Is the Bloom Off 'Beauty's Rose?

Beast concept design by Patrick Tatopoulos

This is just a heads-up here really: while Gans' Beauty and the Beast premiered to rave reviews in Paris, the ones following haven't been quite as flattering overall. In fact the star rating is trending toward the low side. (Oh no!)

While the visuals are continuously applauded in terms of grandeur and fairy tale quality the main two criticisms are:

Beast reference head (not final hair)
Design by Patrick Tatopoulos

1) the audience for the film isn't clear - you'd think 'family' but there are some decidedly-not family elements to it, yet it plays down the smarts when you think it would get gutsier for an adult audience and is clearly adding elements for children (like the giant-eyed dog-morph things). 

2) the relationship between Beauty and the Beast just doesn't have the necessary gravitas, or bite, needed to make us believe it happened; their relationship having no comparison to the Beast's previous one with his wife. While you might think the furry-CG meld of a beast might be the issue it's not Cassel who's being criticized but Seydoux. She is criticized as coming across somewhat cold and stand-offish, with her falling in love with the Beast failing to be believable, although critics hasten to add she doesn't have a lot of choice in the material given her. (Oh dear.)

And these two points are the criticisms that keep surfacing, no matter where or whom is writing the reviews now.

Hmm.

Beast concept design by Patrick Tatopoulos

I'll admit, I've been reading all I can to find out critic responses and to hunt down any news of a US/UK release date (sorry - nothing yet) so after reading this over and over, I'll admit my fervor to see the film has cooled slightly.

So very pretty but lacking substance, seems to be the upshot on this one. I'm still waiting for reviewers I'm more familiar with to chime in but it would seem to be prudent to, for instance, not spend your life savings on a ticket to Paris just to go see the film... (Just saying. ;) )

I still want to see it though, very much, and I'm still looking forward to it. I'm just going to be lowering my expectations for when I do.

Great Promo for Wicked Return of OUAT! If Only They Had Followed Through..

I'm way behind on my TV viewing (shocker, I know) so I haven't been up to date on what's been going on with OUAT or when exactly it was coming back. I only knew that the Wicked Witch of the West would be featured, although I didn't realize she was the main hook for the second half of the season. I should have been tipped off by the 75th MGM anniversary though. How could they not take advantage of such a tie-in?

And I only just saw this promo (below) which is quite possibly THE best teaser/promo Once Upon A Time has ever had. It's brief, clearly fairy tale in Storybrooke, uses iconic motifs and images, is subtle in presentation and doesn't suffer from a whole lot of bad CG or weirdly lit make-up and costumes. Take a look:

See what I mean? It's a good promo. It's piqued my curiosity.

Then I saw the full trailer for the return of the show and... "wah waaah..." Yeah.

The WWs look is just hideous and wouldn't even pass the audition phase of FaceOff. I feel awful for the actress. It's just a bad, bad combo. I know she's not supposed to be beautiful (at least in the traditional sense) but she's not supposed to look like her kids colored her face with green markers while she was asleep, either.  And all the extra sparkle makes her look like some sort of failed lizard-lady. :/ Even so, this could still be fixed with some changes to the lighting, lens and smart use of a filter. (It's driving me crazy!) I can only hope the actress is good enough to transcend her look.

The image at left was the official 'teaser image' to see what fans thought of the next cast member's look. Here it isn't too bad, but then this has been through the power of Photoshop. If only they'd done the something similar with the actress' scenes instead of that make-up. (I would even prefer her just in black and white for a good long stretch...)

I do, however, like the flying monkeys - at least, seen in a split-second from a distance... Here's the longer promo I'm talking about:

As a side note: Seeing what fans do with the images gives me good cause to believe that if the show just used a filter on most of the camera work, it would be make the show lot easier to watch (especially in the CG scenes) and a lot more magical! But I digress...

UPDATE 6:52pm:
I forgot to add an excerpt from an interview on the OZ-factor coming to OUAT with the creators. here:

Where is Glinda, the Good Witch? We will meet Sunny Mabrey in the iconic role in latter half of this new crop of episodes.“I think she’s still Glinda the Good Witch in that she’s positive and has a lot of spirit to her,” said Kitsis of their spin on the character. 'But the kind of mythology of the four witches and that thing, we kind of created our own.” Horowitz also revealed that our Glinda is pure goodness but she’s a character “who has gone through a lot more."

You can read more of that interview HERE.

So, we shall see what OUAT has done to the WW of the West story and to Glinda as well. The Wicked Witch will not be named Elphaba or Theodora but will have her own identity and a story we haven't yet heard.  Her name instead, will be Zelena. Although there's usually a reason for the name choices on OUAT I can't immediately think of a reason for this choice. Can you?

Fan-made promo image

Since seeing the second promo and the extensive use of awful green make-up, and use of purple screen (that's right - they had to switch to 'purple screen' for the CG sets instead of using the usual green), I'm just not really hooked in. It doesn't help that the Snow-Charming storyline is so very, very tired and that we just don't care anymore. They essentially had a reboot though, which, although being (essentially) a writerly-cheat, it may just be enough to inject some much-needed life back into the series. The wandering-in-circles-around-the-island with lots of made-up drama got old very quickly and I think everyone cheered when we got back into Storybrook this time. It's the magical juxtaposed against the every day that seems to be most fascinating to people, including big-time fans, so here's hoping Horowitz & Kitsis are listening and have steered this aimless storyline back on course.

OUAT is returning Sunday, March 9th, with a promise of no-repeat episodes until the season finale this time.

I'm going to do my best to be optimistic about it. I'd love to enjoy watching this again and not have it dissolve into a 'likely-to-be-canceled' series.

Fairy Tale Review's 10th (!!) Anniversary Issue Is Out and It's An 'Oz-Stravaganza'

Coinciding with the 75th anniversary of MGM's beloved The Wizard of Oz movie, Fairy Tale Review, the annual literary journal dedicated to publishing new fairy tales, has released their special 10th anniversary Oz-themed issue! (And it's EMERALD green... ;) )

Ten years! Wow and congrats to all editors  and contributors through the years. You make our world a much richer place. Thank you.

Speaking of contributors, fairy tale news friend and writer Cate Fricke (of Something to Read For the Train) has a short story, Tin Girl, in this landmark issue as well (congrats Cate!). Here's a quickie-peek on the inspiration for her achievement:

Love that heart too! And you can go read more about her news and story HERE.

Here's a little announcement from Fairy Tale Review with some more exciting fairy tale news as well (the grayed links are intact so you can go there directly to find out more):

Fairy Tale Review is now open for submissions. 

Our tenth-anniversary issue, The Emerald Issue, is now available from Wayne State University Press. 

The newest Pins & Needles interview features the fabulous Timothy Schaffert.

We’ve added a new blog feature, Fairy-Tale Files, launching this week with ten days of Oz in celebration of The Emerald Issue. 

See you at AWP!

Did you see that? Fairy-Tale Files! A new blog feature and new fairy tale reading! Here's the scoop (& the new header by Samantha Sweeting):

(Read more HERE.)

This is just wonderful. Plus: Baba Yaga! Tam Lin! Fearnot! These are in my all time favorites fairy tale list!! I cannot click on all the goody-links fast enough!

Now I just need to clone myself so I have time to read even more and then figure out a way to download my clone's brain back into my own so I don't miss anything...

Note: Apologies for all the exclamation marks... I take it back. It's too exciting to not add exclamation marks!!

'Pushing Daisies' Looks To Be Getting a Revival. Or Two! *-fist-pump-*

You know the show I'm talking about, right? One of the shows that was (most agree) an unfair victim of that writer's fiasco a few years back? I've rarely met a fan of fairy tales that this show didn't appeal to.

In fact, when I heard this announcement I completely guarantee to you that my face was not the only one that looked like this:

'Pushing Daisies' was that stylized, fantasy show, where the most normal and innocent thing becomes the focus of something truly bizarre and fantastic, all in the middle of an ongoing mystery, and, oh yeah, death. In this show, the colors were saturated, the sets were distinctly staged and the people were bizarrely unique, particular and fantastic. You never knew when things were going to take a turn for the weird, or when a magical moment might happen or when people might break into song. It was bizarre and wondrous and able to ponder very deep truths in the midst of pie... very much like fairy tales. In fact, that's the very word that was often used to describe - a mix of wonder, magic and macabre, just like a good old fairy tale. (With extra singing.) 

So I'm gonna just leave this announcement here (ok, I added bold, underline and embiggened the letters... and yes 'embiggened' is a totally appropriate frankenword, worthy to be included in any article discussing Pushing Daisies!):

Pushing Daisies show creator Bryan Fuller has announced that he’s hoping to bring the cast back for a project or two. 

Fuller states in the interview, “I’ve had conversations very recently with Barry Sonnenfeld about financing a film, and with Kristin Chenoweth and Warner Brothers about developing a stage musical.” 

Additionally, Fuller said that some sort of revival is also on its way: “We’re working on something that is definitely a Pushing Daisies revival, and the idea would be to have as many cast as we can to participate in it.” 

We’re hoping that they’ll be able to get the full cast to return, which includes Lee Pace, Kristen Chenoweth, Anna Friel, Ellen Greene, Chi McBride, Swoosie Kurtz, and maybe even Jim Dale as the narrator.

Yes, yes! Any! Both! Just-doo-eeet!! And please note: we will not love this as much if the cast are not exact clones of the previous ones we loved.
OK.
Party on.

Sources: HERE & HERE

Hannah New Talks About Her Role as Aurora's Mother (aka 'Maleficent' News)

Apologies for a quiet weekend on the news front. It's been close to impossible to get to a computer I can blog on for days now, but I hope to put up a few shorter - and, sadly, less detailed - posts over the next couple of days to catch you up a bit.

First of all, the cast for Maleficent is beginning to be allowed to talk about their work on the film. The following excerpt is from an interview with Hannah New who plays Sleeping Beauty's mother when SB was a baby:

From CraveOnline:

You also worked on Maleficent. What’s your role in that?
It was fab. I got to play the mother of Sleeping Beauty which was an incredible role. Sleeping Beauty is a film that I remember very vividly as a kid and I remember all of those scenes, so revisiting the dark side of these fairy tales is almost cathartic as an adult. I think it’s an interesting trend that’s happening now that all of these tails are being explored from both sides, from the good and evil side. I’m very excited to see it. I haven’t seen it yet.

Is her mother out of the picture by the time Maleficent comes along?
Obviously when she’s born, that whole scene from the Disney film when she curses the baby is going to be in Maleficent. It’s the core conflict that happens in the story. Yeah, she then is obviously, because much of the story covers when she’s older, when she’s 16 so obviously I’m only playing her mom when she was a baby.

That still must have been a fun scene to do in live action.
Yeah, totally, it was awesome and also kind of was the culmination of lots of dreams because I’d always dreamed of working at Pinewood because it’s such an institution for us Brits. Obviously that childhood dream of being a Disney princess and getting dressed up in amazing, amazing costumes. The costumes are just out of this world, and obviously working with such incredible actors was another incredible bonus to that job. I’m just really, really glad to be part of it.

I think we're going to be seeing a lot more talk about looking at the darker side of fairy tale, aka seeing stories from the villain's POV in the immediate future. Even though it feels (to me) like we've been discussing this "darker side of fairy tales" thing for a few years now, I guess being sympathetic with the villain's story is a more specific strain of that, and people are completely fascinated by it. There are quizzes and hypothetical posts all over on "who will/should get the Maleficent treatment next?!".

I do think the consideration of the anti-hero, the misunderstood hero who sacrifices all (including reputation and their correct place in history) is a reflection of our current social considerations.. but that's for someone else with more time (and a bigger brain!) to discuss! Feel free to weigh in though. I'd love to see what your thoughts are on this.

Ask Baba Yaga: My Best Friend Just Got Engaged and All I Can Do Is Weep

Illustration for Baba Yaga's Blue Rose Tea (Celestial Seasonings) by Patrick Sheehan

Being happy for someone when they get something you want is tough. Baba Yaga has advice on getting your 'self' together and finding peace. And maybe even some happiness for your friend.... (and just in time for Valentine's Day, when most women in particular - single AND married - are dreading seeing what everyone else is putting on Facebook that day.)

This week's question and answer (via poet and oracle Taisia Kitaiskaia* of The Hairpin):

(Originally posted at The Hairpin HERE)

Evidence of tough love (and tough self-love) appeared in the comments:

• Oh my GOD this is good. "Happiness is a thing that passes through you, not a thing you meet and hold in your deathly grip forever afterwards" is somehow exactly what I needed to hear. Happiness is not the end goal, because it isn't guaranteed no matter what your circumstances are, and because it's a constantly evolving state of being, not a static thing you can hang on to. This column is seriously one of my favorite things the Hairpin has ever produced. (Jocasta Carr)
• Oooohhh, THISSSS. That's all I can do, just point at it and say "THISSSS."
  Wanting to share this with a particular friend, buuuut she's engaged. (stroopwafel)
• this absolutely gutted me, in the best possible way. (Lady Pants)

In the end death is death. She always gets right to the heart of it, doesn't she? 

I just hope that if they make soup in my cauldron after the fact, they give it a good clean first. (!)

In the meantime, have some tea...

"Seeking out her aid is usually portrayed as a dangerous act. An emphasis is placed on the need for proper preparation and purity of spirit, as well as basic politeness. It is said she ages one year every time she is asked a question, which probably explains her reluctance to help. This effect, however, can be reversed with a special blend of tea made with blue roses." (Source)

Wow. I really do need some tea. Specifically some of THAT tea, stat!

What do you think of Baba Yaga's advice?

Want to ask Baba Yaga a question of your own?

You can!

There's now an email address where you can send your questions

directly to Baba Yaga herself.

AskBabaYaga AT gmail DOT com

To encourage Baba Yaga to continue imparting her no-bones-about-it wisdom (ok, there may be some gristle in there... bones too), I suggest we not to leave her box empty... 

Thank you Baba Yaga (& Taisia).

* Taisia Kitaiskaia is a poet, writer, and Michener Center for Writers fellow. Born in Russia and raised in America, she's had her poems and translations published in Narrative Magazine, Poetry International, and others.

'La Belle et La Bête' 2014: First Reviews, More Concept Art & a Lovely Color Script

Gans' La Belle et La Bête is in theaters in France - and so far, it's doing very well. While there are bound to be some criticisms the overall response has been excellent, with many saying it's a tribute to French filmmaking. People seem to agree that the visuals are stunning throughout and it definitely has a fairy tale feel separate from Cocteau's La Belle et La Bête. I've yet to read much on the story execution though...

By the way, I'm peppering this post with more newly released concept art from the official concept artist for the film, Francois Baranger, and after the jump I'll put the color scripts, in case you are worried about spoilers (they're minimal but still...).

I'm using a lot of excerpts from a French review so you get a good overview but without spoilers (translated - not by me - so expect some rather flowery use of language). While you might assume the article was favorable, you have to admit, this headline is pretty impressive; perhaps even sensational:

Cocteau can rest in peace...
If taken as a whole, the film Christophe Gans certainly can not be reduced to a pile of moviegoers references and aesthetic refinement. This is especially respectful and deeply attached to sensations cinephile, images and details that diffusely print in indelible ink on the mind, like fragments that will act transcribe as narrative and not as parts winks (Gans is not Tarantino).  

For a filmmaker like Gans, hardcore cinephile before he was a journalist for the magazine Starfix, filmmaking is not a machine to satisfy the ego or tool without any commercial value: it is an area that it is to preserve, beautify and share. The idea of a new version of "Beauty and the Beast" was no more crazy than any another. No less than five different adaptations (including the studio of Uncle Walt) have emerged since the release of the masterpiece by Jean Cocteau in 1946, and the base material remained even more conducive to eternal variations on the subject that origins of this "fairy-like" are still vague (version 1757 written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, is now considered the basis of adaptations that followed).   

The content of the story, namely the meeting of a beautiful young woman and a terrifying beast, immediately reveals two levels of reading: the distinction between physical and moral ugliness ugliness, but also the ability to perceive purity of feelings behind the vilest appearances. True to this reading, Christophe Gans therefore seized the original material to thicken the scenario already very close to that written by Cocteau, another narrative layer, based on the taming mainly visual, symbolic and purely aesthetic a universe, which was already the case with his previous films. Beyond a plot that respects each letter of agreement fairy tale and initiatory journey, Gans focuses all its efforts on the staging of wanted a credible and conducive to world wonder purest. His staging favors immersion through a dazzling musical score and always moving camera, wedding every moment emotional variations of the two characters (the perfect symbiosis being reached at the time of their common dance scene), the appropriate integration of flashbacks perfectly brought by staging tricks which comes all the lexical field of "passing on the other side of the mirror" (nice reference to cinema Cocteau) and revealing a spectrum of emotions so vast that all public the young and old, will not have to strain to renew the imagination.  

Those who want to dazzle the eyes have plenty to see, and it will be the same for those who like to draw a darker tone and adult in a universe tale. Actors, far from being reduced to puppets meant to serve soup to huge sets, are of great accuracy in their partition, never forcing or overplaying (Léa Seydoux and Vincent Cassel show here a simple and natural game). Just may do you wince on the characterization of the Dussollier family, especially the two sisters (played by Audrey Lamy and Sara Giraudeau), reduced to caricatures pipelettes incarnations. But again, hard to see a real default as the cruelty of evil played by Eduardo Noriega, this kind of detail Manichean is fully within the archetypal tale for children.  

Among his influences in the design of the graphic film, Gans fond of quoting movies Hayao Miyazaki. Risky compared by a French filmmaker who does still not the genius of Japanese filmmaker, but not so trivial that the work of Miyazaki on creating a rich magical world of legends and mythologies can now be regarded as a clear benchmark for filmmakers. At first glance, references are embedded here and there in small steps.For example, the path of his father, lost in a snowstorm and arrived suddenly in the enchanted domain of the Beast, quite inevitably refers to a key scene of "My Neighbor Totoro", where the little girl away from her habitat and fell into an enchanted cave where she found Totoro. Similarly, small "Tadums" that haunt the corners of the castle of the Beast evoke in many aspects of the benevolent kami "Princess Mononoke". And what about this vision of the sacred animal, whose murder by the prince will be the catalyst of an imbalance between nature and man, reducing it to the status of Beast ravaged by suffering? The situation of the beast and his possible return to normal thanks to Belle join the final statement of "Howl's Moving Castle" : regardless of age or appearance, it is the truth of our feelings that reveals our own inner truth.  

After two hours of projection, the total success of the project is the result of a rather unexpected explosion, especially in a French industry less focused on the desire to open the imagination of its audience and stimulate the desire for adventure in all generations. By deploying an unprecedented visual richness in the French cinema and successfully married the poetic work of Cocteau to the magic of the Disney cartoon, Christophe Gans has completely won his bet a large popular movie, quick to reconcile all public and all sensitivities.

! The writer recognized multiple homages to Miyazaki and Cocteau, the former regarding specific movies, the latter regarding filmic sensibilities!

OK, wait. You probably have no real idea why that's exciting, apart from being favorably compared to Miyazaki (and Cocteau) being an all-round excellent thing. Although the reviewer may be a Gans' fan and aware of his film goals, the fact is, to be able to point those out must be making the Director feel very good right about now. Let me quote Gans talking to Variety so you understand what I mean by 'film goals':

" My secret dream is that, visually, Beauty and the Beast is like no other magical film. But if I have to admit affiliation, it will be poetic about ... Before you even begin to write a line in the script, my co-writer Sandra Vohan and I asked ourselves a simple question: what are the works that we believe embody the more force the notion of magic today The answer did not take two seconds: cartoons 's Hayao Miyazaki ! Because they are built on a system of human values, ecological civilization, the Japanese master works have transcended cultural barriers pose to international public quintessential magical feeling. Modestly, we have written Beauty and the Beast in the shadow of this giant (Miyazaki)"!

Even a review that is more critical (and not as exuberant) still comes across positively overall. I like the perspective and context this reviewer adds:

Gans’ film is more likely to suffer from direct comparisons (to Cocteau's Beauty & the Beast), though, simply because it’s French. Cocteau’s version of the tale isn’t just a Criterion-worthy classic and triumph of the film-maker’s art – it’s nothing less than a national monument, cobbled together on minimal resources while the country was still reeling from the bitter legacy of the Second World War and the Nazi occupation, a shining vision amidst the post-war gloom and deprivation. 

It’s not surprising, therefore, that the further the new film strays from Cocteau’s scenario, the more fun it becomes, though the fun is not necessarily of the high-tone kind. This is fine; Gans is not known for art movies... 

...there’s little point in setting out a blow-by-blow comparison to Cocteau’s film. The new version is a different beast entirely, so let us try to approach it on its own terms...

I won't add any more because it's very specific regarding scenes and details. Although the writer says they're not spoilery, I would consider them to be partially so (aka, "yes, they are!"). If you are still interested to read it (note: there is a bulleted list at the end of likes and dislikes which might taint you in one direction or another, so consider yourself warned), you can read it HERE.

UPDATE 8pm, Thursday 2-13-14: 

I found another French review on the opposite end of the scale - ie. thumbs down! It only gave the film one star (out of five) BUT it made multiple (mostly favorable) comparisons to Guillermo del Toro's Labyrinth, which the reviewer clearly considers a filmic masterpiece (though it said it lacked del Toro's mastery of story and ability to say something in film) and said it was undeniably beautiful throughout. Basically it came down to: stunning and interesting but without much soul; beautiful images and wonderful scenes but not much to say with regard to the complexities of the story and couple. So maybe, "ooh pretty", but unsatisfying and shallow?  

Ack. I don't care. I admit it: the marketing has won me over (apart from the weirdly big-eyed puppy-pokemons, which I find off-putting). I still want to see this!

And now for the color scripts, which might also be considered partially spoilery, which is why they're after the jump... >>>>>

✒ ✒ ✒  ✒ ✒ ✒  ✒  ✒  ✒ (click the "Read more" link below this line for more) ✒ ✒ ✒ ✒  ✒ ✒ ✒  ✒  ✒

Jasmine Becket-Griffith's 'Snow White and Rose Red'

Snow White and Rose Red by Jasmine Becket-Griffith

Jasmine Becket-Griffith is collaborating on a Fairy Tale Oracle deck! She's busy creating artwork for it right now. This is one of the most recent pieces, unveiled on February 1 this year. It's a lot softer than much of her past work has been, giving it more of a classical look. I really like it!

On her Facebook page, she explains a little about the piece:

This painting - "Snow White and Rose Red" is for my long-awaited Fairytale Oracle deck project with Lucy Cavendish & Blue Angel Publishing. As Snow White and Rose Red is about two peasant girls, this is intentionally a nod to William Bouguereau, 1800s French painter who is the master of peasant-girl paintings, hehe. These two sisters are shown early in the story (not to be confused with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - a completely UNRELATED story of a character with a similarly translated name, ahem, this is about two sisters who befriend a bear - check it out!), Snow White has light clothing and hair, Rose Red has the darker, redder colours, and this corresponds with their two forest friends - a cardinal bird and a chickadee! I love this piece, be sure to look for it in my upcoming Fairytale Oracle deck. 

As Snow White and Rose Red is about two peasant girls, this is intentionally a nod to William Bouguereau, 1800s French painter who is the master of peasant-girl paintings, hehe.  

I'll have to try and remember to look for this deck - new fairy tale art is a-comin'!

in the meantime, Ms. Becket-Griffith will be showing new Disney licensed work at the WonderGround Gallery (in Disneyland, California) on March 1st, 2014, including new paintings (currently in progress) of Belle and Alice (sneak peek shown above). Always great to see an artist's interpretation of Disney classics!

Multimedia Lecture: "Masters Reloaded: From 'Schneewittchen' to 'Sonne' The Brothers Grimm and Rammstein"

Some of you may remember the heavy metal song and video by German group Rammstein, telling a very different, provocative and dark retelling of Snow White from 2001. The song was titled 'Sonne' (meaning 'sun' in German).

I don't remember, however, any folklorist ever lecturing on it at length, other than to point out that the video existed. Well now we have a chance to hear a scholarly opinion on it, as well as other unusual places fairy tale motifs and plot lines have appeared in modern and pop culture, arts and music.

The event is summarized on Facebook HERE, and I found an article detailing a little of the impetus for this lecture as well.

From the Carroll County Times:

McDaniel College professor of German Mohamed Esa has made a career of examining the symbolism of German folklore and fairy tales and said he sometimes sees those symbols, such as gold and poisoned apples, popping up in unlikely places. Even places as unlikely as the music of German heavy metal band Rammstein. 

“I am not a fan, not a heavy metal guy, but some of the stuff that Rammstein does is very interesting,” Esa said. “They are very smart guys … some of their songs are based on famous poems by [German writer] Goethe or fairy tales by the brothers Grimm.” 

Esa will give a multi-media lecture on Rammstein’s use of fairy tale imagery at Hoover Library on the McDaniel College campus from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. 

Entitled “The Masters Reloaded: The Brothers Grimm and Rammstein,” the free talk will explore how symbols and themes from various versions of the Snow White fairy tale have been remastered and reinterpreted by Rammstein in the music video for their song, “Sonne.” Esa will present his talk and then show the music video. 

“Snow White is really twisted in the video. She is not the sweet innocent girl that goes into the forest and who is kept safe by the seven dwarves,” Esa said. “She is mature, she is sexually active and she is addicted to gold cocaine. The miners, the five members of the band, they bring her the gold and she sniffs it like cocaine. The heroine is addicted to heroin, the divine drug. At the end, she literally gives herself a golden shot of death.” 

According to Esa, Rammstein’s use of a gold-snorting Snow White is particularly interesting given a lesser-known version of the original tale that dates to around 1845. 

“In that version, after Snow White is poisoned, the dwarves try to revive her using a tincture of gold in her nose,” he said. “Is it a coincidence that in the video Snow White is addicted to gold cocaine? For me when I read this, I said, ‘Whoa, there must be something there.’” 

Esa said he first became aware of Rammstein in the late ’90s, around the time they had some crossover commercial success on American radio.

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

For those who haven't seen it and would like to, I've embedded the video below. (If you can't handle heavy metal music I suggest just turning the sound down.):

If you'd like to attend the lecture, here are the details:

What: The Masters Reloaded: The Brothers Grimm and Rammstein
When: 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Feb. 17
Where: The Wahrhaftig Room of the Hoover Library at McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster
Cost: Free!

A Dark Rapunzel Coming to OUAT (No, I'm Not Talking About Her Hair or Skin Color, Although She's Not Blonde Either)

Here we come to one of those times when the internet shows it's personality disorder: "..we want more diversity among Disney princesses!" is currently having a head-on clash with "..why is OUAT's Rapunzel not blonde?!".

:/ Yeah.

What is more interesting (to me) is not how 'non-white' the new Rapunzel character for OUAT's features will be, but how dark the storyline is promised to be (by OUAT creators Kitsis & Horowitz), and when we say "dark" here we mean The Grudge Japanese horror film dark.

Apparently.
No doubt it will be toned down a lot to keep the current mostly-family-friendly rating but that's the promise: The Grudge-dark.

In the second half of season three, we will meet Rapunzel (Alexandra Metz).

 

The executive producer, Adam Horowitz, has confirmed this to be true. 

However, he stated that, “We’re not doing Tangled; we’re doing our spin on the character.” This just makes the news all that more exciting. 

Kitsis went on to describe Rapunzel’s character. He said that she is going to be a little darker and freakier. Think of a horror story like the vein of The Grudge. 

The long-locked damsel (Alexandra Metz) will be visited in her tower by Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) as well as a mysterious hooded menace. Might it be the Wicked Witch of the West (Rebecca Mader) lurking under that hood? "I can't tell you," says Mader.

I'm immediately reminded of the Fairest (Fables comic spin-off) Rapunzel and how perfectly that Japanese horror aspect is explored, not to mention how well it fits with Rapunzel's story. I guess the OUAT people aren't keeping up with Willingham's Fables/Fairest? Or are they?

Not only is the trend for understanding the villains' side of the story continuing but it has well and truly expanded into "the heroes aren't exactly as squeaky-clean as you thought..".

I have to say I'm enjoying the look at the anti-hero a lot - the perfect princess/hero approach of the last 20+ years has been cloying but at the same time this trend of villain stories and exposing the dark hearts of the heroes can occasionally feel a little forced. I'm curious to see where on the spectrum this storyline lands.

The way people are viewing fairy tales is certainly richer than it was a few years ago but instead of mining the multitude of stories that already have complex heroes and villains we're still in re-mix mode for the familiar ones.

This is not a complaint - exactly - more of a sigh at a missed opportunity but honestly, I'm just glad people are still considering different aspects of fairy tales more than they have for some time.

Sources: HERE & HERE