Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to investigate the ways in which films have been remade and the changes that occur in these remakes due to cultural context. The aspects we are analysing are representations of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class in accordance to the historical context of when the films were made. Kate Maxey is analysing the various remakes of Snow White. Zara Sheikh, The Great Gatsby. Emily Lawson, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Tamsin Scott, Batman, and Jade Verbick, Pride and Prejudice. All these films have originated from books or comics and we are keeping this in mind while doing our analyses.

Introduction to Snow White

For my section of the investigation I am looking into the tale of Snow White and some of the remakes/retellings of the tale. Specifically I will be analysing the original Grimm Brother's fairytale Snow White (first published in 1812); Walt Disney's animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937); Tarsem Singh's comedy fantasy film Mirror Mirror (2012); and Rupert Sanders' action-adventure film Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). I chose these specific texts because I think they best represent how the historical/cultural context of when the films were made can influence the content.
In particular I am going to be investigating the representations of gender, sexuality, and race/ethnicity in each of the films in relation to the context of the films. For gender/sexuality I am focusing on the roles of the genders, the appearance of the genders, the treatment of women, the concept of masculinity, and how explicit sexuality is portrayed. Then, for race/ethnicity I am focusing on the treatment of minorities, the roles of minorities, and the lack of minority groups.

Below are collages I put together using images from the book/films to provide a general idea of the styles of each text:

Brothers Grimm Snow White

Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Mirror Mirror

Snow White and the Huntsman

Outlining the Different Snow White Remakes

Before going into an in-depth analysis of the texts I am going to provide an outline of each of them and present some of the research I did prior to the analysis.

Below is a timeline which gives an insight to the time difference between each of the texts:

It may appear strange that I chose to look at two relatively current retellings of the tale, both released in 2012, but I believe they provide great contrasting styles which are interesting to investigate in relation to context. I will explain this further in my analysis.

Here I have put together an outline of each text on Prezi:

Gender & Sexuality in Snow White

In this section of my analysis I will be looking at: the roles of the genders, the appearance of the genders, treatment of women, the concept of masculinity, and how explicitly sexuality is portrayed in each of the texts. This will then be linked to the context of each text in order for us to see how ideas of gender and sexuality have changed in accordance to history and culture.

Roles of the genders

The roles of the genders have always seemed to differ in both media texts and everyday life. One of the common roles of women is to be the damsel in distress, as seen in the story of Snow White. This is established in the original story by the Brothers Grimm. Snow is dependent on the male characters of the story in order for her survival. For example, it is the dwarfs who take her in and protect her, and it is the Prince and his men who save her from her sleep in the end. The Disney remake encourages this role even further, with Snow pleading for her man to come save her (as seen when she sings “One Day My Prince Will Come”). In this version Snow would be completely helpless without the male characters. This also highlights, in turn, the role of men as being the hero. However, in the more contemporary remakes of the tale, Mirror Mirror, and Snow White and the Huntsman, we see a shift in these gender roles. For example, despite the men always trying to protect and take control of dangerous situations in the film, Snow in Mirror Mirror realises her full potential and fights her own battles. She even states how she has read lots of stories in which the prince saves the princess but she does not want to follow that path – she believes it is time for change. Similarly, in Snow White and the Huntsman, despite that at the beginning Snow relies on the Huntsman to keep her safe and alive, she later becomes a figure of empowerment and acts as ‘the chosen one’ who saves the kingdom. In addition, this retelling goes against the traditional ending of the tale of Snow White as rather than getting married, Snow is crowned Queen and no mention is made of a male partner.

Another gender role which is portrayed in the tale of Snow White is women as mothers and housekeepers. Although in the original story Snow does not necessarily fulfil these roles (we have to keep in mind that Snow was only 7 years old in this telling of the tale), in the Disney version, Snow not only takes on her forced role of a maid with a song and a dance, but then takes care of the dwarfs as if they were her children. She also cooks and cleans for them, which is actually the opposite of the original plot, in which Snow is the one who puts their house in a mess. This role is partly taken on in Mirror Mirror, as Snow, although she becomes an empowering figure, stills cooks and cleans for the dwarfs, as though it is just an expected role. The only retelling that does not go down this route is Snow White and the Huntsman, in which Snow does not take on any of these roles. She is kind and gentle but also appears to go against this traditional gender role.

Contextually, this shift in gender roles is no surprise. In the 19^th century and even in early 20^th century society, women were not independent. Women were brought up to be mothers and wives, and the women who dared to give their opinion or stray away from their expected roles were shamed and punished. However, the feminist movement changed this. By 2012, the year in which the two contemporary remakes of Snow White were released, gender roles were no longer set in stone. Women are free to be independent and take control, and men are not expected to always be the hero. However, there are still underlying ideals of patriarchal society which still exist, even in the present day. Sometimes women, who do not wish to be mothers and strive to be successful in other areas, are judged and shamed. They are often the women who are referred to as ‘bossy’ or as a ‘bitch’. This may also explain the role of the Queen/Evil Witch in the tale of Snow White, as it is this character who is the woman with all the power and it is also this character who is created as the villain. This is compared to Snow, who, in Mirror Mirror for example, breaks away from some gender roles but also remains a motherly, kind figure, and is therefore loved and cherished.

Appearance of the genders

The importance of image/appearance is a central theme to the tale of Snow White as it is this which drives the story forward. The appearance of both men and women in films are often stereotypical and even unrealistic in some circumstances. How attractive and feminine a woman is tends to relate to how other people view them. The same applies to men, but with masculinity. In all versions of Snow White, Snow is very beautiful, fair and youthful. These are her main character traits and they determine how the other characters respond to her. She is hyper-feminine with a high-pitched voice, gentle movements, blushing cheeks and pretty dresses (in the Disney version and in the first half of Mirror Mirror). However, in Snow White and the Huntsman, and in the second half of Mirror Mirror, Snow is not as extremely feminine and is dressed more appropriately/practically for the situations she is in. In these remakes she becomes more than her appearance: she becomes a warrior, a saviour and a figure of empowerment. They challenge the most well-known version of Snow, the Disney princess, and give young children a more meaningful role model to look up to.

On the other hand, the Queen is portrayed as beautiful but arrogant and vain in all the takes on Snow White. Therefore, she is less desirable and viewed as evil. The Queen is a strange character in relation to her appearance though, as she is presented as beautiful but not in the traditionally feminine way in the original tale and the Disney remake (due to her dark clothing, striking features, etc.), but is rather feminine and ‘traditionally beautiful’ in both Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. However, the latter portrayal of the Queen is no better than the former, as in these films the Queen uses her beauty to manipulate and get her own way. She becomes a femme fatale.

When looking at the male characters of Snow White, the Prince is always a handsome, strong, masculine figure, apart from in the original tale in which none of the male characters have much of a description of their appearance. The same applies to the Huntsman in Snow White and the Huntsman, who takes the male lead in place of the Prince. Furthermore, the dwarfs are mainly portrayed as old, unattractive and not that masculine. In the same way as how the treatment of female characters comes down to their appearance, male characters seem to go through this too. The Prince, and the Huntsman (in Snow White and the Huntsman), are taken a lot more seriously and seen as more desirable than the dwarfs in the all versions of the tale. I will be looking into this idea further in my sub-section: ‘the concept of masculinity’.

Linking this to context, the shift of Snow from hyper-feminine to opposing the feminine tradition, reflects the idea that in modern society a woman does not have to conform to the ideals of femininity, nor be traditionally ‘beautiful’ in order to be respected. An empowered woman, whether she chooses to be feminine or not, is now accepted. However, with both men and women, there are still damaging ideals of beauty, just as there was in the 19^th century. Image, like in the tale, is of high importance in society, and it does still affect the way you are treated. If you look at advertisements and magazines from the 20^th and the current 21^st century there is little difference in the expectations placed on society. Therefore, similarly to the story of Snow White, even though we have moved forward there is still a long way to go if we are to rid of the notions of beauty and its importance.

Treatment of women

For this sub-section, I am focusing specifically on the treatment of women by men. I noticed, in particular, three ways that men treat women in the tale of Snow White. These are: taking pity on women, feeling the need to protect women, and having possession over women.

In all versions of the tale, there are at least two scenes in which male characters take pity on female characters, usually Snow. For example, in the original story and the Disney adaptation, when the dwarfs find that an intruder has entered their house they are angered until they lay eyes upon Snow and her beauty. They then take pity on her and allow her to stay. Likewise, in Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman, after capturing Snow, they then take pity on her, feeling sorry for her in her situation and subsequently wanting to help her. A similar pattern follows with other male characters, e.g. the Huntsman, who in each remake goes against his orders because he sympathises with Snow and allows her to be free instead (apart from in Snow White and the Huntsman in which he joins her fight rather than just letting her go).

The male characters also seem to have to need to protect females. The dwarfs care for and love Snow, and due to this they always make an effort to try and protect her. Some examples of this are: in the original tale they constantly advise Snow to not open the door to anyone for her own safety; in the Disney remake they literally chase the Queen away and she falls to her death; in Mirror Mirror they try to follow Snow when she goes to fight the beast alone; and in Snow White and the Huntsman they are willing to fight to keep her safe. This same idea applies to other male characters, such as the Prince. It is the Prince who ultimately comes to save Snow with a kiss, yet in the modern remakes, it does not really go his way. In Mirror Mirror there is a role reversal as it is Snow who has to kiss the Prince to save him from the Queen’s spell. Also, in Snow White and the Huntsman, William (who is the equivalent character to the Prince) attempts to save Snow with a kiss but fails as she does not awaken. The idea of men feeling the need to protect women also applies to how they underestimate the power and strength of women. This is shown especially in Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. In the former, in one scene the Prince refuses to fight Snow because she is a girl, but when they do end up fighting, she beats him. In the latter, during the dialogue when the Queen is ordering the Huntsman to capture Snow, the Huntsman states that “he” who has ventured into the dark forest is dead, when the Queen corrects him and informs him that it is a “she”, the Huntsman replies “she is definitely dead.” However, when he finds Snow she is alive and more powerful than he ever expected.

Snow is also seen as a possession by many male characters in the films, especially the early versions. In the original tale, the Prince sees Snow asleep/supposedly dead in her glass coffin and asks the dwarfs if he can take her away so he can keep her. Similarly, the Disney version sees the Prince take Snow away to become his wife, even though they only met once before, very briefly. In Mirror Mirror, the concept of Snow as a possession is presented in a light hearted way as if the director was making fun of the concept. For example, one of the dwarfs, Half Pint, has a clear infatuation with Snow and often makes comment how she is his and even refuses to allow Snow to kiss the Prince because she is not allowed to kiss other people. However, this is not meant in a serious fashion.

Looking at context, all the ways that men treat women in the tale come down to the idea of women being inferior. When the original tale and even the Disney remake were made, women were viewed as lesser than men. They were mothers, wives, housekeepers, and ultimately the possession of men. Like children, they were there to be seen but not heard, and to be controlled. Despite the increasing rights for women in the early 20^th century, Walt Disney did not seem to move forward with the progression of society, some may say he was retrogressive in the values he portrayed in his work. When comparing the early versions with the contemporary adaptations of the story, you can see how the culture of modern society shines through in the most recent texts. Despite the fact that Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman include some of the treatment I have highlighted, they come from a more progressive, gender equality stand point. These texts as feminist statements, came at a crucial time in society. In 2012, it was highly debated whether feminism was dead and buried or whether we still needed it. In my opinion, these films showed how gender equality had progressed greatly but also presented that we still had a long way to go.

Concept of Masculinity 

With the concept of masculinity, I am going to look at the Prince/male lead and the dwarfs. These roles are very contrasting in terms of masculinity.

The prince/male lead is always presented as handsome, strong and the prime example of masculinity. In the modern day the Prince in the Disney adaptation may not fit the notions of masculinity but in the animated fairy tale world, he is the height of masculinity and charm. Likewise, the Prince in Mirror Mirror, and the Huntsman and William in Snow White and the Huntsman, are traditionally attractive, physically fit, and may as well be the poster boys for what society considers to be a masculine man. However, there are times in the films when the male leads are ‘emasculated’ and made to look silly. This especially applies to Mirror Mirror. As it is a comedy film lots of gags are incorporated by playing with the Prince’s masculinity. He is beat a couple of times by the dwarfs, meets his match when fighting against Snow, and when under the Queen’s puppy love potion, he cries and begs for his Queen after the dwarfs kidnap him.

On the other hand, the dwarfs are mainly portrayed as silly, comedy characters. They are not traditionally attractive, strong or ‘masculine’. I believe this is one of the factors in why the dwarfs were made to be the comedy aspect to the tale from the Disney remake onwards. They are not taken seriously and are not always successful in their actions. For example, in the Disney version the dwarfs fail to save Snow from the Queen, it is the Prince who saves her instead. This shows how the less ‘masculine’ a man is, the more inferior he is presented, which is very problematic. This is also portrayed in Mirror Mirror in relation to relationships. One of the dwarfs, Half Pint, is clearly infatuated with Snow but this is made into a gag and not taken seriously, a situation which does not apply to the Prince.

These concepts of masculinity link to context, as the representations of masculinity in the tale reflect on those in society, both 19^th century and today. Gender roles are a two way street and men are put against the unrealistic standards of masculinity. This enforced, unrealistic idea of masculinity is problematic in the same way femininity can be problematic for women. It has created barriers in many aspects of society, e.g. men are expected to hold in their emotions and those who do not carry this out are shamed and judged. Barriers, such as the one I just mentioned, can then lead to bigger, even more problematic issues. This relates to the feminist movement of today which puts more emphasis on the problems men face as well as women’s problems.

How Explicit Sexuality is Presented 

As a fairy tale aimed at a family audience, the story of Snow White does not present sexuality in an explicit way. For example, the original tale has no reference to sexuality at all. The Disney remake includes only very innocent expression of sexuality, such as the Prince and Snow kissing, and the Dwarfs blushing when Snow kisses them on the cheek. Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman are slightly more open to sexuality, especially the former which incorporates innuendos and jokes about sexuality, yet it does so in a way that allows it to remain family friendly. In some scenes of Snow White and the Huntsman sexuality is implied or explicitly presented, especially with Ravenna. For example, we see the King and Ravenna on their bed on their wedding night and the King is kissing her neck before she kills him. Ravenna uses her sexuality to manipulate and get her own way. Apart from those scenes, sexuality is not expressed explicitly.

The explicitness of sexuality in these texts may be linked to context but it is difficult to give an analysis of this due to the fact that Snow White is a family story and therefore, remains child friendly. However, society is a lot more open to the expression of sexuality in the 21^st century compared to the 19^th century, which could explain the inclusion of sexual references in the contemporary remakes compared to the original tale.

Minority Groups in Snow White

In this section of my analysis I will be looking at: the treatment of minorities; the roles of minorities; and lack of diversity. This will then be linked to the context of each text in order for us to see how the concepts society has of minority groups have changed in accordance to history and culture.

The only minority group present in each version of Snow White is the dwarfs so they will be my main focus in this section.

Treatment of minorities

The treatment of the dwarfs, as a minority group, in the original tale differs to how they are treated in the remakes. Originally, the dwarfs were respected characters. They were presented as caring and taken seriously. However, when Walt Disney began work on his remake of the tale, he decided to turn the dwarfs into the comedy element of the story, using them for gags. Despite them being the most loved characters, they are treated as inferior and child-like. A lot of the adaptations of the tale followed this pattern of treatment. In Mirror Mirror, for example, the Prince mocks the dwarfs, stating things such as “you’re short and it’s funny” and refusing to fight them because of their height. The dwarfs even explain how they were banished from the village by the Queen because they are ‘undesirables’ and ‘ugly’ and no one in the village stuck up for them when this happened. They are alienated, isolated and treated as lesser than the other characters. Similarly, in Snow White and the Huntsman, they are disrespected and discriminated against. For example, they are referred to as “stupid little dwarfs.”

Roles of minorities

Like the treatment of the dwarfs, the role they play in the original tale differs from their role in the adaptations. For example, originally they lived in a neat, clean house and it was Snow who messes it up, whereas Disney changed this. After the original tale, the dwarfs were portrayed as slobbish and child-like. It is Snow who teaches them manners and cares for them. They are loveable but silly characters, who are not taken seriously by the other characters in the story. In Mirror Mirror, they are even banished by the Queen so live in isolation and become thieves who are bitter towards the villagers. In Snow White and the Huntsman they are taken slightly more seriously as they participate in the battles and are portrayed like warriors.

Lack of diversity

In every version of Snow White that I have investigated there has been a significant lack in diversity. The only minority group present is the dwarfs. Even when looking at race/ethnicity in terms of minority groups, there is no diversity, with only white British and white American actors/characters present. The only actor that is not white is one of the dwarfs in Mirror Mirror, but he is the only exception. In addition to this, in Snow White and the Huntsman the dwarfs are played by average height actors, so the minority group is not played by minorities. This caused major controversy in America, with ‘Little People of America’ campaigning against the casting.
Below is a collage I have created showing the lack of diversity in relation to race/ethnicity in each interpretation of Snow White:

Linking all of these sub-sections to context, the tale of Snow White came from a time when minority groups were not accepted and were discriminated against in society. This could explain the lack of diversity and the way minorities are portrayed/treated in the tale. This lack of diversity still exists today in film, despite the fact that minority groups are more accepted in society, which may be why the more contemporary adaptations did not incorporate more diverse characters. With the controversy surrounding the casting of average height actors as the dwarfs in Snow White and the Huntsman, it highlights the issues of diversity in relation to acting roles for actors with dwarfism. Mark Povinelli, who plays the dwarf, Half Pint, in Mirror Mirror, stated how there is a lack of roles for actors with dwarfism as they either get casted as stereotypical silly roles or not casted at all, like in Snow White and the Huntsman. A similar issue still arises with minority groups in relation to race. In Hollywood there is a significant lack of ethnic minorities even today. An example of this is the recent Oscars controversy, as there was a lack of nominations for black actors, directors, etc.

These issues highlight the problematic views of minorities that still exist in modern society. The tale of Snow White is just one example of many.

Introduction to The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald is stated to be one of the greatest American novelists of all time, one of his novels ‘The Great Gatsby’ written in 1925 is particularly commended. The plot focuses on a young man named Nick Carraway who moves to Long Island in 1922 to learn the Bond business and becomes re-acquainted with his distant cousin Daisy Buchanan. In rekindling his friendship with Daisy and her wealthy husband Tom, Nick finds himself involved in the lavish lifestyle of his elusive wealthy neighbour – Jay Gatsby. Nick discovers Tom’s infidelity and when it is revealed to him that Gatsby and Daisy are in love and have been for years, he helps to bring them together despite Daisy’s marriage to Tom and Gatsby’s illegal activities. Tragedy soon unfolds when Daisy learns of Gatsby’s true upbringing as a farmer’s son and low social status and his deception leaves her heartbroken and disgusted, resulting in the death of her husband’s mistress and subsequently a misunderstanding that leads to Gatsby’s murder.
For my analysis I will be focusing on three remakes of Fitzgerald’s novel, the 1974 version The Great Gatsby directed by Jack Clayton, the 2002 hip-hop adaptation G directed by Christopher Scott Cherot and the 2013 version The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrrman. Luhrrman and Clayton’s versions follow Fitzgerald’s original story almost exactly, however Cherot’s hip hop adaptation focuses on a slightly altered version. In each of these remakes I aim to look at the ways that the historical context in which they have been made has affected their content. In particular I will be analysing the way gender, sexuality and the representation of minorities within these remakes have changed in accordance to each of their historical contexts. The representation of minorities will include analyses of things such as race and class, for example the roles played by ethnic minorities and the difference between classes. When approaching the issue of gender representation in this essay I will focus on the roles of women in the narrative, the amount of screen time given to both genders, binary opposition between the two as well as the concepts of masculinity and femininity. With sexuality the main thing I will be analysing is the extent to which sexuality is shown in each film and how it is shown in relation to the different genders.