There are my takes on Chapter Four of Sarah Rothschild's The Princess Story. I focus particularly on introductory statements and interpretations of Mulan (1998).
Rothschild begins by arguing that Disney's second-wave, progressive princesses are only superficially feminist. She claims that, despite their spunky personalities, these princesses can't escape the patriarchal oppression they were born from.
Despite my love of Disney, I can concede that Rothschild has a point here. The fairytales the movies are based on have been adapted to fit Disney's signature mould: the magic of romance. Perhaps, as Rothschild suggests, this makes the films "anti-feminist in some disturbing ways", but it also can't be denied that Disney is a company, and their trademark is selling romance. So while, on the one hand they have a responsibility for what they show to children, on the other hand, they are producing romance bundled in a catchy tune to make profit, perhaps much like many rom-coms.
As I find with much of Rothschild's book, she goes on to make wild and contentious statements that she doesn't really back up with evidence. For instance, Rothschild speculates that "Belle, who vaguely says she wants "more", clearly wants the Prince Charming she reads about in books". I believe this statement to be unfounded and it is not at all backed up. Although Belle does enjoy reading romance novels, this does not translate to her "clearly" yearning for a Prince Charming. Quite to the contrary, I believe the "more" that she seeks is that of adventure, to be able to see the world and leave her provincial town with old-fashioned notions. It is Belle seeking opportunity and the chance to live her own life. This is shown as she sings of wanting "adventure in the great wide somewhere" after she outwits Gaston's attempted marriage ceremony. Gaston, though portrayed as a pig of a man, is the supposed Prince Charming of the town; he is the man the women swoon for and the men seek to be like. Evident in the song "Gaston" as "Every guy here'd love to be you, Gaston" and "No one...makes those beuts like Gaston". Yet Belle wants none of this. He represents the old patriarchal, oppression of women, and Belle transcends this "medieval" way of life by not marrying him.
I also fervently disagree with Rothschild's opinion that Belle's inkling for "more romance than she has been offered" is what drives her to offer herself to the Beast in place of her father. Belle felt no romantic notions towards the Beast at first, nor did she perceive her situation as the key to finding love. She simply loved her father and sacrificed herself in order to save him as he was elderly and sick and would surely have died in the Beasts dungeon.
Rothschild argues that "two men are responsible for Mulan's story" as the Huns attack China and the Emperor sends for conscription which initiates Mulan's action. However, I feel a more optimistic way to view this, is that Mulan steps up and takes action in an otherwise man ruled society. It is Mulan who decides to take her father's place, Mulan who comes up with the plans to save China. The fact that she takes this action to protect her father in the first place should in no way undermine what she does, it simply shows her as a loving and brave daughter. The fact she is a woman makes her all the more couragous as she fights stereotypes and risks death to do what she feels is right, where as for any man it would just be duty. In the film, the Emperor says that "one man may be the difference between victory and defeat" and then the shot immediately changes to Mulan. So Disney are already precluding that it is Mulan, a woman, who is this difference.
As Rothschild mention, interestingly, Mulan is the only Princess film with no kiss between the Princess and her love interest. Furthermore, Mulan is not actually a Princess; She is neither born royalty nor does she marry into it (Shang is an esteemed General, not royalty).
I agree with Rothschild that Mulan and her father share a strong and important relationship, and that Mulan goes to war to save her father and is ever conscious of bringing honour to their family.
Rothschild writes that "the girls do not ultimately get to save themselves. It is always the love interest who wins the final battle". Again, I simply do not agree with the conclusions she draws about Mulan, claiming that it is Shang who successfully implements Mulan's plan or that it is Mushu who releases the rocket, and so the males are the heroes. Umm.....has Rothschild forgotten Mulan's incredibly impressive rooftop fight scene with the Hun's leader!? Mulan is elegant, graceful, quick-thinking, agile, strong, brave, and heroic. She successfully defeats the Huns and saves all of China as well as the Emperor's life. Mulan was right all along, even when no one listened to her. Mulan came up with all the plans. Mulan even saves Shang, who would have been killed had she fled to safety with the others. It is Mulan who is presented with the Emperor's medallion, and the villain's sword. It is Mulan who all of China bows down to. I'm not quite sure how Rothschild missed all of that? I certainly feel that her biased dislike of Disney undermines her genuine arguments when she throws out such low jabbs at Disney such as this. Just as I'll admit my biased love of Disney swings me to their defense.
I further disagree with Rothschild's interpretations of the men rescuing Mulan. Rothschild interprets it negatively that Shang and the Emperor come to Mulan's defense against the counselor Chi Fu, arguing that is shows women need rescuing. However, I find this a positive image. Mulan has already proven she can fight for herself by saving all of China twice! So you can't say that she's weak or timid. She's already defied men's rules by taking her father's place in the army, so nor is she afraid to question authority. But, the importance of Shang and the Emperor coming to Mulan's defense against Chi Fu is that it shows she has changed people's attitudes and societal expectations. Now other men are showing they think it is despicable to call a woman a "treacherous snake" or say she's a "creature not worth protecting". In their defense of Mulan, they are defending all of women's rights.
The Emperor himself bows down to a woman, showing he has no prejudice against doing so.
Rothschild also takes the film out of context as she berates Mulan's father, Fa Zhou, for accepting her unconditionally in a reassuring conversation with her and then in private praying that she impresses the match-maker. However it is at the beginning of the film that he prays for her to do well at the match-makers and at the end, after Mulan has been away at war, that he sets aside the sword and medallion and says "The greatest gift and honour...is having you for a daughter". This shows Fa Zhou's progression, as after missing his daughter, he realises that she is perfect just the way she is and doesn't need to fit to conventions like other daughters.
Decoding Disney
Showing posts with label Sarah Rothschild. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Rothschild. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Sarah Rothschild Chapter Review
These are my impressions of Chapter 2 from Sarah Rothschild's book, 'The Princess Story'. Overall, I found this text very informative and interesting to read, and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in this topic.
Romance, the Role of Men, and Disney
Here, Rothschild brings forward an important point, that I had personally never considered, that Disney dramatises romance that was of little importance in the source material he drew from. He invented the notion of 'true love's first kiss'. This is, perhaps, most evident in Snow White, where the original 7-year old character is transformed to a more appropriate age, who's character is fixated with true love throughout the film. She begins wishing for the one she loves at the well, sings about him to the Dwarves and ultimately bites the poisoned 'wishing' apple in the hope of having her true love. Throughout all of this, she wishes for the one she loves to find her, which makes her entirely passive in the process. She can do nothing except wish and wait for her Prince.
This text primarily outlines that in Disney's versions the story centers around males, where as in the 'original' texts, such as Grimm's or Perrault's, the storyline centers around the female characters. It is the male characters' desires and actions that progress Disney's story, from the Prince falling in love with dear Snow and provoking the Queen's rage, to the King in Cinderella desiring grand-children so deeply that he organises a ball, to Sleeping Beauty where the King throws an elaborate Christening, enraging Maleficent by not inviting her, and betrothing his daughter from birth to form his own alliance. Rothschild provides many more examples of how men are central to the action in the films, and the titular Princesses remain passive. Their own stories are being taken from them, and without the men, they would never find their 'happily ever after'. Snow White would remain asleep in her coffin, Cinderella forever a slave in her own home and Aurora never awoken from her sleep. In Rothschilds words, "The prince is both [the princess's] savior and her reward".
Though after reading Grimm's version of Snow White, it could also be argued that Snow White never was the main character of her story, rather the Evil Queen and her envious hatred was the centrality, for most of the story revolves around her desires and feelings and even ends with her punishment.
While, Rothschild brings forward many intriguing points such as this, there are also many places in her writing where I simply disagree with the conclusions she draws about Disney. While I admire her creativity in her thoughts, I often feel they lack any substantial evidence, and so can be considered barely more than her personal opinions. The first example of this is when Rothschild asserts that Walt Disney "inserted himself into Snow White" through Grumpy and Dopey. Disney's rendition gives the Dwarves a role that never existed in Grimm's version, using them for comedic effect and to progress and fill out the story. I agree that this could have been done for two main reasons. Firstly, to pad out a short story to make it into a feature length film. Secondly, as animating comedic Dwarves, which are less realistic than Snow White, the Prince or the Queen, was easier at a time when animation was at it's beginnings. After all, Snow White was Disney's first film. However, I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that these two Dwarves are Walt Disney's way of putting himself into his film. And the assumption that the misogynistic personality of Grumpy is a direct reflection of Walt himself is a little simplistic. As Amy M Davis discussed in her article 'The Dark Prince and Dream Women', there is little evidence to prove that Walt Disney was sexist and this topic is far more complex than at fist glance. From other executives to the general attitudes at the time, there is more to consider. Though the basis Rothschild draws on for Walt's transformation from Dopey to Grumpy is true to an extent. It is believed Walt associated women with warmth and security in his younger years, and became fearful of women after learning about venereal disease in France and having his heart broken by his child-hood sweet-heart while away. But is it fair to say that Grumpy represents Walt's "personal antipathy toward women"? Walt worked with women in his studio and was prepared to listen to their advice, he cared about skill, not gender, and valued his employees on what they could contribute to his company (Amy M. Davis, The Dark Prince and Dream Women). Rothschild states that women at Disney's studio were "accorded neither creative credit nor power", and while I fully believe that women would have been treated unequally in the workplace at this time, this directly conflicts Davis' writing, where Disney is attributed with saying "girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men". So again, I feel it is unfair to judge Walt so harshly, especially when you take into context the lack of opportunity for women in 1937, which was not Walt's doing, but the general attitude in society at that time.
Defining the Disney Princess
What I find to be the most interesting point in this section, is the paradox between the first-wave princesses being modeled from Ballerinas, and the fact that such passive princesses could never attain such a disciplined physique. And more shockingly so, that had the real-life Ballerinas actually had figures like the animators adjusted the princesses to, they would not have the muscle strength or balance to dance. With this in mind, I respect the disciplined grace and poise the princesses were modeled on, but simply wish they had kept the more muscular, yet still very feminine, undoubtedly thin, and attractive physique of the dancers.
Romance, the Role of Men, and Disney
Here, Rothschild brings forward an important point, that I had personally never considered, that Disney dramatises romance that was of little importance in the source material he drew from. He invented the notion of 'true love's first kiss'. This is, perhaps, most evident in Snow White, where the original 7-year old character is transformed to a more appropriate age, who's character is fixated with true love throughout the film. She begins wishing for the one she loves at the well, sings about him to the Dwarves and ultimately bites the poisoned 'wishing' apple in the hope of having her true love. Throughout all of this, she wishes for the one she loves to find her, which makes her entirely passive in the process. She can do nothing except wish and wait for her Prince.
This text primarily outlines that in Disney's versions the story centers around males, where as in the 'original' texts, such as Grimm's or Perrault's, the storyline centers around the female characters. It is the male characters' desires and actions that progress Disney's story, from the Prince falling in love with dear Snow and provoking the Queen's rage, to the King in Cinderella desiring grand-children so deeply that he organises a ball, to Sleeping Beauty where the King throws an elaborate Christening, enraging Maleficent by not inviting her, and betrothing his daughter from birth to form his own alliance. Rothschild provides many more examples of how men are central to the action in the films, and the titular Princesses remain passive. Their own stories are being taken from them, and without the men, they would never find their 'happily ever after'. Snow White would remain asleep in her coffin, Cinderella forever a slave in her own home and Aurora never awoken from her sleep. In Rothschilds words, "The prince is both [the princess's] savior and her reward".
Though after reading Grimm's version of Snow White, it could also be argued that Snow White never was the main character of her story, rather the Evil Queen and her envious hatred was the centrality, for most of the story revolves around her desires and feelings and even ends with her punishment.
While, Rothschild brings forward many intriguing points such as this, there are also many places in her writing where I simply disagree with the conclusions she draws about Disney. While I admire her creativity in her thoughts, I often feel they lack any substantial evidence, and so can be considered barely more than her personal opinions. The first example of this is when Rothschild asserts that Walt Disney "inserted himself into Snow White" through Grumpy and Dopey. Disney's rendition gives the Dwarves a role that never existed in Grimm's version, using them for comedic effect and to progress and fill out the story. I agree that this could have been done for two main reasons. Firstly, to pad out a short story to make it into a feature length film. Secondly, as animating comedic Dwarves, which are less realistic than Snow White, the Prince or the Queen, was easier at a time when animation was at it's beginnings. After all, Snow White was Disney's first film. However, I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that these two Dwarves are Walt Disney's way of putting himself into his film. And the assumption that the misogynistic personality of Grumpy is a direct reflection of Walt himself is a little simplistic. As Amy M Davis discussed in her article 'The Dark Prince and Dream Women', there is little evidence to prove that Walt Disney was sexist and this topic is far more complex than at fist glance. From other executives to the general attitudes at the time, there is more to consider. Though the basis Rothschild draws on for Walt's transformation from Dopey to Grumpy is true to an extent. It is believed Walt associated women with warmth and security in his younger years, and became fearful of women after learning about venereal disease in France and having his heart broken by his child-hood sweet-heart while away. But is it fair to say that Grumpy represents Walt's "personal antipathy toward women"? Walt worked with women in his studio and was prepared to listen to their advice, he cared about skill, not gender, and valued his employees on what they could contribute to his company (Amy M. Davis, The Dark Prince and Dream Women). Rothschild states that women at Disney's studio were "accorded neither creative credit nor power", and while I fully believe that women would have been treated unequally in the workplace at this time, this directly conflicts Davis' writing, where Disney is attributed with saying "girl artists have the right to expect the same chances for advancement as men". So again, I feel it is unfair to judge Walt so harshly, especially when you take into context the lack of opportunity for women in 1937, which was not Walt's doing, but the general attitude in society at that time.
Defining the Disney Princess
What I find to be the most interesting point in this section, is the paradox between the first-wave princesses being modeled from Ballerinas, and the fact that such passive princesses could never attain such a disciplined physique. And more shockingly so, that had the real-life Ballerinas actually had figures like the animators adjusted the princesses to, they would not have the muscle strength or balance to dance. With this in mind, I respect the disciplined grace and poise the princesses were modeled on, but simply wish they had kept the more muscular, yet still very feminine, undoubtedly thin, and attractive physique of the dancers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)