In many classic stories, youth often equates to beauty; as old age does to a scornful, maybe even evil person. A well known example of this being the differences between Princess aurora (also known as Briar-Rose) and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. I watched Sleeping Beauty as child over 10 years ago, and I saw Maleficent about 2 years ago when it came to theaters. When I first viewed these two Disney versions of the story, I never knew the original version of “Sleeping Beauty.” When I watched Maleficent I wanted to believe that was closer to the original story because it was more engaging and it was not about a set in stone princess and villain. Disney’s Sleeping Beauty is more faithful to the original tale it was based on, but Maleficent is a far better and interesting spin of the story. Like many fairy tales involving a princess, Sleeping Beauty presents the antagonist quickly. In the very first scene, Maleficent appears right away in this movie to curse princess aurora just because she wasn’t invited to the tiny baby’s christening. The king and …show more content…
The fairies definitely were not fit to take care of a child in this telling of the story. They would forget the baby, they did not always know how to feed Aurora, and she almost fell off a cliff because they did not watch her closely. For whatever reason, Maleficent decided to watch over this girl she cursed and over time a bond between the two grew. Aurora even called the fairies her aunties, while calling Maleficent (who she knew was always watching over her) her “fairy godmother” (Stromberg, 2014). Prince Philip is present in this version, and their first meeting is mostly the same. Prince Philip isn’t able to wake her up with a kiss once she fell prey to her curse, though. The only one able to do so is Maleficent. Afterwards they help each other as they just wanted to go back to the Moor
trying to win her over. In contrast, the main character in The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, is a mysterious and wealthy man who throws extravagant parties in hopes of winning back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Despite their differences, both characters share a common theme of longing for something they cannot have. Fitzgerald's use of characterization and symbolism in both works effectively portrays the struggles and desires of individuals during the 1920s. her.
Nosferatu a Symphony of Horror and Sunrise: A song of two humans, are silent films directed by F.W. Murnau made in the 1920's. Sunrise tells the story of two young lovers that rekindle their romance, and Nosferatu is a horror adaptation of Bram Stoker’s, Dracula. While they differ in genre, both are similar in that they consist of a young couple that encounter a threatening situation. The element of space becomes an interesting aspect relevant to both films as it is used to foresee the events of what is to come in the plot. In Noseferatu, enclosed spaces evoke the feelings of uneasiness and no escape. In Sunrise, it is the open space that provides hope for the romance of the couple. The surroundings in the given space relate to the character's internal selves and their futures. In Noseferatu, Orlok who symbolizes death, materializes from empty spaces visualizing the nature of death to follow. In Sunrise, the couple's constant complexity of emotions resembles the chaotic places they must encounter in order to fall back together. The plot in both films revolves around a particular evil whose power eventually weakens. Orlok's presence proves to be stronger and more intimidating through distance, whereas the woman from the city is most influential when she is in close and physical proximity. These
In fact, Belle is not actively seeking love, but rather stumbles onto it, as a consequence of her own bravery and sacrifice. The relationship that grows between the beauty and the Beast is often the target of criticism as it can be perceived as Stockholm’s syndrome on Belle’s part and is seen to advocate that women should remain with their loved ones even if they are abusive. This is aspect of the film is condemned as it suggest that, somehow and through love, the abusive husband or lover can better himself. And although one can read the film as such, another could see that Beauty and the Beast is the tale of a woman who enters a man’s life and initiates and reciprocally healing and growing bond: Belle learns to see beyond someone’s appearance, and the Beast learns to let other people in. This is literally reflected by his complete forbiddance to have any visitors in his castle as the castle symbolizes his soul. This relationship of equals demonstrates that, contrarily to Disney films such as Cinderella or even The Little Mermaid where all a man or a woman need to fall in love is to set eyes on one another, without having to know anything about each other, or even share a discussion. The Disney princess here is not a princess but a villager, and Prince Charming is not charming but rather temperamental. The unusual end of the animated feature also mirrors this unusual
Through the three revisions of Beauty and The Beast, the fairy tales retold share many similarities as well as many differences according to their time period. In all three versions femininity and masculinity are presented in many ways. Femininity is shown through all three main female characters, Belle from the famous Disney film “The Beauty and The Beast”, the narrator in “Tiger’s Bride”, and Psyche in “Cupid and Psyche”. In all three versions, the female characters breaks society’s expectations of a typical woman. In CP Psyche stands up to Cupid’s mother Venus and accomplishes these activities usually performed by males. She shows society that women can overcome male activities and have strength to complete the same tasks. She breaks tradition of the male character fighting for her because in this version she takes on the hero role and fights for Cupid. This was not something ordinarily done by woman characters during this time. In TB the narrator breaks the tradition of the innocent stereotypical woman figure. The narrator exposes and does things most woman would never have the nerve to do. She shows society that women can fault their beauty in other ways. Even if society does not make it acceptable to have sex before marriage, she shows that women can expose their body and beauty in many ways. In DB version Belle is a great example that women should not be looked at as dolls and let males have control over them. She shows society that woman can be independent and educated. She does not get married to the most handsome male in town however she goes after someone who deeply cares about her. She displays a great example of how woman have their own mind and can think for themselves. Woman are allowed to make decisions and have ...
During the late eighteen hundreds, according to society, women were not allowed to have their own identities. Their thoughts and opinions were irrelevant. Women were far from being an equal to their spouse. Married women with children had a role to play and were not expected to deviate from that role, unless they were mentally incapable. Society instilled what was to be expected, therefore women should know their position in a marriage.
Two of Fitzgerald’s works, Winter Dreams and The Great Gatsby, have very similar plots. Both features poor young men trying reach wealth. Both protagonist have a women of their dreams in mind. And both men are devastated in the end. However there are some things that make the stories differ. Wether it is in a shape of a narrator or the way the story is written, they do have differences.
Even though the time periods are very different (by 200 years) the formulas for their fairy tales seems to remain constant. Character development, which is very important in fairy tales is both well done and accurately portrays the living situation for a character in the time period of when it was written. Perrault's version seems to put Cinderella's family in a higher, well-off situation of the Grimm's because she is still abided to obey the rules that her dying mother had set for her. Something that you would see a women do in the late 1600's. Her higher class and the rules of her generation has set her to not have revenge on her step-sisters and helps them marry in the end, making a happy ending to the story for everyone. This also gives off the rules of the time to the young girls who would be listening or reading this story back then. They knew their place in society and tales like Perrault's reinforced it. The Grimm's version, titled Ashenputtle, has key elements in the story line that make it very different from Perrault's Cinderella. The theme becomes very different as the end of the tale results in revenge on the step-sisters from Ashenputtle. This variation in the story line represents the setting in which the Grimm's either lived in themselves, or the living situation of the people who related this tale to the Grimm's.
When examining Beauty and the Beast by Andrew Lang, from a feminist perspective, it is evident that the portrayal and treatment of women is dreadful. The story was written in 1889 where women were seen as objects that were solely there for men’s pleasure and although, for once, the woman is portrayed as the heroine and not a damsel in distress, the story still includes misogynistic elements. For instance, when the beast threatens the father, the two characters treat Beauty as if she is an object that can be traded. On top of that, a father, who is supposed to love their children and protect them, decides it is okay give away his daughter, so he could stay alive. To add, later on in the story, Beauty seeks advice from her father about her dreams and he says, "You tell me yourself that the Beast, frightful as he is, loves you dearly, and deserves
She feels she needs to get revenge on Stefan for leaving her alone. So she could be thought out as an evil villain, but there is more. She heard about King Stefan’s new baby from her “wings”, also being a crow she saved from a farmer killing. Maleficent thought this was the right time to seek her revenge, so she went to the palace and placed a curse on baby princess Aurora, “The princess will indeed grow in grace and beauty, and beloved by all who meet her. But before the sunsets on her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a sleep almost like death, a sleep from which she will never awaken...etc The princess can be awoken from her death sleep, but only by true love’s kiss…” Maleficent realizes that true love’s kiss doesn’t exist so she planned it all out as a mischievous proposal… or so she thought.
After World War II Disney came out with a few more feature animated movies such as: Cinderalla, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty. One thing that Snow White, Cinderalla, and Sleeping Beauty all have in common is that they are all stories about princesses who live happily ever after with their prince.
...ndency on the fairy godmother and the prince encourages a meek and inactive behaviour to achieve a rewarding future (Robbins, 104). Overall, Cinderella’s behaviour is “...weak, silent and passive...” (Trousdale & McMillan, 12) which is unacceptable for a modern western woman.
"It was not once upon a time, but in a certain time in history, before anyone knew what was happening, Walt Disney cast a spell on the fairy tale. He did not use a magic wand or demonic powers. On the contrary, Disney employed the most up-to-date technological means and used his own American "grit" and ingenuity to appropriate European fairy tales. His technical skills and ideological proclivities were so consummate that his signature obfuscated the names of Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Collodi. If children or adults think of the great classical fairy tales today, be it Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella, they will think Walt Disney. "
It tells the story of Princess Aurora, King Florestan's daughter. The fairies have been invited to Aurora's christening, and each one in turn dances and gives a magic present. However, the wicked fairy, Carabosse, interrupts the ceremony and is furious that she wasn't invited. She announces that one day Aurora will prick her finger on a spindle and die. Everyone is horrified, but the Lilac fairy still has her present to give. She modifies the spell so Aurora will not die, but will fall asleep and be woken only by a prince's kiss. At her 16th birthday party, princess Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle brought by Carabosse in disguise and, with the whole court, falls asleep for 100 years. Prince Florimund, with the help of the Lilac fairy. Makes his way through the enchanted forest to awaken Aurora with a kiss. At Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund's wedding, the fairies dance and celebrate with Puss in Boots and Red Riding Hood.
In Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent is the typical evil character like in all the other Disney films, but in Stromberg’s version, it shows how evil arises in different characters throughout the film including Maleficent. In the original movie, Maleficent calls herself “Mistress of all Evil”, which
The one thing that separates Beauty and the Beast from all the other fairy tales is that Beauty gets to know the Beast before marrying him. She lives with him for several months and gets to know him for what he is inside. He is not a prince that rescues her but she is a woman that rescues him. It is only when she professes her love for him that he is transformed. If it wasn’t for her love of the Beast from the inside he would have never been transformed and they would not have been wed. Yes, he helps her mature and become a beautiful, young women but it is her that causes the transformation.