In a year of American Snow White reinventions, Spain has followed suit and picked Pablo Berger’s “Blancanieves” as its official entry for the 2013 Best Foreign-Language Oscar race. While the 1920s-set matador tale looks to be more imaginative than “Mirror Mirror” or “Snow White and the Huntsman” (and received rave reviews out of Toronto), it’s hard to know if it will resound with the Academy — the film is silent and black-and-white, which may feel “been there, done that” after the success of “The Artist.”
“Blancanieves” was picked from a shortlist that included “The Artist and the Model” (Fernando Trueba’s live-action follow-up to “Chica & Rita”) and tough cop drama “Unit 7.” Maribel Verdu (“Y Tu Mama Tambien”) stars as a delightfully smart-campy evil stepmother, who sequesters the young maiden in the lower depths of her villa.
Check out our roundup of Foreign-Language submissions (including Belgium, Japan, Norway, South Korea and Palestine) here, with Canada’s selection here, Finland’s selection here, Denmark’s selection here, Italy’s selection here and info on Iran’s decision to boycott the 2013 Oscars here.
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