Fairy Tale and Film

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Fairy Tale and Film
Old Tales with a New Spin
Sue Short

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Fairy Tale and Film

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Also by Sue Short
CULT TELEFANTASY SERIES 
CYBORG CINEMA
MISFIT SISTERS: Screen Horror as Female Rites of Passage 

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Fairy Tale and Film
Old Tales with a New Spin
Sue Short
Birkbeck College, University of London, UK

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© Sue Short, 2015
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this 
publication may be made without written permission.
No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted 
save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the 
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence 
permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 
Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication 
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work 
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2015 by 
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, 
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, 
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies 
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, 
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978–1–137–02016–1
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully
managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing 
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the 
country of origin.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Short, Sue, 1968–
Fairy tale and film : old tales with a new spin / Sue Short, Birkbeck College, 
University of London, UK.
pages cm
Includes filmography.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978–1–137–02016–1
1. Fairy tales in motion pictures. 2. Fairy tales—Film adaptations. I. Title. 
PN1995.9.F34S57 2015
791.43'6559—dc23 2014028335
Typeset by MPS Limited, Chennai, India.

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To Leah – already a keen lover of fairy tale films.
In loving memory of her mother, Dani.

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vii
Preface 
viii
Introduction: Fairy Tale Films, Old Tales with a New Spin 
1
1 Finding Love and Fulfilling Dreams: Aspiring Underdogs 
and Humbled Heroines 
21
2 Curses, Wishes and Amazing Transformations: Male 
Maturation Tales 
50
3 Wealth through Stealth: Evening the Odds, or Flirting 
with Disaster? 
71
4 Dangerous Liaisons: Demon Lovers and Defiant Damsels 
92
5 Houses of Horror: Domestic Dangers and Man-made 
Monsters 113
6 Postmodern Revisions: New Tales for Old? 
140
Epilogue: The Importance of Enchantment 
163