Pan's Labyrinth

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Originally Posted by Chernabog

(Plus those old fairy tales are REALLY disgusting, actually)

I'm pretty squeamish, but I thought that the inclusion of violence was pretty apt BECAUSE of those gorey old tales. Considering Cinderella, in which the stepsisters--in order to fit into the slipper--slice off a toe and a heel, respectively. Or Little Red Riding Hood, which involves first the eating of a human by a bear and then the slicing of a bear by a human. Or Bluebeard, for heaven's sake... which depicts the eighth wife of a rich man entering the one room she's been forbidden from entering-- and instead of a magical rose or something lovely, discovers the seven previous wives hanging on the walls and a floor soaked in blood.

In no terms is this a children's fairy tale, even if it revolves around a child. But I rather think that fairy tales weren't really for children in the first place.

[Gemini Cricket]

An interesting article re: "Pan's Labyrinth" from CNN...

"I do think there is far more an immoral position in creating a movie like 'Free Willy,' where I'm telling a kid, you know, 'If you swim next to a ... killer whale, she'll become your friend.' ... No! She will eat your ... guts and spit you out!"
Del Toro continues in a more reflective vein: "If my child watches my movies by accident, they will not try to think the world is a safe place, which it's not. Children should know the dangers of the world and not be neurotically isolated from them."

Source

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

I'm pretty squeamish, but I thought that the inclusion of violence was pretty apt BECAUSE of those gorey old tales. Considering Cinderella, in which the stepsisters--in order to fit into the slipper--slice off a toe and a heel, respectively. Or Little Red Riding Hood, which involves first the eating of a human by a bear and then the slicing of a bear by a human. Or Bluebeard, for heaven's sake... which depicts the eighth wife of a rich man entering the one room she's been forbidden from entering-- and instead of a magical rose or something lovely, discovers the seven previous wives hanging on the walls and a floor soaked in blood.

In no terms is this a children's fairy tale, even if it revolves around a child. But I rather think that fairy tales weren't really for children in the first place.

I actually wonder if the earliest tales were anything but stories for all ages. I can't say if spoken word was censored around the campfire when these tales were first spun. Be something to look into, anyway. Regardless, they were always dark and they were always meant to stimulate our most base and terrible fears. I'd probably prefer the Victorians hands kept out of the creepy cookie jar when they updated some of those tales. Then again, the more versions the merrier. I like my dark and my Disney Cinderellas.

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by Eliza Hodgkins 1812

I actually wonder if the earliest tales were anything but stories for all ages. I can't say if spoken word was censored around the campfire when these tales were first spun. Be something to look into, anyway. Regardless, they were always dark and they were always meant to stimulate our most base and terrible fears.

According to some theorists, the traditional, dark fairy tales are representative of rites of passage, transitioning into adulthood. I can't remember all the components, but there are elements like the quest, the first "test" that is a form of aid in disguise (like baba yaga) that provides the item or information the hero/ine will ultimately need to be successful. I wish I knew where the hell my notes on this were.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Prudence

I wish I knew where the hell my notes on this were.

Me, too! Find those notes!