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Gene KearneySilent Snow, Secret Snow (1966)

Alienation, angst, and schizophrenia are powerful themes addressed by Kearney in this forgotten masterpiece. From a story by Conrad Aiken.


This movie is part of the collection: Academic Film Archive of North America

Producer: Gene Kearney
Sponsor: Rob McGlynn
Audio/Visual: sound, black and white
Keywords: schizophrenia; teen angst

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Reviewer: smackmiranda - - October 9, 2009
Subject: Astonishing
This must surely rate as one of the most beautiful and haunting short films I've ever seen. Everything, literally everything about this film is on point- the acting, the cinematography, the lighting, the soundtrack. Far superior to the later television remake, what a terrible shame this is practically forgotten and what a relief that someone has presevered it here. I'd love to hear the radio version too, anyone have any ideas?

Seriously, this is incredible.

Reviewer: cosmicolada - - August 29, 2009
Subject: Touching
This short 17 minute film packs more of a punch than most films of two hours or more in length. The starkness of sound and picture and monochrome makes for a more powerful experience than the later Night Gallery version, IMHO.

As for the end being cut off, very little seems lost. Yes, it's an occasionally "splicey" print, but the final shot moves in and goes to black, and as I recall there's nothing left after that but an "end" card.

Reviewer: cpmcdill [Webbed Hand] - - August 29, 2009
Subject: very atmospheric
An excellent film. Pity about it being cut off prematurely at the end. Some people were wondering about the Night Gallery version (http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1932395289/ - starts at 34:00 mark). It is less intense than this one, in my opinion.

Reviewer: Dark Moon - - August 26, 2009
Subject: Cut short
I guess we can figure out how it ends, but the video stops just as he is withdrawing from his hated mother. The whole movie builds to this scene, and then the scene got cut when the film was copied to digital. Disappointing... :( Now I wish I could see the Night Gallery episode that other reviewers have mentioned.

One has to wonder, though. I guess the smoke did it-- a lifetime breathing his parents' second-hand nicotine poisoned his brain. I wonder how else they poisoned his brain?

Reviewer: creepylibrarian - - August 17, 2009
Subject: Beautiful interspective.
This is truly a wonderful piece,i found myself in the character...truly longing for the snow.If you let yourself be in the character you can really feel his yearning for that other place.
i have not seen the Night Gallery version,but this short truly stands on it's own merit.
Amazingly a true journey inside the mind and how an only child born with that special spark can slip into his own imagination,sometimes without an exit.

Reviewer: Scrubber123 - - July 23, 2009
Subject: Not about Autism
This story is not about schizophrenia nor is it about autism. Its horror story about a boy's retreat into total catatonia. Schizophrenics and autistics can still interact with the world, this story is about a boy's total retreat from the world, it has nothing to do with autism at all.

Reviewer: nigeldavahah - - June 14, 2009
Subject: GOOD
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Reviewer: Real Kold War Kid - - June 13, 2009
Subject: Saw this in 2 different classes
I first saw this in a high school English class in the 70s, where we had to write on what the boy was thinking and feeling.I saw not too many years later in an Ab Psych class, where we watched after discussing schizophrenia.

Reviewer: Nightmaretony - - September 8, 2008
Subject: An unsettling masterpiece
The Night Gallery version is considered as one of the finest episodes they have ever done. This version is older with a different vibe.

This is a journey of a young boy into isolation and schizophrenia. The result today could possibly be called autism. The story was originally written in 1934 and is timeless. A well done remake faithful to the storyline would be just as compelling.

If you compare this version with the Night Gallery version, it will suffer as the music is far more unsettling and the narration is not the rich insinuations of Orson Welles.

It was truly forgotten. IMDB does not even have a listing for this one (hopefully recitified soon). As a coincident, Gene Kearney did some writing for Night Gallery. Would we be willing to bet that he was the one who introduced this wonderful story to that show?