I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I agree with Zipes on a lot of the points he makes, at other times I wanted to tell the man to take several deep breaths and think about dolphins or something equally calming.
It isn't that I don't agree with Zipes that the Disney version of Snow White takes a number of artistic liberties with the original tale--but so did the 1916 version that we watched, and Zipes does not seem to have a problem with that, perhaps because that version was not part of a cultural phenomenon on the level that Disney's films were. I do agree that the Disney version of Snow White is vastly different, in tone especially, from the Grimm original. And I also agree that Snow White, and a number of Disney's other fairy tale films, perpetuate an idea of a patriarchal, male-driven structure (I really wish this most recent Disney Princess craze would end and soon, for all our sakes.) I find all of those points to be relevant, it's just that I don't think one interpretation of a story with such a rich history behind it is going to ruin or change that story forever. The very nature of fairy tales is to be passed from person to person and reinterpreted, so how, in essence, is a movie any different from that idea?
That being said, it doesn't mean that I particularly like Disney's interpretation of the Snow White character. I actually caught myself rooting for the Evil Queen a couple of times, because Snow White was just so annoying.
I agree with the point that it is difficult to take one side or another—either agreeing with Zipes in his criticism of Disney, or opposing it. It is also especially important to consider their different perspectives: Zipes is a literary critic, a scholar, and Disney was a filmmaker. You articulated thiis notion when you said “Both have a vested interest n maintaining one extreme or the other.”
ReplyDeleteI also like how you said that as a reader, it's hard to not take into consideration your own history and relationship to these stories, because they are “uniquely personal.” We all have different feelings linked to Disney, because whether we actually watched the movies growing up [which most of us, I believe, did], Disney films are still in our childhood memories, simply because they were infused in many aspects of children’s society: from toys, to television, to birthday parties, to decorations, kitchenware, billboards—you get the picture. There was no way to escape Disney in our generation, so we all relate to Disney on a personal level in one way or another. That in itself signifies that our interpretation and analysis of Zipes and Disney, and deciding who we support or do not support— or deciding that we support neither—is going to be affected by personal meanings.
Also, I do not believe that Disney should be condemned for perpetuating stereotypes of male-dominance, because so much of the arts did the same in those days: that was just the reality of what society was like back then: that was what people were used to. Just because Disney did not challenge that does not mean that he purposely was perpetuating those stereotypes: he was basing his film on what he knew the culture around him was like.
Finally, I agree that one interpretation of a story—Zipes’—must not ruin or change our interpretation of Disney’s Snow White. It is important for us to critique not only Disney’s version of Snow White, but also Zipes’ analysis of Disney’s film.
I agree with (and laughed at) your post. Snow White was a little irritating at times, wasn't she :) While I also agreed with Zipes, I too thought he went a little overboard at some points.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that though Zipes had some valid points, he was a bit extreme in his criticisms of Disney. I like how you said "The very nature of fairy tales is to be passed from person to person and reinterpreted" and I agree completely. I think it's important to understand and appreciate the origins of fairy tales and how they came to be, but it's also equally important to embrace the changes and reinterpretations of fairy tales as they travel through time and space!
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