The French Resistance
Combat was a French Resistance newspaper founded during World War II in 1941 by Henri Frenay and Berty Albrecht, two key figures in the French Resistance. Although Combat continued to have significant cultural and political influence, it struggled with financial difficulties, and its circulation gradually declined, to finally cease publication in 1974.
Their coverage of the 1962 French re-release of the film is of particular interest. Two articles, ten days part, were published, the first of which was written by a journalist apparently abused by the media campaign orchestrated by Disney. Indeed, the slogan then was “Snow White comes back younger than ever”, due to the fact that the film had been newly dubbed by a new French cast and thus had a new soundtrack. The writer apparently thought that it meant that Disney was releasing a brand new film!
The second article is written by none other than Henry Chapier, a very famous French journalist and TV host. He is better informed and regrets that the current Disney productions have lost some of the charm that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs brought to the screen.
Untitled article
by unknown journalist (December 15, 1962)
Every year — during the Christmas season — a new Walt Disney production is released, much to the delight of children.
This time, it’s a new version of the adventure “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” directed by Dave Hand.
Moreover, judging by the American press, Disney seems to have abandoned its usual classic style, instead drawing inspiration from “the great era of engraving” that was the 19th century.
Technical advancements have, moreover, greatly benefited animation, especially in the area of special effects.
However, the genre requires a massive participation of technicians: more than 600 were mobilized for this animated “superproduction.”
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” will be released starting December 20th at the Mercury, Madeleine, Max-Linder, Images, and Bretagne theaters.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt Disney, a Christmas Fantasy…
by Henry Chapier (December 25, 1962)
It’s the Walt Disney of our childhood, remembered nostalgically by more than a few of us.
The story of Snow White being awakened from her deathly sleep by Prince Charming — who doesn’t know it?
The other evening, both adults and children seemed to find the same enjoyment they once did, when the film was first released, on the eve of the war.
Today, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs returns with a new soundtrack and a better-quality print; it’s the perfect show for Christmas, essentially a “classic” fairy tale for children.
It would be hard to seriously engage in a stripped-down critique of this film. There’s a favorable “preconceived” bias at play, a willing surrender to the magic of animation.
Walt Disney productions have since lost that innocent and gentle character. Their latest films show much more attention to the commercial implications of the genre than to its freshness and spontaneity.
All the more reason, if Snow White is an exception, to take those who don’t yet know this charming story with its familiar characters to see it…
