The Seven Dwarfs
to the Rescue
(aka I SETTE NANI ALLA RISCOSSA)
With: George Marchal (the Prince of Darkness), Rosanna Podesta (Snow White), Roberto Risso (Prince Charming), Ave Ninohi (The Nanny), Rossana Martini (the Chambermaid), ("and the Seven Dwarfs"): Salvatore Furnari, Francesco Gatto, Ulisse Lorenzelli, Mario Mastrantonio, Giovanni Solinas, Arturo Tosi, Domenico Tosi
English-Language Version:
Plot Outline (Imdb): Snow White has gone off with her Prince Charming, leaving her friends the dwarfs on their own again in the woods. Before the lovers can be wed, however, the Prince is defeated in battle by a rebellious duke, and Snow White is kidnapped by the Prince of Evil. Learning of what has happened to her, the seven dwarfs take it upon themselves to organize the rescue. Will they be in time to stop the evil Prince before he forces Snow White to become his wife?
***
Plot Outline (from the pressbook): Snow White and Prince Charming are now happily married, rule their lands and enjoy life in their castle. The Seven Dwarfs, busily occupied with their chores, send a message to Snow White that they will visit her any time she wants them. just before the arrival of this message, a nobleman rides up to the castle and tells Prince Charming that a powerful neighboring Duke and his army have crossed the border and are burning and stealing property. He, the Prince, must lead his army against the invaders and, of course, he leaves at once.
Snow White is now lonely and pining when the Dwarf's message arrives and she and Nanny, her devoted servant and confidante, send for the Seven Dwarfs so she will have company and be entertained. Then, several days later, a wounded messenger rides up to the castle saying that Prince Charming has been captured in battle and is being held for ransom by the Duke.
Snow White immediately decides to take the priceless royal crown and go herself, with Nanny and a small escort, to ransom her Prince. They set out, led by the messenger, but find out too late that they have been fooled and led into a trap and are now in the hands of the evil Prince of Darkness.
Nanny, however, has fallen too far behind the entourage to be caught in this trap but has seen what happened. In the meantime, after much humorous preparation, the Seven Dwarfs are ready to leave for the castle.
The night before their departure, they all have the same dream - that Snow White has been captured by the Prince of Darkness and held prisoner. They send one dwarf to find Prince Charming and set out to rescue her, but through magical powers, the evil Prince finds out and places terrible hardships in their way.
Finally, the Dwarfs approach the evil Prince's castle and find Nanny wandering about. They join forces and, by clever schemes, contrive to enter the castle in search of Snow White. By hilarious trickery, Nanny and the Dwarfs manage to disrupt the evil Prince's castle, find Snow. White, and destroy the complicated machinery by which the evil Prince works his magic in a secret room.
At this point, the seventh dwarf having found Prince Charming at the head of his victorious forces, the conquering army with their Prince at its head gallops up to the castle and completes the destruction of the Prince of Darkness and his followers. All is serene once again with the triumphant Seven Dwarfs finishing up their chores before going off to live happily ever after with the reunited Prince Charming and Snow White in their castle.
***
THE SEVEN DWARFS TO THE RESCUE is a haunting gothic fairy tale-fantasy, rich in texture and nuance, more allegorical than literal. Like Jean Cocteau's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, 7D takes a traditional fairy tale framework and creates an exciting, atmospheric portrait of the eternal battle between good and evil.
7D delivers much more than one would expect from a "Kiddie Movie". Indeed, producer Barry Yellen maintains that the source film, I SETTE NANI ALLA RISCOSSA, was originally intended as an allegorical fantasy intended for adults, not the youth market. While re-recording the English dialogue for Childhood Production's inaugural release, Yellen had to virtually rewrite the whole script! "I kept asking the translator what the actors were saying, and kept responding, 'They can't say that! This is a kid's picture!'"
In fact, there is abundant sexual tension in 7D, so likely there was considerable sexual subtext in the original script. Snow White, beautifully played by popular Italian actress Rossana Podesta, seems almost overtly sexually attracted to Prince Charming, a fact which reminds us that this film was intended as a sequel to "Snow White", and the fairy tale couple have in all probability consummated their affections! Thus, the Seven Dwarfs, although wizened and wise, function as the couples' extended family, their surrogate children. Indeed, when we first see the dwarfs, they are trying to "learn their lessons", as all good children should.
The rich black and white photography by Aldo Giordani paints a true fairy tale landscape with lush, pastoral exteriors and fantastic, sculptural interior sets.
There are some wonderfully creepy scenes in a magnificent underwater city, as some sexy sea maidens attempt to seduce our little gnomes.
Alessandro Cicognini's exciting musical score alternates rousing dramatic themes with ethereal, mystical cues that convey wonder and a sense of the supernatural.
The Prince of Darkness is a frightening character, a rage-repressed gentleman with a gruesome headpiece, looking like an animal's skin, replete with what may be goat's ears. His throne consists of an immense gargoyle, surrounded by grimacing stone lions.
As the dwarfs plod through the Dark Prince's Hell-like kingdom to rescue Snow White, they are submitted to trials by water, by fire, by water again, and then by snow. As in many fairy tales, this figurative change of seasons figures heavily in the protagonists' personal spiritual journey. (This breathtaking scene also brings to mind the pilgrimage of the damned soul through the rings of Dante's Inferno.)
One amusing scene depicts the dwarfs tricking a caveman-like giant with a cat's cradle, an simple but effective example of using intelligence to outwit idiot braun. In fact, using brains and perseverance to battle Evil's half-baked plans and impulsive nature may be 7D's most piquant lesson.
Two other pivotal characters in the film are Snow White's Nanny, and the Dark Prince's chambermaid, both of whom are willing servants to our embattled heroine.
The exciting climax takes place in the Dark Princes' amazing scientific laboratory, a bizarre techno-scape which predates similar "magic labs" in SANTA CLAUS and BABES IN TOYLAND. In fact, the proto-modern lab here may well have been influenced by the art-deco set design in Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS.
In all, THE SEVEN DWARFS TO THE RESCUE is a terrific adventure-fantasy, with a touch of "Sword 'n Sandal", and proved to be an auspicious beginning for Kiddie Matinee giants Childhood Productions. 7D purportedly cost a measly $20,000 to acquire and prepare for the U.S. market. And how did it fare at the boxoffice? According to Yellen, "Terrific, just terrific!"
Video/DVD availability:VHS (Kid Rhino), DVD (???)
Links of related interest:
the Prince of Darkness.
The Seven Dwarfs in the underwater kingdom.
The Seven Dwarfs battle a diabolic blizzard.
The terrible Sea Sirens!
Snow White asks the Seven Dwarfs to live with her.
(1951, Italy) black and white 84 minutes
PWT Produzione
Screenplay: Paolo William Tamburella
Music: Alessandro Cicognini
Cinematography: Aldo Giordani
Produced by Ferruccio Biancini, Paolo William Tamburella
Directed by Paolo William Tamburella (as "P.W. Tamburella")
(1965) Childhood Productions 79 minutes (January release)
National Screen Service #65-67
Italian credits and synopsis
