50th San Francisco International Film Festival Celebrates 70th Anniversary Of Walt Disney’s Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

Special Screening of Timeless Classic Pays Homage to Disney’s Extraordinary Legacy and His Public Appearance at 1965 SF International

April 3, 2007

San Francisco, CA - The 50th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 26–May 10) is celebrating the 70th anniversary of Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with a special screening on Saturday, May 5 at 10:00 am at the Sundance Cinemas Kabuki.

Disney has a history with the International: Snow White was shown at the 1965 Festival and Disney, who was presented that year with the Festival’s Native Son Award, was there to talk about the making of the film.  A sparkling new 35mm print of the film has been struck especially for the 50th International, making this screening even more of a special event for children and families throughout the Bay Area.

Walt Disney holds another strong connection to San Francisco, with the Walt Disney Family Museum and Library, to be located in the Presidio’s Main Post a stone’s throw from the San Francisco Film Society offices, expected to open in August 2009. The multifaceted museum will provide a permanent source of information on Disney, his accomplishments, and the period of American history and culture that he greatly influenced.

“Walt Disney is a giant in American cinema and we are so happy to be able to bring to the 50th International this special 70th Anniversary screening of one of his finest and best-loved films,” said Graham Leggat, San Francisco Film Society executive director. “We are very grateful to the Disney family and the Disney corporation for striking a new print and making this wonderful event possible.”

Disney’s animation masterpiece Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs—the studio’s first feature-length film—endures as a lustrous fairy tale in which that famous “mirror, mirror on the wall” still reflects startlingly adult truths amid childlike enchantment and magical musical numbers. Widely referred to as “Disney’s folly” during production, the budget of which eventually skyrocketed to a then unheard-of $1.5 million, Walt’s ambitious, painstakingly hand-drawn, whimsical yet threatening tale of infanticide and wish-fulfillment was released in 1937 to worldwide acclaim. Sergei Eisenstein, no less, called it the greatest film ever made, and subsequent generations have similarly embraced this timeless classic.

While younger viewers remain enraptured by the dark yet “happily ever after” story of a charming princess rescued from the clutches of her evil stepmother by a septet of small-statured, adjective-named forest dwellers and a handsome if rather bland prince, adults returning to the film might be startled by the sophistication of its subtexts. Surely, many a doctoral thesis has been written on the twisted familial betrayals, complicated gender politics and thinly veiled critiques of impossible beauty standards and rampant capitalism (heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s off to work we go). And what are the relationships among Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy, Bashful, Sleepy and Dopey (Blabby, Jumpy and Shifty didn’t make it past the script’s first draft) if not codependent? Rife with symbolism, resplendently animated and buoyed by superb songs (“Whistle While You Work,” “Some Day My Prince Will Come”), Disney’s Technicolor triumph fully deserves this anniversary celebration.

Snow White is loved by audiences of all ages (recommended for ages 7 and up) but is particularly suited, of course, to families. This year’s SFIFF will feature four other family-friendly film programs, including:

Mukhsin
A 12—year-old Malaysian boy’s friendship with a sharp-tongued, assertive little girl moves awkwardly and wistfully into first love in this gently comic prequel to Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet (SFIFF 2005) and Gubra (SFIFF 2006).Recommended for ages 11 and up.

The Third Monday in October
Fall 2004. Bush and Kerry debate Iraq and the economy. But for 11 candidates running for middle school president, junk food and bathroom stalls are the issues of import. Election meets Spellbound in Vanessa Roth’s engaging exposé of the Future Politicos of America. Recommended for ages 11 and up.

Up, Up and Away (Shorts Program)
This diverse collection of short films from around the globe will carry away viewers young and old to far-flung destinations both real and imagined. No plane tickets or passports necessary. Recommended for ages 7 and up.

The Reel Youth Revolution (Shorts Program)
This revolution starts now, as new ideas make the journey from youthful hands clutching their first cameras to a climactic on-screen conclusion. The next generation is ready for a change, and has the vision and heart to transform the world they live in with their wonderful youth-made shorts. Recommended for ages 11 and up.