Fairy Tale and Film

Fairy Tale and Film
(Catherine Deneuve) has no objection to marrying her father (and is 
only dissuaded because her fairy godmother desires him for herself) 
undermines such arguments, as does the film’s very questionable tone.
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Father–daughter incest is a theme that has understandably proved to 
be unpopular for publishers and film-makers, in pointed contrast to 
monstrous mothers, with few cinematic examples daring to explore this 
taboo subject. 
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(David Lynch, 1991) repeats 
some of the problems in Demy’s film in terms of its style and how seri-
ously it is intended, updating the paternal incest theme of ‘The Maiden 
without Hands’ (ATU 706), alongside the ‘devil-made-me-do-it’ alibi. 
The TV series, 
Twin Peaks 
(ABC 1990–91), already courted controversy in 
this respect, with commendations for discussing incest in a prime-time 
drama undermined by excusing the victim’s father with a supernatural 
explanation. (Revealed to have repeatedly raped and finally killed his 
own daughter, the father is said to be possessed by an evil spirit called 
‘Bob’ and dies soon after he is caught.) As a prequel, Lynch’s film makes 
difficult viewing because it recounts Laura Palmer’s final days with 
macabre prurience, focusing on a crime that can never be adequately 
resolved. In the original tale, we might recall, the father’s crime is sub-
limated through the motif of mutilating his daughter, excused as hav-
ing been coerced by the devil, and although she eventually marries a 
king, her mother-in-law further deflects paternal blame in maliciously 
seeking to divide the couple.
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Like other tales of male sexual abuse, 
rebirth is achieved through having a family of her own, and acquir-
ing independence from parental figures. 
Precious 
(Lee Daniels, 2009), 
based on the novel 
Push
by Sapphire, affirms the same message. This 
shocking account of paternal incest features a mercilessly downtrodden 
protagonist who bears two children by her father while still at school 
and finds no protection from her abusive controlling mother. A happy 
ending is provided not through meeting a man, but learning to value 
herself, disowning her horrifically negligent mother, and taking care 
of her children. Self-worth is ultimately achieved through leaving her 
family home and starting her life again.
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In 
Dolores Claiborne
(Taylor 
Hackford, 1995) it is only when Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) returns to 
her childhood home that she learns that the underlying cause of her 
depression and anxiety are repressed memories of paternal sexual abuse. 
Her unwillingness to recall what her father did to her is paralleled with 
an equally distorted perception of her mother, the film’s title character. 
As with the original novel by Stephen King, the intention is to ques-
tion the apparently monstrous mother and unveil what prompted her 
to kill her husband. While tales like ‘Donkeyskin’ falsely incriminate 

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Houses of Horror 
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mothers for their husbands’ incestuous desires, and the only mother 
figure in ‘The Maiden without Hands’ is hateful rather than nurturing, 
Dolores Claiborne
offers a rare example of a mother seeking to protect 
her daughter from abuse. The gesture is belatedly recognised by Selena, 
who is forced to dislodge repressed memories of her father, positively 
reassess her mother and get on with her life; while Precious (Gabourey 
Sidibe) learns, through caring maternal mentors (a social worker and 
teacher), to value herself, reject her mother and serve as a better exam-
ple to her children. Both films treat difficult subject matter with com-
mendable seriousness, exposing family traumas to scrutiny, articulating 
incest from the daughter’s perspective (firmly eschewing Freudian 
fantasies) and importantly affirming the victims’ ability to survive their 
experiences. 
In detailing the darker side of family life, fairy tales reveal the most 
atrocious acts, particularly in preying upon children rather than pro-
tecting them. The witch in ‘Hansel and Gretel’ exaggerates the mother’s 
ruthless self-interest, fattening Hansel up in order to eat him, while the 
stepmother in ‘Snow White’ demands her stepdaughter’s lungs and liver 
not simply as proof of her demise but as ingredients for her pot. The 
apparent aim is to avail herself of her rival’s beauty, an idea that may 
reveal the extent of her vanity, yet also affirms a puzzling insecurity. 
Given her status as queen, her beauty, and her power as a sorceress, why 
should she prioritise being the fairest of all – and what does this reveal 
about a stark imbalance of power in gender terms?