In the year 2000 one of the most known portuguese directors, by the name João César Monteiro, received 650 thousand euros by the Portuguese government to develop a movie.
At the end of that year the movie was presented in theaters for everyone to see. It was called "Snow White." A 72min film which was in almost its enterity black, without any image at all!

Actual screenshot of the movie Watch The Movie Here

Cool... I guess... But why?

The movie has often been compared to Derek Jarman - Blue (1993), a movie that is in its entirety a blue screen (Watch a speed up version here).
Although the comparison is understandable, the two movies have nothing to do with each other. Derek Jarman "Blue" has layers of sound. The purpose of the movie is to make the viewer imagine the film through sound.
"Snow White" on the other hand... doens´t. The sound of the movie is just basically dialogue, there aren´t any layers, there aren´t any tricks. Its a normal movie, just without any image. In the words of the director:

"The movie is black? Maybe I left my jacket on top of the camera when filming... Well, with a small loss, its perfectly good movie for the visually impaired."

In fact, the movie is black not because of an artistic option, its black because of "technical difficulties".
Because the money to make the movie came from the government, the director had to oblige to their demands. If the government didn´t like something in the movie, it couldn´t be done. If the government though it was a waste of money to do something in the movie again... it couldn´t be done.
This happened so many times during the process of making the movie that the director decided to scrap the original, by giving back almost all of the money he recieved and cutting the relations with the government.
"Snow White" should be a literal adaptation from the book "Fairy Tales" from the writter Robert Walser. I guess it still is, but it ins´t black because of a artistic decision. The story of the actual movie ins´t the important part of it at all, the movie is like it is has a response by the director to the government.
Afcourse people got pissed that their tax money got spent on a movie that is in almost its enterity black. In a response to "Why did you decide to make the movie like this?" the director said:

"Because "they" didn´t let me do it any other way..." "What did you expect, a soup opera?..." "Public Service should´t exist, it doens´t provide anything good..." "If you don´t like it you can fuck off!"

You said "almost" black... what can we see on the movie?

Again, the movie ins´t about an adaption of "Robert Walser" book "Fairy Tales." Its about a director that got pissed off at the governments demands.
In that sence, all the images that we see (in the rare ocasions the movie ins´t black) point to that message.
The movie starts like this:

Ohh yes... that´s what you think it is... a white board that has written with a red sharpie "Snow White" in portuguese. Basically saying to the viewer that this movie is going to be **shit."
The movie goes on to say, in the same style of white board red sharpie, that when the actor that plays The Prince says "Humanity" he actually meant to say "Huminity", and then says that the director is deeply sorry for this mistake. Again, saying to the viewer that this movie is so shit that we didn´t even bother to correct it.
Next we see Robert Walser, the actual writter of the "Fairy Tales" book on the snow... committing suicide! This is a clear paralism to what happened to this film and to the director. The direct (artist) had an idea, but because of the circumstances decided to make the movie in black, in way committed suicided." It also represents the death of art, the death of a poet, the exhaustion of someone that just wants to put his heart out there by artistic means, but can´t and gives up.

Robert Walser dead in the snow.

The movie starts. It´s black... with a voice reading the book... just reading it, from the first page to the last. The movie ends with the director, mute. His lips read "No."
In the book "Fairy Tales", Snow White says "yes" to the prince and the magical world. Again, symbolizing his attitude towards his own film. The director is saying "no" to the government, the one that should be the "prince and magical world" by providing money for artists to create their art.

Last scene of the film, João César Monteiro, director, saying "No."

What can we learn from this?

Some people say this film was a rip off, just a way of a guy that wanted to put the money on their pocket and run away. But the movie completly changed rules by how a film can candidate to be given money by the government. Before this, most films that were supported by the tax payers weren´t even made, and to this day this is still an issue... sure the movie ins´t what the public expected... but at least it was made. Has the producer of the movie, Paulo Branco said at the time.

"There is nothing to talk about. We returned most of the money, the rules have been obeyed. The film is ready to go to theaters."

So... what can we learn from the movie? Well... if we give money to an artist to make a movie, and we don´t let him how he wants to do it... ins´t this giant shit of a movie a tiny bit our fault? Should we even subsidise films? Or should we only subsidise certain films? Or should we subsidise artist and then just take the final product has it is?
I don´t have the awnswer to these. But sure is something I would love to hear your opinion about.

Thanks for reading :)