Article: Snow White is Smarter Than Many Politicos

Snow White (Snow White & the Huntsman)

I guess this article at The Bellingham Herald would properly be classified as political - so expect some opinions when reading it and this post - but key to the discussion is the changing aspects of fairy tale heroines and princesses* in the public mind. 


For once, Hollywood is being touted as an example and force for needed changes in social (and political) attitudes instead of perpetuating dysfunctions. This is exactly what The Arts and Entertainment are supposed to do - challenge us, get us to think, tell our stories and help us shape the world the way we truly want it to be. They've been doing that all the way along, in some manner of course, but the "princess culture" and examples of supposedly strong women who ultimately throw out their values for a pair of rare Mahnolo's (or love's first "bite") has pervaded popular entertainment more than the alternatives. Well, no more.

Elizabeth I (Elizabeth)

In 2012 we have the princess thought to be "the most passive of them all", leading a war, a girl on fire who ignites a nation and an animated leading lady making her own future that has nothing to do with princes or love. It's true it's nothing new in Entertainment - not really - but it is when contrasted with the current hot-button women's rights issues demanding attention in the political arena.

Saint Joan (Joan of Arc miniseries)

From the article by Jenee Osterheldt at the Bellingham Herald:

How did we get here? Why does it feel like the women's rights movement never happened and women are suddenly second-class citizens? Politicians will have you believe (women) are pampered princesses, damsels in distress who need to be saved from ourselves. 

And then I turn on the television and the world looks different. Somehow, it looks better for the ladies. We aren't weak on the screen. We are Hannah Horvath owning our quirks on "Girls," Kate Beckett solving crimes on "Castle," Olivia Pope fixing problems for the president on "Scandal." Even when we are princesses, we can save the day. The "Once Upon a Time" fair maidens aren't soft and whiny and hypersexual. They fight for themselves. 

In the real world, women are being stripped of their rights. But Hollywood is pushing forward an image of women as we truly are - independent, strong and brilliant. It reminds me of how "The Cosby Show" dispelled racial stereotypes and what "24" did to pave the way for the possibility of a black president.

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/06/05/2550834/snow-white-is-smarter-than-many.html#storylink=cpy

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

Merida (Pixar's Brave)

While the article isn't all-encompassing as it could be and may even come across as a little naive, it does put its finger directly in the center of issues that need thinking about by women and men everywhere, no matter what country they live in or what their political leanings.

Brienne of Tarth (Game of Thrones)

One of the things we love about fairy tales is their ability to get to the heart of matters succinctly and unavoidably so that we can tell - and make - our own personal stories better. The word "Queen" used to be a very powerful word but is rarely used now beyond farce. The word "princess" has come to mean the exact opposite of what "Queen" used to be. Imagine reading fairy tales in which the word "princess" was a power word again! What a difference that would make.

Natalia Vodianova (fashion shoot for Bazaar)

While we don't all need to pick up a sword or wear armor plating to avoid death or imprisonment (can you imagine?!), we do need to know what we stand for and why, and to stick to our standards when the going gets tough. It's not that we don't need help - everyone does, even Queens; Kings too. What it means is that we also do our part to help ourselves even as we're helping others. When people do it's a wonder all of its own. That's my kind of story.

Alice (Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland)

*I'm including heroines in entertainment that have been romanticized, and therefore given fairy tale aspects in the public mind, such as Elizabeth the 1st and Joan of Arc, since this also blends in with issues of what the public considers to be "fairy tale" and what isn't.

Snow White's Scary Adventures Come To An End

On May 31st, Snow White took people on her scary adventures ride at Walt Disney World for the very last time. As of June 1, 2012 Orlando will no longer have Scary Adventures due to the expansion of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Said by many to be the best of all the Snow White attractions and rides around the world, including those in Anaheim, Tokyo and Paris, this is a sad time for many fans of the ride and the movie.

No one will be sadder than Ben, born in 1993 with autism. It wasn't until he went on the Snow White's Scary Adventures ride in WDW at age nine that he finally started communicating and being "present" with regard to the world around him. He has since been on the ride almost 3200 times. You can read his touching story, in four very readable parts, starting HERE (links provided too the next sections).

HERE, written by Ben's mother father (sorry Ron!), is a retrospective on the attraction, complete with some great video comparisons that help to explain why Florida's Scary Adventures were unique and special.

Although I never had the privilege to go on the Orlando version of the ride, the Disneyland version is one of the few attractions that not only brings back the experience of watching the movie but immerses you within it. I gather the experience in Orlando did this to a much greater extent and, personally, don't truly understand why they didn't just revamp/update the attraction (if they had to at all) with all the immersive technology now available.

The awesome and amazing Filmic Light blog (which is THE place to visit for all things regarding Disney's first feature animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) has a special post with a rare glimpse at the SWSA ride with the lights on. You can see it HERE.

It's one of the last rides that has its roots in what Walt approved for the original Disneyland so there's a large chunk of history disappearing as I write. The attraction is being replaced, ultimately, by the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster ride, complete with cutting-edge technology and due to open in 2014. It is, however a "ride" and not an attraction as per Scary Adventures so I feel that's a loss, though Snow White will still be represented in some form. While Walt meant - the best way - for the park to be ever evolving, to have it happen like this isn't probably what he had in mind. The space where Scary Adventures entertained people for over 40 years will host the new Princess Fairytale Hall, a Disney Princess meet-n-greet spot...

(Really?? I'm just... gagging.)

TV Special on ReelzChannel TODAY: Snow White & the Huntsman: A Twisted Tale

Late notice, sorry, but I just found out it's running again today.

Reelz Channel has a decent half hour special on the making of Snow White and the Huntsman. I caught it this morning and it is worth watching if you like Snow White or are curious about aspects of this fairy tale movie. It's possibly the best special on this available at the moment, apart from the pre-released featurettes (I do hope they include it on the DVD/Blu-ray but it's unlikely). 

There are the usual/fun movie-behind-the-scenes bits as well but they do discuss the Grimm's Little Snow White and dealing with classic imagery and characters (and there's more of a peek at Snow White as a child and also her mother, which I don't think I've seen before).

There's more info HERE but if you're interested don't dally too long - it starts in a few minutes!

ReelzChannel Specials | Snow White and the Huntsman | Movie Trailer | Review

Quick - go record!

FT Blog Alert: Cate R Fricke's "Something To Read For the Train"

Crown by Trina Schart Hyman

I found Cate's Twitter and blog while doing some quick research on Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Red Riding Hood Redux hitRECorderly project (posted on HERE a couple of days ago) and quickly realized Ms. Fricke is one of our own (ie. a fairy tale person), though the Trina Schart Hyman image (above) she uses for her Twitter account should have been a huge clue. ;)

Here's a quick sampling of recent blog posts by her:

• Dear "Can Fairy Tales Belong To Anyone?" (a response to someone searching Wordpress for an answer)
• Briefly, On Cinderella (and the sad lack of public interest in her broom)
• Many-Fur, Lost Among the Sculptures (a "green art" event where two of Cate's fairy tale based plays “A Girl and Her Nana Remember the Story of Many-Fur” and “Baba Yaga and the Five Stages of Hypothetical Grief” were performed as staged readings in a park)
• Baba Yaga, My Love (Cate shares her excitement - and mine, though she doesn't know it - over Catherynne M. Valente  confirmed as writing/releasing a companion book, Matroyshka, to her Russian folklore-based novel Deathless)

There are many more. Those a just a recent few and not all by any means, so check out Something To Read For the Train. You can subscribe so you don't miss any fairy tale goodness. And don't forget to follow Cate on Twitter for notices of fairy tale news happenings as well. :)

The Magic Swan Geese (1949)

 I recently came across this darling little Russian fairy tale film, "Гуси Лебеди" (roughly translated as "Geese Swans") made in 1949. Although the animators have clearly seen the Disney films made up to that point there's a lot in here that Disney wasn't doing at the time as well.

The film is completely charming and a real pleasure to watch. It's extremely well crafted with what can only be described as "genuine" quality to it. The fairy tale aspect is very clear with this feeling of a storybook coming to life (I didn't realize it was a fairy tale film when I started watching but quickly realized it must be). One of my favorite fairy tale characters, Baba Yaga, makes an appearance too. Of course. ;)

Here's a brief synopsis of the fairy tale The Magic Swan Geese that the film is based on:

A couple left their daughter in charge of her younger brother, but she lost track of him, and the magic swan geese snatched him away. She chased after him and came to an oven. It offered to tell her if she ate its rye buns; she scorned them, saying she doesn't even eat wheat buns. She also scorned similar offers from an apple tree, and a river of milk. She came across a little hut built on a hen's foot, in which she found Baba Yaga with her brother; Baba Yaga set her to spin flax and left. A mouse scurried out and said it would tell her what she needed to know if she gave it porridge; she did, and it told her that Baba Yaga was heating the bath house to steam her, then she would cook her. The mouse took over her spinning, and the girl took her brother and fled.
Baba Yaga sent the swan geese after her. She begged the river for aid, and it insisted she eat some of it first; she did, and it sheltered her. When she ran on, the swan geese followed again, and the same happened with the apple tree and the oven. Then she reached home and safety.

While the film doesn't follow this plot exactly, much of it is similar. Enjoy!

PS There's an interesting little side journey into Russian film music that includes information on this film HERE. If you're interested in these tales or Russian fairy tale animation I recommend it. It has links to some other treasures too, most notably this little film here. (TWELVE BROTHERS/WILD SWAN alert!)

Release Day: "Snow White and the Huntsman"

Snow White and the Huntsman is officially in theaters!

Today is the day and this is the big weekend that will have movie executives everywhere poised in making their fairy tale movie/series decisions for the immediate future. Let's hope, for the sake of fairy tales everywhere, that this film is the fairest of them all - in the business sense at the very least (although I'd dearly love to just see a truly fantastic mainstream fairy tale film).

Rather than repost all the shots you've seen before I thought it might be nice to concentrate on something we haven't seen a whole lot of in the movies promotion; that is, The Enchanted Forest. (And yes, it does appear that there is quite a Willow influence but I also agree that's not a bad thing - not at all.)

For those who want the links to all things SWATH here are a few to get you going:

• The main website
• The interactive trailer (click on the screen during play & you'll be guided to galleries, more clips & other tidbits - this is worth looking at)
• The interactive storybook App
• Costume designer, Colleen Atwood's inspiration Pinterest boards for: The Queen and The Dwarves 
• Great article on the costumes HERE and a beautiful slideshow detailing the costumes HERE
• The official Facebook page
• The official Twitter account
• Details on the soundtrack
• On-the-set videos
• MTV's sneak peek and exclusive Q&A videos from May 29th
• A SWATH "Pop-Up Gallery" event on Melrose Ave in Los Angeles through to June 3rd, featuring a mural painted on a 12ft mirror by internationally renowned artist MEAR (see larger version of image at right & making of video at the link) and Colleen Atwood's costumes designs (I dearly wish I could see this)
• iO9 has seven sneak-peek video clips of teeny green pixies and broken glass people, among other things for an extra injection of fantasy film fun (I mentioned the Willow influence, right? For fantasy fans it's most definitely a good thing.)

And here's a smattering of early reviews (beware of spoiler possibilities in these!):

• Roger Ebert's review (3.5 stars out of 4)
• Huffington Post's review
• The Hollywood Reporter's review

One thing all of these (and other less notorious review sources) seem to agree on is that it's beautiful to the point of, at times, visually stunning (and that includes the non-favorable reviews). I'm very curious to see what the public overall think.

Interview Magazine, on newstands June 5th, features Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron on the cover as well as a goth glam photoshoot and lengthy interview of them both. You can see the photos from the shoot HERE, though they're not at all fairy tale related. This excerpt from Ms. Stewart's part of the interview sheds a little light on why she was drawn to the character of Snow White:

"There's so much that Snow White has been deprived of in terms of having the proper time to really develop and hone who she is. She's put in jail at the beginning of her life, so she's a stunted person. She has a really idealized concept of what the world is, and how people should live, and how wonderful things all can be, and there is this debilitating isolation that she feels because she has been locked away in a little cell for seven years. And I can kind of relate to that. There is something . . . It's not the reason that I wanted to do the movie, but the fans and people who loved Twilight, they do put you on this sort of different plane where you're not real," explains Stewart on getting to live the role of Snow White.

In the meantime, first reports are proving mostly favorable and positive, even with regard to Kristen Stewart playing her role, which so many have been (justifiably IMO) concerned about. I'm very much looking forward to seeing how the symbolism is laid in through the costumes, sets, props and especially how they handle telling the familiar story. 

I detect a "Legend" moment!

I must admit, though, the one non-fairy tale aspect that has me curious: How are they going to make Kristen Stewart be "fairest" (ie obviously more so than Charlize Theron) without going down the 'Queen reverts to/shrivels to old crone' fallback? 

What aspects are you most curious about with regard to how they handled the fairy tale?

French poster for Snow White and the Huntsman

Note: I don't know why but the poster at the head of this blog post doesn't look professionally done to me. Very odd.

Snow White and the Huntsman Pinterest Challenge

Tomorrow (just a few hours away) is release day for Snow White and the Huntsman. It's a pretty big day for the fairy tale community and for those who love the Snow White tale in particular. Both Heidi at the SurLaLune Blog and at Megan at The Dark Forest blog have posted on why it's such a big deal so I won't repeat it all (just go read the wonderful posts) but suffice it to say: 

This is THE big fairy tale feature film of 2012 across the board.

(Pixar's Brave will be really big too but that's specifically aimed at families, this one is 'mainstream')

How the press and public react will have an effect on fairy tale things to come in the immediate future.

(And yes - we really, really hope it's good!)

In the meantime, for those like me who won't get a chance to be part of the theater-going/merchandise-buying hype you can still participate. If you're on Pinterest there's a competition which may just be up your alley (and it's free to enter!). The deadline is June 4 so there are a few days still left to enter. Here are the rules:

If you do enter, please leave a link to your board in the comments. We want to see your fairy tale inspirations!

hitRECorderly Issue #1: "Little Red Riding Hood Redux"

I can't say too much except that if you are interested in what artists in all fields today are doing with fairy tales AND if you're specifically interested in Red Riding Hood, go grab a copy of this new magazine/record-ly (category currently undefined) NOW - before the 2 000 copies sell out!

Here's a little promo video by Joseph Gordon-Levit, posted yesterday, which I suggest you watch all the way through despite it appearing quite rough at the outset. You'll understand why I'm keeping this post uber-short and hurrying to give you the opportunity to grab a copy for yourself.

Here's the official blurb:

Subscribe to the hitRECorderly here: http://hitrecord.org/store/recorderly.html
Look what I just got my hands on --- the very first issue of The hitRECorderly, our brand new subscription series! 

"Little Red Riding Hood Redux" is our inaugural issue and I'm really proud of this gorgeous full-color book the hitRECord community and I have created together. I really love when the stuff we work on together becomes a physical record. 

This book we made is based on an adaptation I did of the original Brothers Grimm fairytale (which is sexist as all fuckin hell!) Our version's got a different take on the story and we've packed this book with feminist essays and various reactions to the new tale. 

I loved JulesKD's "But What If I Want To Be Eaten?" record so much I just had to do a little reading of it in this here video. :o) 

You gotta hurry and order your copy as these are a limited edition run of 2,000 so get it while the getting's good! 

Single copies are available in The RECord Store for $20, but you'll save cash by subscribing to The hitRECorderly and you'll get a new issue every season! 

You can subscribe here: http://www.hitrecord.org/store/recorderly.html

Thanks Again!
J

Quick!

Go here and order:

http://www.hitrecord.org/store/recorderly.html 

Quick Blog Update & Brief Notes on Mozart's "The Magic Flute"

Papagena by Erin Kelso (aka Bluefooted on deviantArt)

 Why have I been so quiet on the blog? We've had a few rather stressful things come up, the major one right now being that we have to move before the end of the month and, due to various other emergencies (like cars insisting on retiring and furry kids needing surgery, we haven't yet found anywhere. (Eek!)

Papagena by Anne Smith

So I am splitting my time between doing a lot of driving, a lot of searching and spending a lot (a lot!) of time on the phone (my ear folds are hurting!). Any down time goes to "toss or pack" so I haven't had much time to blog. I have found, however, that Pinterest is REALLY easy to explore and play around with while being put on hold or when telling the 40th person the same information. Again.

So the Once Upon A Blog boards on Pinterest have expanded quite a bit over the past few days and there's plenty of luscious new fairy tale-like images to explore now. I've added some more tale-specific boards, expanded the ones already there, expanded the creature/folk boards and added two more fashion-focused boards, but with a twist. They are "Dressing the Seelie Court" and "Dressing the Unseelie Court" - a fun theme I haven't seen people do yet. (I've also added some "peoples of the world boards" - I'm so inspired to see the environments tales and variants come out of!) There are so many awesome fairy tale themed boards on Pinterest, including by readers of this blog and other fairy tale bloggers, I try not to replicate what others are doing too much and hopefully you'll discover some new and fun things there, as well as discover more fairy tale people too.

Papageno by Kurt Wenner

It's actually been good visual therapy for coping with the current argh! here so if you'd like a hit of delectable fairy tale visuals feel free to visit. You can find the Once Upon A Blog Boards HERE.

I'll do my best to keep blogging when I can (I have so much I want to blog on!) but I'm guessing posts will remain light to scarce over the next few days - at least until we secure a place to go. For some reason, trying to find a place is like a fulltime job with extra duties this time round.

Wish us luck and good fortune would you?

PS Heidi: I COMPLETELY relate to your wish for a Baba Yaga house-on-legs right now!

Papagena by Hans Reiser

PPS In case you didn't get the hint, one of the new boards is for The Magic Flute - a fairy tale opera story I can't quite believe hasn't been tackled by mainstream filmmakers (Lotte Reiniger and Kenneth Branagh being the exceptions - anyone seen the 2006 Branagh film set during WWI?).

So much good stuff in that tale. It's been called Mozart's Wizard Of Oz (re quest, fantasy and individual character trials) so you may find some interesting parallels if you're not already familiar with it.

Personally I think it could use a lush animation treatment.

A Very Different "Mirror Mirror" Review

Maharani Gayatri Devi - in a Bollywood piece

While "Mirror Mirror" is being received fairly well, I've seen more criticism than appreciation, the main feeling that there is an overall blandness to the retelling, despite the lush design.


Here is a completely different review by Tyler Cowen (and it's so short I will include it all, but be sure to go read the many comments made in response on the linked site):

Not often does Hollywood put out movies romanticizing tyrannicide and the assassination of foreign leaders of friendly countries, in this case India.  Julia Roberts is the wicked Queen, witch, and false pretender, but actually the stand-in for Indira Gandhi, with an uncanny resemblance of look and dress in the final scene (I wonder if anyone told her?).  This movie presents a romanticized and idealized version of how her assassination should have proceeded and should have been processed, namely in a triumphal manner with no reprisals but rather celebration and joyous union and love.  As the plot proceeds, you will find all sorts of markers of Sikh theology, including numerous references to daggers, hair, mirrors, water, immersions, submersions, bodily penetrations, transformations, the temple at Amritsar, dwarves who enlarge themselves, and the notion of woman as princess, among many others; director Tarsem Singh knows this material better than I do (read up on Sikh theology before you go, if you haven’t already).  The silly critics complained that the plot didn’t make sense, but from the half dozen or so reviews I read they didn’t even begin to understand the movie.

Without wishing to take sides on either the politics or the religion, I found this a daring and remarkable film.  The sad thing is that no one is paying attention.

You can read the article and the comments HERE.

Interestingly he's not the only one who's made the connection. This article HERE lays out the parallels step by step. The article is titled WHAT DO GAYATRI DEVI and 'MIRROR, MIRROR' HAVE IN COMMON? (It breaks the parallels down step by step and has images to boot.)

It may seem simplistic when put like this but if Director Tarsem Singh was indeed making such a statement then they may be a lot more to this movie than meets the eye.

Maharani Gayatri Devi

Indira Ghandi

Please note: I have not verified the facts as they're presented in either article. I'm just very interested in the idea that a fairly modern day Indian princess and ruler can be so closely compared to Snow White.

I'm not planning on discussing politics on my blog, nor can I make any sort of proper assessment of this parallel but it is an interesting one.

Though I don't know enough about Indira Ghandi or Gayatri Devi to make any sort of comment on their assessments, I know enough to understand how Mr. Cowen and the other blogger, whose name I can't confirm, have made the connection.

 After waning interest in seeing this film, my curiosity is once again piqued...