Fairy Tale and Film

Introduction 
15
and the journey they have made, while also leaving us with no defi-
nite answers.
10
Although a symbolic quality is undisputable, fairy tales 
are also cultural documents, informed by the period and politics of 
their age, and inflected by the particular interests of their tellers. Tales 
have always been subject to revision, in their transition from oral to 
print forms, as well as their various incarnations on screen. Writers and 
film-makers are as inspired as prior generations in retelling such tales – 
often keen to find new ways of updating and adapting them – while the 
pleasure of recognising themes, and seeing how they have been altered, 
is not simply confined to critics, but an evident appeal for viewers also. 
We might find some comfort in seeking to establish a continuity with 
the past, claiming an immutable alliance with our ancestors in being 
drawn to the same tropes (romantic aspirations, coming-of-age tales, 
stories of wonder, enchantment and dread, validating the triumph of 
unlikely heroes and the impact of incredible transformations) yet it is in 
terms of discernible changes that such stories come to life, and become 
newly relevant for our age. 
The aims of this book are as follows:
• To examine key themes and archetypes in cinema that rework folk 
and fairy tales of the past.
• To evaluate different assessments of the ‘fairy tale film’, in line with 
recent scholarly work in this field.
• To pay particular attention to unusual, wayward and unorthodox 
examples, especially where scope for derailing prior conventions is 
discerned, whether it be in terms of gender roles, narrative goals or 
attendant twists.
• To challenge the idea that the fairy tale film is limited to a specific 
genre – or audience – and scrutinise the breadth of narratives in 
which fairy tale tropes can be found.
• To ask what has led to the popular interest in revising fairy tale 
concerns in film.
• To encourage the reader to familiarise themselves with relevant 
theories, and question why particular ideas remain so enduring.
A fraught area of critical debate is the question of how feminism has 
informed our understanding of fairy tales and whether they offer suit-
able role models. Critiques of the ‘innocent persecuted heroine’, rely-
ing on marriage to a prince, have led to claims that we should either 
extend the examples discussed beyond the usual trinity (‘Cinderella’, 
‘Snow White’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’) or rewrite these figures to give 

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16 
Fairy Tale and Film
them greater contemporary relevance. The first chapter uses the rom-
com to reassess this debate, perceiving the key influence of two tales 
on the genre: ‘Cinderella’ (a downtrodden girl gets a rags-to-riches 
makeover) and ‘King Thrushbeard’ (a haughty heroine gets what’s 
good for her). Examples such as 
A Cinderella Story 
(Mark Rosman, 
2004), 
Never Been Kissed
(Raja Gosnell, 1999) and 
My Big Fat Greek 
Wedding
(Joel Zwick, 1992) are discussed as inspiring new versions of 
‘Cinderella’ with ambitions that attest to feminism’s positive impact. 
However, a contrasting note of caution is offered in films such as 
Monster-in-Law
(Robert Luketic, 2005), 
The Devil Wears Prada
(David 
Frankel, 2006) and 
My Best Friend’s Wedding
(P.J. Hogan, 1997) which 
rework questionable fairy tale tropes such as humbled heroines and 
female rivalry to discredit emancipated or assertive females. Humour 
is shown to be a double-edged sword in these comedies, skewering cli-
chéd claims about romantic saps yet exposing some female characters 
to unnecessary ridicule. The role women have played in producing, 
writing and occasionally directing these films is noted to provide no 
guarantees in terms of ideology, affirming a hesitancy about feminist 
impulses in such films.
The second chapter turns its attention to male figures in coming-
of-age comedies who are themselves required to have a makeover. In 
examples like