Donald Sutherland’s 10 Best President Snow Scenes In The Hunger Games Movies

Summary

• Sutherland astutely embodied President Snow’s tyranny in the
  Hunger Games
  franchise.
• Snow’s calculated psychology, power plays, and ominous interactions are captured by Sutherland’s nuanced portrayal.
• Sutherland’s impeccable performance adds depth and chilling realism to Snow, elevating the character and the story’s complexity.

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The Hunger Games movie franchise was lucky to have Donald Sutherland playing the primary villain of President Coriolanus Snow, whose best scenes offer the most poignant illustration of the tyranny the characters are fighting. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself at the center of a conflict over the dystopian country of Panem, where President Snow — and in a secondary sense, President Alma Coin (Julianna Moore) — embody corrupted power, committing heinous acts to maintain that power. Snow is such an interesting villain because he has a great understanding of the psychology of the people he is trying to subjugate.

Throughout the Hunger Games movies, Sutherland perfectly portrays Snow’s thought process. He has some complex moments with Lawrence where Snow pushes her into being a tool for his regime, presenting arguments for the safety of Panem’s people that make sense to her. Yet Sutherland has some even more chilling scenes with Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) and Plutarch Heveansbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) where he is upfront about his goal to beat the districts into submission, demonstrating his honed approach. Sutherland’s performance is characterized by a dignified, logical, and unperturbed delivery, illustrating how the banality of evil takes shape in this world.

Movie	Release date	President Snow actor
The Hunger Games	2012	Donald Sutherland
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire	2013	Donald Sutherland
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1	2014	Donald Sutherland
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2	2015	Donald Sutherland
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes	2023	Tom Blyth, with a voice cameo by Donald Sutherland

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10 The First Tribute Parade

The Hunger Games

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Snow’s first on-screen appearance is at Katniss and Peeta Mellark’s (Josh Hutcherson) first tribute parade. The sequence is characterized by the fabricated festivities in the Capitol surrounding the introduction of each batch of tributes, a tradition in which Snow himself has a role to play. Snow’s words to the tributes have a literal meaning of respect and gratitude, showcasing how the Games are presented as a celebratory rather than a horrific spectacle.

Sutherland gives the character a strong start here, showing a more subtle version of Snow’s cruelty than the audience will see later. He wears the facade of a firm but respectable leader, taking time out of his busy schedule to welcome the tributes. However, even in this scene where he is not given much to work with, Sutherland has a frightening presence as Snow. It is bolstered by the fact that Katniss and the audience both know Snow is the driving force behind the Games and the conditions in the districts, juxtaposing with his polite words.

9 Snow Asks Seneca: “Why Do We Have A Winner?”

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While the focus stays on Katniss, the movies grant the audience some of the benefits of a multi-perspective story by showing some scenes with Snow that Katniss has no way of knowing about. The behind-the-scenes conversation between Snow and Seneca is actually one of the most impactful moments with him, informing the audience that this character will be given more depth. Following Katniss’ defiant display of her archery skills in training, Seneca ends up at Snow’s mansion to discuss his decision to award her a high score anyway.

Sutherland’s cool delivery during this momentous scene shows how it is all just an equation to Snow.

Which is when Snow offers his most evil yet accurate insight into controlling the districts: giving them some hope of survival allows the Capitol to control how they fight for it, but allowing people like Katniss to think they can get away with too much will undermine their authority. Seneca is later executed for allowing Katniss to survive the Games, while Snow spends the rest of the series trying to quell hope because it has grown beyond what he can control. Meanwhile, Sutherland’s cool delivery during this momentous scene shows how it is all just an equation to Snow.

8 Snow Watches Katniss & Peeta’s Homecoming

The Hunger Games

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The first Hunger Games movie pulls off a foreboding ending with the final shot being of Snow rather than Katniss. Katniss and Snow have a moment shortly before the movie cuts to her and Peeta on the train home, where Snow crowns Katniss as a Hunger Games victor with all his usual decorum. He also politely compliments her pin, although he may already know that it is becoming a symbol of the rebellion.

Katniss and Peeta’s homecoming is a bittersweet but generally uplifting end to the movie. However, it then shows Snow watching a broadcast of their return from the Capitol, intently and threateningly focused, before stalking away (with a well-timed synthetic sound beat for dramatic effect). Although he does not speak at all in this final shot, Sutherland manages to convey how Snow is already calculating how to deal with the problem Katniss has created, the results of which will not be good for her.

7 Snow Threatens Katniss

Catching Fire

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Snow and Katniss’ first real conversation at the beginning of Catching Fire is immeasurably complicated and a testament to both Sutherland and Lawrence’s abilities. Snow actually clues Katniss in on his worldview during this scene, of how he understands that one simple act can cause a nationwide upheaval. He convinces Katniss that this would be a bad thing because of the resulting casualties. Despite being scared for her family, Katniss is still mildly sarcastic and defiant in her retorts.

Snow, however, is genuinely trying to win Katniss over, but is threatening her at the same time. He strategically comments on small details to unnerve her and asserts his power with his calm presence. Getting this scene right was vital, as it represents a significant moment in Snow and Katniss’ dynamic, constituting a dark but profound discourse about Panem’s government.

6 Snow Toasts Katniss & Peeta’s Engagement

Catching Fire

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During the presidential mansion party at the end of Katniss’ victory tour, Sutherland returns to Snow’s persona of a gracious leader who congratulates Katniss and Peeta on their engagement. However, this time, it is layered with the signal Snow sends Katniss that she has not failed to end the uprisings in the districts. The moment is a bit forced, because the movie expects the audience to believe Snow shaking his head is something only Katniss sees, but Sutherland nails the slight change of expression. Snow then takes a drink from his wine glass, resulting in blood filling up the beverage.

This moment is an early allusion to the bloody details of Snow’s rise to power, which Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) explains later. Snow coughs up blood because he has historically poisoned his political rivals; he took some of the poisons himself to deflect suspicion, and while the antidotes saved his life, he was left with bloody sores in his mouth. Sutherland’s expression here is again perfect: He looks at the wine glass with only the slightest bit of concern, as Snow has long accepted what he sees as the necessary costs of ruling Panem.

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5 Snow’s First Conversation with Plutarch

Catching Fire

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Sutherland and Hoffman also provide some amazing scenes as a duo in Catching Fire, an excellent use of two of the series’ biggest veteran stars. Snow and Plutarch’s back and forth is about regaining control of the districts. It shows how Snow understands what Katniss is to the people and that they will fight back despite terrible odds, while Plutarch can keep up with Snow’s thought processes of terror tactics.

However, the scene is colored by most of the audience knowing that Plutarch is an undercover rebel himself. Hoffman probably gives the more memorable performance during the scenes between their characters, hinting at Plutarch’s double life. However, Sutherland’s acting is still a vital part of it. The tense conversations which the audience knows are incredibly dangerous for Plutarch have the biggest effect because Hoffman has Sutherland to work with.

4 Snow Watches Katniss Destroy The Arena

Catching Fire

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Snow is as invested in watching the Games as anyone during Katniss’ fateful Quarter Quell. She briefly considers killing Finnick, believing that he is part of a plan for the other victors to betray and kill her and Peeta. Snow viciously talks to her/himself, saying to shoot Finnick. However, when Katniss changes her mind and destroys the arena instead, Sutherland dons a look of shock and confusion that is still in character.

Snow then begins calling for Plutarch as the arena goes down. It is an important scene because it is the only one in the series where Snow is truly shaken. Sutherland’s ability to portray Snow as powerful and in control is important, but he is ultimately going to lose the war in this story. When he is eventually captured, he maintains composure, but here he is genuinely surprised. Sutherland shows an important part of any villain’s story — when the hero accomplishes something they didn’t expect — and how it affects Snow in that moment.

3 Snow Talks To Katniss During Rescue Mission

Mockingjay — Part 1

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Snow and Katniss are removed from each other for most of the Mockingjay novel, but he still manipulates and terrorizes her from a distance. However, the movie adds an extra scene with them to give Snow a bigger presence in the cinematic adaptation. The movie-theater video call conversation is a bit awkward in structure, although it at least makes sense that Katniss is rambling a bit, as she is trying to distract him while the rebels rescue Peeta.

However, despite any weaknesses in the scene as a concept, Sutherland’s performance is as good as ever. This moment is interesting because Snow no longer has anything to gain from convincing Katniss they can be allies; he can be as directly malevolent and threatening as he wants. Sutherland’s delivery is maniacal, like he is going to laugh evilly at any moment, and he touches upon a major theme of the series when he tells Katniss that he can destroy her with the people she loves.

2 Snow Talks To Katniss After Prim’s Death

Mockingjay — Part 1

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Katniss has one last formal conversation with Snow after her sister Prim (Willow Shields) is killed. The themes of tyranny and corrupt power come full circle with Snow being the one to clue Katniss into Coin’s plot to kill Prim. For Katniss, it would be much easier if she could just kill Snow to avenge Prim’s death. However, Snow tells her that he did not order the bombing, revealing that the problem goes beyond him.

Again, Snow has nothing to lose at this point, and he is more open and evil with Katniss than ever, even while saying he does not take life if it is not necessary. Sutherland plays Snow as he is falling apart — he has lost, he will soon be executed, and his health is clearly getting worse — but still able to pull off a final coup, demonstrating his knowledge of how this world works. Snow is savoring the moment, with the final line of “Oh my dear Miss Everdeen, I thought we agreed never to lie to each other” being the perfect finishing touch.

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1 Snow’s Execution

Mockingjay — Part 2

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Snow then has nothing to do or say for his execution scene — just smile knowingly at Katniss because he knows that she knows he is right about Coin. Sutherland is still a strong part of this scene. Throughout the story, Snow becomes less composed as the rebels close in and defeat becomes imminent. This scene showcases the final turning point in this character arc, where he believes he has achieved something by indirectly causing Coin’s assassination.

Sutherland then gets one last moment of laughing before Snow is buried and killed by the mob behind Katniss. The ultimate meaning behind Snow’s storyline is confusing but worth pondering; everything in his life and death shows a determination to rule absolutely and the ultimate consequences of that. Almost a decade later, it is still impressive that Sutherland was able to convey so much about Snow from the sidelines of the Hunger Games movies.

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The Hunger Games is a multi-movie franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The films are based on the young adult dystopian book series by author Suzanne Collins. The first film was released in 2012, followed by Catching Fire in 2013, Mockingjay Part 1 in 2014, and Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015. In 2023, the fifth film in the series was released, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Created by Suzanne Collins First Film The Hunger Games Cast Jennifer Lawrence , Josh Hutcherson , Liam Hemsworth , Elizabeth Banks , Woody Harrelson , Stanley Tucci , Donald Sutherland , Lenny Kravitz , Willow Shields , Phillip Seymour Hoffman , Rachel Zegler , Tom Blyth , Viola Davis , Peter Dinklage , Hunter Schafer , Jason Schwartzman

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Category: Entertainment