by Fred Topel
“If you can tell it visually, don’t talk about it.”
– Tarsem Singh
At the movies, Tarsem Singh is best known for edgy, darkly visual thrillers like The Cell and Immortals. For fans of those movies, the family friendly fairy tale Mirror Mirror seems like a left turn. For Signh it is not.
The director won acclaim for his music videos and industry clout for his commercial work. Notable videos include R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.” In his commercials, you wouldn’t know Singh was there because it’s all about the client’s product. Mirror Mirror is a new version of the Snow White fairy tale, the first of two with Snow White and the Huntsman coming this summer. Singh’s version is a traditional costume fantasy, albeit with his own unique visuals and a feminist twist. This Snow White (Lily Collins) saves Prince Charming (Armie Hammer) with HER kiss instead of vice versa. She also becomes a kick ass heroine with the seven dwarves. Snow sings a Bollywood style musical number over the end titles. Julia Roberts plays the evil queen, who actually enters the mirror into an alternate realm where her reflection cautions her against evil magic.
On the press circuit with his stars, Singh has been revealing he did not intend to make four visual movies, and that he had some ideas about stepmothers he could not fit into the movie. So when we had a chance to speak with him privately over the phone, we were able to ask him to elaborate personally on the ideas in his latest film.
Read our exclusive interview with Tarsem Singh on SuicideGirls.com.
