Pablo Berger's transformation of Snow White, Blancanieves, is a fairy tale anything but Grimm

Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger has magically transformed the famous fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in his latest film Blancanieves

Angela Molina and Sofia Oria in Blancanieves.

Rating: 3 ½ stars

Director: Pablo Berger (Torremolinos 73)

Starring: Maribel Verdu, Macarena Garcia, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Sofia Oria

Here is a sublime example of how to magically transform the familiar into the original. Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger takes the famous fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and gives it a retro reboot that kicks some majorly innovative goals.

While Blancanieves will be compared by many to recent Oscar-winner The Artist - yep, it's a black-and-white silent - the two share about as much in common as a panther and a panda.

Berger is forever in attack mode behind the camera, and his film is always lively, on the move, and up for anything.

Maribel Verd stars as the stepmother in Blancanieves.

Even when dragging his audience into the darker recesses of the story, first penned by the Brothers Grimm, Berger never lets the heady momentum drop.

Nor is Blancanieves unafraid to rewrite or totally shred the source text as it sees fit.

The young heroine's name is now Carmen (played by Macarena Garcia), the daughter of a legendary bullfighter (Daniel Gimenez Cacho). Her best friend is a mischievous rooster named Pepe. Her stepmother (Maribel Verdu) is the baddest apple in all of 1920s Seville.

Lovers of film technique will be knocked out by the editing, cinematography and set designs on display. The flamenco-influenced musical score swells with sounds for sore ears.

Oh, and yes, there are dwarfs. Though there might not be seven. And Grumpy is no longer cross. He's now a cross-dresser.