Tuesday, March 2, 2010

iTunes "Fairy Tale" Movies

I was searching iTunes movies this weekend and discovered that under the "Romance" category, there is a smaller subcategory of movies that is called "Fantasies, Fairy Tales, and Princesses." (I love the last part..."and Princesses" haha) Movies in this category include:
  • The Time Traveler's Wife (fantasy? maybe)
  • Enchanted (no way, is that a fairy tale spoof?)
  • 13 Going on 30 (again, fantasy)
  • A Cinderella Story (I think this is the movie with Hilary Duff? so "princess" theme?)
  • Ever After ("fairy tale")
  • Roman Holiday (I don't think this fits)
  • Ghost (um...fantastical elements of heaven/hell/devils/ghosts?)
  • Maid in Manhattan (extremely original modern pseudo-Cinderella story)
  • a slew of other movies that really don't fit into this category at all
I don't think the movies lumped into this category are closely enough related to be grouped together; the plot of 13 Going On 30 and the Time Traveler's Wife involve disruptions in time moreso than the traditional fairy tale elements. I know they're fantastical, but I feel they don't have other important elements that create a fairy tale. They almost belong in a group with Back to the Future and Frequency (great movie if you haven't seen it)...especially with 13 Going on 30, because the theme of romance is secondary to the theme of finding your true self and growing up.

As for Maid in Manhattan, Enchanted, and Cinderella Story, we're back to the Disney/beating-you-over-the-head fairy tale plot. These are fairy tales, but definitely more of the modern, happy, Americanized idea of the genre.

Ghost and Roman Holiday are a stretch... I feel like they needed somewhere to put these and plopped them in there. I realize you could categorize "Ghost" as a fantasy, but there are a lot of other films that involve ghosts, heaven, hell, angels, devils, and other religious symbols that aren't included in this "Everything Fantastical Catch-All Category." Furthermore, if prince charming said "ditto" when the princess told him "I love you," I think the fairy tale would lose a lot of the romance...
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1 comment:

  1. ColleenMarch 2, 2010 at 11:20 PM

    I think this post brings up the important point that fairy tales are often, and sometimes falsely associated with romance. This is indicative of standards placed within our culture for the fairy tale genre. These standards tell us that the fairy tales centered on romance have been the most popularized by the media. Movies like Maid in Manhattan and 13 Going on 30 have textbook happy endings that remind us of the romance at the end of our most well-known fairy tales, such as Snow White, and Cinderella.

    I find this very interesting considering our discussion on the relationship between romance and chivalry in class last week. If romance and chivalry are almost inseparable in today’s world, and romance and fairy tales go hand in hand, then it seems like we are stuck with fairy tales that end in romance in which the female is consistently and unavoidably wooed by the male. How, in such a situation, could feminist retellings of fairy tales ever gain their footing? It is true, as Allegra said, that fairy tales contain many other elements besides romance. But if romance is all we are being taught to associate with fairy tales, then it seems that we are missing out on many of the lessons fairy tale literature was originally trying to teach its audience. If we live in a society that is solely focused on promoting the romantic aspect of fairy tales, and this aspect is oppressive towards women, then I fear that this could have a negative impact on our culture.

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