Country of Origin: France as told in "La Belle au bois dormant" by Charles Perrault in 1697.
Movie Debuted: 1959
What Aurora brings to the table: Unerring trust
Age at time of story (in the movie): 16
Major Differences Between original story (OS) and movie (M): The Disney version of "Sleeping Beauty" varies slightly from Perrault's tale, but they are nearly identical. Again we're going for a three way comparison (BG=Brothers Grimm)
1) In all three versions, one fairy is not invited to the christening. The scorned fairy curses the baby, leaving the last fairy to use her gift to counteract the evil. In M there are 4 fairies total, BG has 13 and P has 9.
2) BG & P have Aurora pricking her finger 15 yrs old. Her parents go on a trip, leaving her alone. M has Aurora succumbing to the curse at 16 yrs old.
3) BG & P has the entire castle falling asleep when the princess does. The three good fairies put the castle to sleep in M.
4) The curse lifts after 100 yrs in BG & P. In M, the prince breaks the spell with love's first kiss. Anyone remember that from Snow White?
Moral of the Story/Social Implications:
Bubble Child:
My major issue with this movie is when Aurora goes off into the woods, she meets her first stranger. And a young man at that. He feeds her a line and they spend the afternoon together. What happened to "Stanger Danger?" I understand the importance of protecting your children, but to do so in the extreme invites as much danger as if you didn't protect them at all. We know Prince Phillip is a good person, but Aurora doesn't and your kids won't either when they come across strangers. Arm your children with enough smarts to recognize a potential threat in people they don’t know.
Begging for Mercy
In Perrault’s tale, the curse breaks after 100 yrs. A headstrong prince then makes his way through the thorn barricade, kiss the sleeping princess awake (but not by the power of love), and they marry. Poor Aurora never had a chance. What if the prince had not been a prince at all, but a thief, or a peasant, or worse? In some of the early tellings of this story, the prince who finds Aurora, actually rapes her. Thank you Disney for sparing the rest of us. Did she really have a choice in who she married? Was it love at first sight or did the prince use his powers of persuasion to gain her hand?
Reclaiming What was Stolen
When the evil fairy curses the princes, it is the last fairy who also suffers. Her gift is essentially stolen and now she must use her turn to counteract the harm brought upon the child. While it seems like the raw end of the deal, the situation sets up the last fairy, Merryweather in case of the movie, to be the true hero. Grace, beauty, and musical ability are all fine traits we wish upon our daughters, but the gift of life is invaluable. Merryweather saves the baby and gives her another chance to live the life her parents dream for her. You can’t put a price on that.
No Wrath Like a Fairy Scorned
Something has to be said for the villainess, Maleficient. According to my dad, she is “one bad mama-jamma.” When she is not invited to the christening, she hits the king and queen hard by cursing the baby it took them years and years to conceive. Ouch! That’s a heavy price for excluding someone. So, make a note to yourself, 1) don’t tick off evil fairies, 2) rethink the guest list for your next party/gathering/christening/wedding. The one person you decide not to invite may get offended and send you a nasty gram.
Did you know?
1) Aurora is known by three different names: Aurora, Briar Rose, & Sleeping Beauty
2) Disney wanted the movie of SB to be illustrated as a moving tapestry. Compare to the "Unicorn Tapestries" and see the similarities in color, angular structure, and sophisticated decoration.
3) SB was the second most successful film at the box office after Ben Hur.
4) The music from Peter Tchaikovsky's ballet of the same name was a major source of inspiration for the film.
Poll Results: After counting all the votes, you all think that Aurora's dress should have been a purple compromise. I personally think she would have looked stunning in violet.
Final Note:
This is one of my favorite movies and it truly is a piece of art.
No comments:
Post a Comment