PREPPING FOR THE CLIMAX
Another cross-cut back to the old Peddler Woman now advancing through the daylit forest, mumbling to herself still reviewing the niceties of her scheme. She passes beneath a tree in which two vultures perch, watching her. They exchange a knowing glance then take flight, their shadows following the Witch down the pathway. The backgrounds show gnarled and desiccated trees with subtle hints of death heads among them.
Cross-fade back to the dwarfs’ cottage where Snow White is now fulfilling her promise to the little men the night before: she is baking gooseberry pies in front of an open window as usual surrounded by her coterie of animal helpers.
As she rolls out the dough she sings a reprise of “Someday My Prince Will Come”. Birds are especially helpful – flouring the dough, crimping the edges of the pie, catching the trimmings and using them to spell out “Grumpy” across its surface. Admiring her handiwork as she finishes singing, the princess becomes suddenly aware of a dark shadow blocking out the light from the window. She gasps and looks up only to confront the Witch outside spying on her with an especially ghastly scowl across her face, her boney hands resting on the sill. This malicious expression softens somewhat with a smile as the crone chuckles and queries “All alone, my pet?”
Wisely abandoned was another extended sequence which would have intervened before this confrontation: a “lodge meeting” of the dwarfs at their mine to determine what sort of gift they might prepare to present to their new household member. Upon their decision to build her a bed (co-incidentally relieving them of the discomforts of sleeping downstairs!) an elaborate inventive scene was story-boarded detailing their skillful construction of this decoratively hand-carved furnishing. According to Kaufman not only was this entire sequence story-boarded and chock-full of personality gags, some of it was even animated once again by Ward Kimball, whose entirely finished soup-eating sequence had already been cut.
“This was kind of a tragic period in my animation life,” [Kimball] recalled wryly in later years.[1]
Such a sequence would have drastically interrupted the momentum of the film toward its impending climax.
Instead this initial encounter between Snow White and the Witch begins leisurely enough but escalates into a scene of dire suspense as the old hag insinuates herself further and further into the princess’ gullible innocence. After determining that the little men are indeed off the premises she suggests that Snow White would please them better by making apple pies for them and offers her the bright red one from her basket for the princess to sample. The birds become increasingly suspicious especially when they notice those two vultures perched nearby paying voracious attention. Recognizing the danger the birds flock into an attack on the Witch causing her to drop the apple. Snow White dashes outside to shoo them away, shaming them for attacking a “poor old lady”. The Witch retrieves her apple from the ground and wipes it on the sleeve of her robe. The young girl comforts her gently, and seizing her opportunity the crone feigns a heart attack and asks to go inside the house for a drink of water. Snow White obliges. All the animals are now alerted to the danger and gather at the window watching anxiously within as the Witch guards her apple and scowls maliciously at Snow White behind her back. Encouraged by the twittering birds, the frenzied critters turn and dash into the forest after help, even the turtle hastening along as best he can.
The cinematic technique of cross-cutting – used already between long previous sequences – now becomes increasingly rapid-fire and dramatically intensifies the film. As Kaufman points out…
…the filmmaker can work the audience into a state of unbearable suspense by skillfully cutting back and forth… the Disney animals and birds… [which] have already helped to give this version of Snow White its warm, distinctive quality, now also function as the engine to drive the film’s climactic action… roused by Snow White’s danger, they become an army galloping to the rescue and propel the film into an extended, exciting climax…[2]
In addition to this cross-cutting some of the editing within the cross-cuts becomes also rapid-fire, increasing the sense of frenzied urgency especially since the wild speed of the dwarfs’ ride to the rescue is contrasted impatiently with the slow steady but eager resolve of the Witch’s seduction.
[1] Kaufman, J.B.: op. cit., p. 207.
[2] Kaufman, J.B.: op. cit., p.212.
