Product Details

• Actors: Becky Stark; Floyd King; Mark Jaster; Johnny Elkes; Caitlin O'Connell; John Neville-Andrews
• Directors: Tom Davenport
• Format: NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Davenport Films
• DVD Release Date: May 1, 2005
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000K14LNQ
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #145,983 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Davenport Films calls this production an American version of "Snow White," but that description undervalues this exceptional work. "Willa" artfully interweaves the classic tales of "Snow White" and "Romeo and Juliet," and throws in hints of the Wizard of Oz to boot. This iconoclastic combination works remarkably well. The result is charming, funny, unpredictable, and deeply touching. At the outset, a young girl named Willa tries to win the affection of her stepmother, an accomplished actress now past her prime. Unable to cope with her stepdaughter's beauty and talent, the mother sends her driver to murder the girl. Instead, the driver drops Willa in the woods where she stumbles upon a trio of itinerant performers. "This beautifully produced and well-acted production (the cast was recruited from Washington DC's American Shakespeare Theater) is the first feature-length adaptation by Davenport Films. The company has previously produced several excellent films adapted from Grimm's fairy tales. Of the half a dozen Davenport Film productions I've seen, this is the company's best work so far." --Children's Video Reports Vol. 11 No. 4/5 1997

Review

"Tom Davenport's latest production in his Brother's Grimm series is this stylish remake of 'Snow White,' set in early-twentieth century America. While warily warm at the outset, the relationship between beautiful, young Willa and the older Regina, a famous stage actress who had married Willa's late father, deteriorates, setting the stage for the older actress's spiral into jealous madness. Willa escapes Regina's revenge, joins a medicine show and its three odd showmen, and, in her travels, comes across her (eventual) "prince charming" -- a movie producer on his way to California. The acting is superb, with parts convincingly portrayed, often with a telling glance or body position. Davenport's use of light and camera angles reflects the darkness of the original tale; this production, however, is not dark, for it is sprinkled with humor. There is a murder and a fiery death, but the effective editing allows the mind to imagine rather than the eyes to see too much. An excellent addition to the filmmaker's folktale series, it will be enjoyed by both older children and adults." --Debbie McLeod Booklist (The American Library Association)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beguilingly Different, June 7, 2007

By	Michael Cornett "Madman" (Takoma Park, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is no mass-produced cartoon, but a lovingly crafted version of the classic tale. Tom Davenport knows his folklore, and translates the fairy-tale ideas well to a 20th century setting.

Set in about 1920, we have innocent young Willa at the hands of her stepmother, a once-famous stage actress. But the stepmother grows jealous of Willa's beauty and talent, and as she descends into insanity, demands Willa's death. Willa escapes and instead of joining up with a group of dwarves, meets a traveling medicine show, and later meets Prince Charming in the form of a would-be filmmaker. But the stepmother begins to suspect....

The film has its limitations; any low-budget independent project will. But the settings (filmed in rural Virginia) are lovely, and the cast (made up largely of Shakespearean performers from Washington DC) does a magnificent job.

This was the last (or one of the last) films in Davenport's series "From the Brothers Grimm," which set traditional folk and fairy tales in rural Appalachia, in settings varying from the colonial period to WWII. I've seen a few, and if they're any indicator then they're all worth watching.

This project is good for both children and adults; while sometimes dramatic and scary, it's never too tasteless for kids, and never too cutesy or cloying for adults. It's truly family entertainment.

The DVD also contains two fascinating short documentaries. BORN FOR HARD LUCK, directed by Davenport, is a portrait of Arthur "Peg Leg Sam" Jackson, a musician and former medicine-show performer. FREE SHOW TONIGHT is a zesty history of medicine shows and shows a one-time revival of an old-style medicine show in a small Southern town. All told, this is a great entertainment and educational package.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Underappreciated Masterpiece, July 16, 2007

By	Sabrinus "The Undead Princess" (Hollywood, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

When I first saw this movie, I was 8 and my mother had checked it out from the library for me. Now 18, and in a nostalgic mood, I've rewatched this and found it just as enjoyable as I once did.
It has a lot of charm that they family can enjoy, but is still gritty enough to keep some more morbid people (like me) entertained.