Abstract

Since its publication Brother Grimm’s fairy tale Snow White has been paid much attention both at home and abroad. And its vivid plot, eternal charm and great appeal have attracted numerous adapters to present it on stage and screen.

There is a close relationship between film and literature, which is difficult to explain. Though film and literature belong to different category of art, they come together to complete the interpretation of life. Literature provides high-quality materials for film. And the director of the film adapts the material and makes the story more vivid. While reading literature works, readers realize that literature works which are written in language lacks sensory image and they are less intuitive. Comprehension of the works relies mainly on the readers’ imaginations. Through imaginations, artistic images gradually generate in readers’ minds. By contrast, film is more intuitive. Film uses its own unique camera language, sound and picture to portray the image. And audience can directly obtain the information which the director of the film wants to show.

In this paper, firstly the theoretical support of film adaption is analyzed, focusing on the conversion from text to video through the process of adaption as well as the distinctive artistic perspective between the writer and the director. The factors on film adaption such as contemporary aesthetics, director’s personal style will be investigated. Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror Mirror will be illustrated as breakthrough points of the study of reasons of film adaption. The original fairy tale and two films are compared to find differences in theme, character image, perspective of narrative structure and other aspects. The two films are compared to describe the specific adaption strategies and the success or failure in them. Hopefully this paper can provide feasible suggestions for contemporary film adaption.

Key words: Snow White, film, literature, film adaption