far.

The beast appears in the finale, and now the viewer has a chance to see how it looks. Surprisingly, this winged creature looks more like a demon, and the symbolism of such appearance gets revealed as soon as the transformation of the demon occurs. The implied pun that immediately comes to mind? The King has been demonized.

In the end, the Queen is defeated, but not by being destroyed directly. It was her bad decision making that eventually caused her self-destruction. She didn’t want to listen to her adviser, the Magic Mirror, that constantly warned her by predicting a fiasco. But even defeated, Roberts’ Queen is simply adorable. She manages to be the most charming wicked witch you’ve ever seen. Being in a constant denial, she argues even with her reflection, trying to convince herself that the wrinkles she gets from black magic are just… um… “crinkles”. Her masterful performance never stops to amuse you. At some point, her Queen reminds me remotely of no less charming Marina Neelova’s young Princess in a Russian film, Old, old fairytale, also based on Grimm’s stories (1968). Though Roberts’ Queen is mature in age, she is immature in mind, which makes the comparison possible. Her amateurish behavior causes her defeat, but she remains persistent, or simply stubborn, and she makes one more attempt to destroy the kingdom by giving Snow a Big Apple full of poison. The wedding present, however, is returned to the disguised aged Queen with a gracious smile and diplomacy.

Ultimately, no blood gets spilled, and good overcomes evil. At the wedding, the King wears a crown designed with the floral cross and the mantel embroidered with floral hexagrams.

And what about those Seven Dwarfs? They will succeed, too, no doubt. After all, they are “too small to fail.”

(Released by Relativity Media and rated "PG" for some fantasy action and mild rude humor.)