In 2012 not one but two full length, live action Snow White tales will make their way into theaters. Mirror Mirror staring Julia Roberts and Snow White and the Huntsman staring Charlize Theoron -- perhaps that phrase in and of itself is proof that neither of these tales is actually about the girl Snow White, but the evil queen.
Roberts and Theoron play undoubtedly different queens. Roberts fills the role with her signature laugh and the premise tends toward slapstick. Beauty in Mirror Mirror is portrayed through bold colors, and dazzling ornateness. Theoron's character is much more of a Morgan le Fay. In Snow White and the Huntsman, beauty is a dark, sensual thing -- both erotic and cannibalistic.
In short, Mirror Mirror is the type of child's whimsy we think of today when we think "fairy tale." And Snow White and the Huntsman is a throwback what "fairy tale" meant a few hundred years ago -- actually, what it's meant for most of its existence.
