I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy writing my dissertation, at the
time it was an awful experience but looking back on it I somewhat enjoyed writing it. I also put a lot of pressure on myself do well due to picking
Disney as my topic. I disliked that a lot of my time at home was spent curled over my laptop, books and journals but all of the hard work I put into it paid off and I have honestly never been so proud of myself. I came to the realisation that writing about Disney is something that I thoroughly enjoy doing. Taking my time to analyse clips from the films I chose to write about and dive deeper into the meaning behind certain aspects of the films was extremely interesting and gratifying. Due to doing a film degree I had too textually analyse the clips I chose, therefore discussing the music and shots used was important. I also includes a chapter on what theories were relevant to my topic, but I won't be uploading that chapter on my blog.
I wrote a chapter on Snow White in order to compare the representation of gender in an earlier Disney film to those released during the Disney Renaissance, I wrote about The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and Mulan. I'll be uploading each princesses section in separate blog posts, in order to spread them out.
Overall, I received 75% for my dissertation, which is a first and I couldn't be happier.
How has the representation of the female gender in the Disney Princess movies progressed during the Disney Renaissance in relation to Snow White?
I wrote a chapter on Snow White in order to compare the representation of gender in an earlier Disney film to those released during the Disney Renaissance, I wrote about The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas and Mulan. I'll be uploading each princesses section in separate blog posts, in order to spread them out.
Overall, I received 75% for my dissertation, which is a first and I couldn't be happier.
How has the representation of the female gender in the Disney Princess movies progressed during the Disney Renaissance in relation to Snow White?
Snow White: the Model Woman of the 1930s
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was not only The Walt Disney Company’s first feature length film and what audiences recognise today as a Disney Classic, it “is the first full length animated film in cinematic history.” (Rustad, 2014, p.18) During the 1930s, the time period in which Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released, women were expected to stay at home and be the homemakers, while it “was clear that men were not expected to do domestic work, nor did they have the ability to do so.” (England, Descartes and Collier Meek, 2011, p.563) This can be proven by analysing the portrayal of Snow White and the relationship she has with the dwarfs throughout the course of the film. The character of Snow White represents what was considered to be the ideal women in the 1930’s, which
was “a time when women were confined to the stereotype of homemaker.” (Garabedian, 2014, p.23) Snow White can be seen cooking, cleaning and even comes across as a motherly figure for the dwarfs.
When Snow White first appears in frame the princess can be seen wearing clothes that are not befitting to her title. The dress has clearly been worn out as it is ripped and patches have also been sewn onto it. The colours used for this dress are also particularly ordinary considering her status as a princess. Light and dark browns have been used, however the style of the dress is tremendously similar to the one she is seen wearing for the remainder of the film. Davis states that the princesses “beauty and gentility shine through despite their rags.” (2006, p.101) A panning shot has been used in this frame enabling the spectators to view and appreciate that regardless of the rags she is wearing, Snow White is still portrayed in a way that makes her beauty and grace extremely apparent. This dress could represent how mundane her life currently is and her longing to find love. A medium shot is used to truly depict Snow White’s emotions once she has run up to the tower as the prince is singing to her, she smiles and wraps her arms around herself then looks down in embarrassment as she suddenly remembers the rags she is wearing. A cut shot has been used to depict the change in scene. A long shot is used as Snow White gleefully runs up a hill to pick flowers on the outskirt of the forest, from here on out the princess can be seen wearing her traditional blue and yellow dress. A long shot is used to establish the change in clothing as joyful music accompanies her. This could initiate the idea that now she has met her prince she must look prim and proper in order to win his affection, as it is believed that women are obliged to only make themselves look beautiful in order to please a man, they simply cannot do it just for themselves.
Furthermore,
during the opening scene when it is confirmed that Snow White is the “fairest
of them all”, the magic mirror states that “rags cannot hide her gentle grace.”
(Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
1937) A long shot of the Evil Queen
illustrates her disbelief and humiliation to find out that she is in truth not
the most striking woman in the kingdom. Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs “story is filled with messages about beauty,” (Brzuzy and Lind, 2007, 274) and Snow White saw
the beginning of the portrayal of dainty princesses. She represented the female
gender in a way that made it evident that being perceived as beautiful was
imperative, as the reason she had to flee her own kingdom was because her
beauty out shone another’s.
When Snow White first appears in frame the princess can be seen wearing clothes that are not befitting to her title. The dress has clearly been worn out as it is ripped and patches have also been sewn onto it. The colours used for this dress are also particularly ordinary considering her status as a princess. Light and dark browns have been used, however the style of the dress is tremendously similar to the one she is seen wearing for the remainder of the film. Davis states that the princesses “beauty and gentility shine through despite their rags.” (2006, p.101) A panning shot has been used in this frame enabling the spectators to view and appreciate that regardless of the rags she is wearing, Snow White is still portrayed in a way that makes her beauty and grace extremely apparent. This dress could represent how mundane her life currently is and her longing to find love. A medium shot is used to truly depict Snow White’s emotions once she has run up to the tower as the prince is singing to her, she smiles and wraps her arms around herself then looks down in embarrassment as she suddenly remembers the rags she is wearing. A cut shot has been used to depict the change in scene. A long shot is used as Snow White gleefully runs up a hill to pick flowers on the outskirt of the forest, from here on out the princess can be seen wearing her traditional blue and yellow dress. A long shot is used to establish the change in clothing as joyful music accompanies her. This could initiate the idea that now she has met her prince she must look prim and proper in order to win his affection, as it is believed that women are obliged to only make themselves look beautiful in order to please a man, they simply cannot do it just for themselves.
A
zoom has been used to illustrate Snow White cleaning stone steps as she lets
out a short sigh, then goes on to sing “I’m wishing for the one I love to find
me today.” (Morey, 1937) The diegetic sound that is present in this
scene portrays Snow White in a way that indicates she will happily wait around
for her prince to come and find her, she has no intention of making the
endeavour to seek out her true love. This places the stereotype on women that
they “are always rescued by men and cannot live happy lives without men’s help.”
(Maity, 2014, p.29) Beginning to make it apparent that Snow White’s dream and
quest is to patiently wait for her Prince Charming to come and rescue her, in
order to truly find happiness she needs her true love to come and sweep her off
of her feet. Furthermore, when Snow White is undergoing a dull chore she is
still singing and imagining being with someone she loves, as Snow White sings
“imagine that the broom is someone that you love.” (Morey, 1937) Even though
she is participating in a particularly tedious task she is envisioning herself
dancing with her true love even as she is cleaning, which reinforces the
“embrace of Snow White’s pure maiden innocence.” (Rosen, 1973, p.190) The scene
in which Snow White is singing Someday My
Prince Will Come (Morey, 1937) further establishes the notion that finding
their true love is particularly important to women. As the dwarfs gather round
and listen, traditional gender roles have been explained through the
patriarchal tone of the song. Snow White conforms to traditional gender roles
of women by stating “to be happy forever I know...and wedding bells will ring.”
(Morey, 1937) Reinstating that in order
to achieve her dream of finding eternal happiness she must get married, as “she
lives her own being as incomplete, pending the arrival of one who will
‘complete’ her.” (Giradot, 1977, p.274) As well
as the patriarchal message of the song, the music of Someday My Prince Will Come (Morey, 1937) represents a stereotypically feminine princess; the character
has an extremely high vocal register, fitting perfectly with the dreamy melody
of the song which adds to her yearning and lust to find true love. The visual
imagery present in this scene also portrays a stereotypical representation of
femininity. Numerous animals surround Snow White as she serenades the dwarfs in
a motherly form, as the “animals provided the perfect foil for the princess.
They were a class of peasantry whose simplicity and devotion proved the
princess’s worthiness.” (Condis and Austin, 2015, p.1) Illustrating how the
princess has been represented in an exceptionally feminine manner through her
relationship with nature and also as a mother figure to the dwarfs.
I know that this is pretty long, my next five sections aren't as wordy! I'll be uploading my paragraphs on The Little Mermaid next.
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