Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella Analysis

Superior Essays
In 2015, Walt Disney plans to release a very classic fairy tale movie that no matter age you are will definitely know, ‘Cinderella’. In this time the movie comes as a live-action version that retells about a servant step-daughter who wins the Prince Charming’s heart. This ‘Cinderella’ is an upcoming American live action romantic fantasy movie which is directed by Kenneth Branagh. The movie is planned to be released on March 13, 2015. Also it will be accompanied by Walt Disney Animation Studios short film ‘Frozen Fever’, featuring the characters from ‘Frozen’ (2013). I can say that all fans of Disney princess can’t wait to see this coming-up movie. From the movie which showed Angelina Jolie's enchanting performance and dazzling special effects …show more content…
Some of the audience have noticed that Disney has tried to change the view of being princess. Since the first Disney Princess movie was produced which is ‘Snow White and the seven dwarfs’ (1937) became famous at that time, there are some people who still have many questions as why there has to be a prince in the movie. I interviewed some of hardcore Disney princess fans and they gave me many unexpected views of all Disney Princess movie. First is for ‘Snow White’. One of them said, “I think that Snow White is very pitiful princess. She’s just only fourteen and she has to leave her castle because her own beauty is a threat to another woman, so she will be killed. And finally, her only physical beauty is what saves her in the end. Because of her skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony. That’s why she’s alive with a prince’s kiss.” It makes me think that if Snow White is not pretty at all, she may be in her glass coffin until now. One more thing about the movie ‘Snow White’ is when the seven dwarfs take pity on her and said, “If you will keep house for us, and cook, make beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want.” So this is all women had to do then at that period of time; keeping house, cooking, washing, sewing, and cleaning. I have no …show more content…
The first wave is when they released a movie ‘Mulan’ (1998), an animated musical action-comedy-drama movie based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan. Mulan seems to be a feminist movie which encourages to give women the authority or power to do something. Mulan displays how hard it is to escape stereotypical gender roles. Watching this movie discourages girls from a young age from trying to pursue a career, and makes them desire finding love and becoming a wife above all instead. There are many scenes in Mulan which show that women are inferior to men. At the beginning, the story gives the idea that being a woman is being useless and unimportant. Only men can bring honor to the family. It’s showed clearly in an argument between Shang and Chi-Fu, when Shang says, “she’s a hero!” and Chi-Fu replies to him angrily, “She’s a woman! She’ll never be worth anything!”. Mulan may seem like a feminist film because in the end she is seen as a hero who saves the whole of China. The second wave is ‘The Princess and the Frog’ (2009) in November 25, 2009. The movie clearly shows a hardworking and ambitious woman who is not a princess from the beginning, Tiana, she dreams of opening her finest restaurant in New Orleans by herself. While Snow White had a sense that “someday my Prince will come.” Cinderella just hoped that one day she wouldn’t have to mop so much again. Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty)

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Girls On Film Analysis

    • 1459 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This particular article is also geared towards mothers of daughters who would have an interest in Disney’s princess brand. Bartyzel’s writings examine the portrayal of women in media as evidenced by the overarching title of “Girls on Film”. Bartyzel believes that there is often an issue with the way women are portrayed and that it has a detrimental effect on young women. There has been a lot of discussion around Disney in particular and the culture created by it’s princesses. Many, like Bartyzel, argue that Disney princesses are only showing girls one very narrow view of femininity and it’s an archaic one.…

    • 1459 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While Poniewozik argues that modern princess movies teach children how to be strong and independent and are ultimately good role models, Orenstein expresses her opinion on non-princess characters becoming more feminine and why it is teaching girls the wrong ideals. Poniewozik spends a majority of his article portraying recent princess stories as a perfect contrast between fantasy and feminism, in hopes of showing other feminists why they do not need to be cautious when it comes to modern princesses influencing their children in today’s society. Poniewozik writes “it’s not the girl who must prove herself worthy of princesshood; princesshood must prove itself worthy of the girl” (Poniewozik 325). To Poniewozik, this depicts how modern princesses have transformed into role models for girls, teaching them that they can choose to be whatever they set their minds to. When comparing the two authors, Orenstein takes a very different approach to princesses and role models.…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “I have to believe when things are bad I can change them” (Quotes). In the movie The Cinderella Man directed by Ron Howard, James J. Braddock encounters many difficult times throughout the movie, but chooses to let them motivate him, instead of put him down. In the beginning of the film, The Cinderella Man, Jimmy Braddock’s life is zipping along and nothing is going wrong. Then one day, his family starts to endure hardships such as: no heat in the house, no electricity, and minimal amounts of food.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He discusses how Hollywood feeds into the princess craze by continuing to release princess related movies. However, he claims that today’s modern movies have made their female characters less dependent on men and more individual and confident in themselves, unlike the older princess movies. Even though these movies end with the girl getting the guy at the end, he claims that girls are okay with it because the movies are balanced with “varied depictions of young women” (Poniewozik 667). He states that even though these movies are taking a step into feminism, they are still setting standards for girls.…

    • 1256 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These younger generations of girls/ladies have learned that not only can they be a princess and look beautiful both inside and out, but they are strong young ladies that have the world at their finger tip. This generation can become whatever their hearts desire as they increase their learning and social involvement. Parents should take it upon themselves to discuss with their children the visual display that is exposed by media such as Disney’s Princesses and today's modern idols; because their child might be going through the discovering phase or like Orenstein's daughter understands that, being a princess is a phase, but being a fireman is for…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Great Depression of 1929 affected the lives of many people. After the stock market crashed, the job market suffered and people were laid off from work resulting in many businesses closing. People took extreme measures to survive as shown in the film, Cinderella Man. Men found themselves competing for jobs for low pay, steady work was hard to come by, and minorities, women included, faced harsh prejudices making their ability to compete almost impossible.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Over time, it has been evident that Disney has promoted a different message within their princess movies, which is a shift in rhetoric. At first, the princess movies displayed unrealistic goals for young girls and now, there is a paradigm of different princesses that set an example for those who have goals and wish to achieve them. From a classical princess such as Aurora to a modern one such as Elsa, the messages are displayed in the princesses goals and obstacles. Prior to Frozen and other movies alike, Disney princesses all had one common goal: to fall in love. Aurora met her prince in the forest and instantly fell in love.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The original version provide a narrower outlook on the story and can easily set up unrealistic expectations for young girls. This change alters the theme from good conquering evil to a story between a mother and daughter. As part of Maitland’s new theme, she promotes a feminist message within her version of the fairytale. This allows her to establish a moral with a larger meaning. Because of this version, more people can come to the realization that there is a far greater “happily ever after” for the princess who doesn’t wait around for the prince to come sweet her off her feet, but instead who is strong enough to provide herself with her own happy…

    • 2228 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cinderella is perhaps one of the most famous childhood fairy tale stories of all time. Over the years, numerous versions of the story have been recreated and have been told to children all over the world. The original story of Cinderella follows the life of a young girl who is mistreated by her step mother and stepsisters. With the help of her fairy godmother, Cinderella is transformed into a beautiful princess and goes to the ball to meet her prince. However, she has to leave the ball at midnight as the magic wears off and she turns back into her former self.…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Symbolism In Snow White

    • 1552 Words
    • 6 Pages

    When Disney released its first animated film, “Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves”, it became an instant classic. Since then, the cheery chirpy version of the story is what has stayed in the hearts and minds of young readers. The story is based off of the Grimm Brother’s version of the tale; although by no means the oldest version of the story, it is the most popular version known by readers today. However, although the image of the Disney version is bright, even the cleaned up version written by the Grimm Brothers is significantly darker than what most people might have in mind when they think of “Snow-White”. One of these darker elements is the nature of the mother-daughter relationship represented in the story as it portrays the mother-daughter relationship as a power-struggle between a young, beautiful girl and a cunning, jealous mother figure.…

    • 1552 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How much of what we do influences children at a young age? Things that we do that influence children, such as giving them toys and clothes based on their gender. Toys and clothes could be considered more purposeful way to engender children, but sometimes there are actions that parents do without even knowing towards their children. Without the parents knowing they are setting gender norms for their children and this would possibly affect them in the future. In the readings of “From Women, Men, and Society” by Claire Renzetti and Daniel Curran and the reading “What’s Wrong with Cinderella” by Peggy Orenstein, the authors write about how parents and society form children in stereotypical ways and how it creates gender norms.…

    • 1214 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Further, I analyzed that sexism in the narrative, especially in the scene where she was with the dwarfs and the only way that she could be accommodated, she was to serve them, cook for them, clean, sweep and wash to keep the cottage tidy. This is portraying that the roles of women are clean while the dwarfs symbolizing men go out to do menial jobs. Additionally, the plot of The Little Snow-White is straightforward, and it narrates a story where the beauty of the Little Snow-White attracts envy and hatred from her own stepmother, that almost caused her death. The beautiful queen with a heart as dark as the bats of the night ordered a huntsman to kill the innocent seven-year- old princess. The narrative was told from the point of view of an omniscient narrator that gives the reader the opportunity to share in the struggle of the little princess.…

    • 1693 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Disney princess films are popular, especially among little girls. There are entire lines of toys and clothes that use the images of the princesses. Children have been enjoying Disney princess films for many years. Snow White is considered to be the first Disney princess film; it was released in 1937 (imdb.com). Many of the early Disney princess films star female protagonists who have extensive relationships with wild animals, but very negative relationships with their mother or step-mother, if they have any mother at all.…

    • 1540 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Snow White Analysis

    • 1849 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The sexualization of female characters still play a prominent role in the media. That women will always be the main subject of beauty. Some feminists might argue that women should embrace their beauty, which is a good idea. However, it is quite difficult to do so when the beauty standards are ridiculously high. By comparing these brief summarize of the two tales, it is apparent that in the Grimm’s version, Snow White’s beauty portrays her as naïve and thoughtless, (easily accepting the apple from the “elder woman”), often seen as a sign of weakness.…

    • 1849 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Cinderella Research Paper

    • 2157 Words
    • 9 Pages

    “Cinderella is considered one of the most influential because we like Cinderella not because of her character traits, but by what she receives in the end for being kind and compassionate. We wish that Cinderella’s story was actually true, but in reality, we know that Cinderella was never never really a fairy tale, but a myth” (Baum). Cinderella is only a story of what we all want to be true, but sadly, it is not. “We discover that the way to win a prince is over the ugly bodies of our competitors, who are similarly trying to cut our throats. Beauty on its own is not enough: you have to be seen by the right people.…

    • 2157 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays