This week's fairytale retelling was Cinderella.
Our heroine of the title had been renamed to Cindy Mellor and was working as a cleaner at a university.
Cindy had been reading a book by Hans M. Prince who was a lecturer visiting the university and took on the role of the prince. She falls for him as soon as she sees him and has grand ideas about his theories and how she believes she can prove them wrong. The two argue with each other but slowly begin to get along as they encounter more of each other.
H. M. Prince organises interviews at the university to find a student who would be suitable for his assistant on an expedition to Borneo and was then to announce his choice at a “ball”. H. Prince agrees to give Cindy an interview but the head of faculty, the “evil-stepmother” prevents her from attending. The two “ugly sisters” are two of the faculty head’s favourite students. They constantly pick fun at Cindy and enjoy seeing her fail. One of the “sisters” is a lot crueler than the other and the less cruel of the two also gets picked on by the faculty head.
The role of fairy godmother is taken up by fellow cleaner and provides Cindy with a dress to attend the lecture ball in. Cindy can’t get in to begin with as her name isn’t on the attendees list due to not having an interview but the “fairy godmother” finds a back way in for her.
During the lecture, Cindy begins to feel out of place and decides to leave. As H. Prince is giving his lecture he realises that Cindy was correct about his theories and chases out after her. He catches up with her and says that he was being paid by the head of faculty to take along one of her favourite two but wants her to become his assistant instead and the two head off together.
The university head learns of the faculty head’s bribery and fires her on the spot. He then offers her position to the “sister” who had been least cruel to Cindy.
I find it interesting how one of the “sisters” was quite shy and also gets rewarded in this version.
Friday, 18 January 2008
Sunday, 13 January 2008
BBC Fairy Tales
On Thursday 10th the BBC started to show a series of modern versions of Fairytales. The first of these was Rapunzel. The adaptation told the tale of Jimmy Stojkovic, a failing male tennis player. Unknown to Jimmy, his father concocts a story about owing money to gangsters and the only way for them to get hold of the money is to disguise Jimmy as a woman and enter him into a women's tennis tournament.
As a woman, Jimmy manages to make it through to the fourth round where he has to take on Billy Jane Brook, the reigning champion. She is well known by the name of Rapunzel due to her long hair which her mother wont allow her to cut. The two get close and after Rapunzel helps Jimmy with his game they end up falling for each while Rapunzel still believes that Jimmy is a woman although she makes it quite clear that she isn't a lesbian.
Eventually the cat is let out of the bag on national TV after Jimmy wins the tournament and can no longer keep his secret from the one he loves. Rapunzel is horrified and storms off wanting nothing more to do with Jimmy.
A year later and due to the advice from Rapunzel Jimmy is doing extremely well now as a tennis player. After a match Jimmy has a chance meeting with Rapunzel again where they kiss and make up and presumably live happily ever after. Rapunzel's uptight mother and Jimmy's schemeing father also hit it off together and plan to train the two tennis stars together.
The classic hair climbing scene also makes an appearence of sorts as one night, while sleeping over at Rapunzel's, Jimmy creeps outside below Rapunzel's window as himself and watches as she lowers her hair. He can't quite reach and so calls up to her. Startled, Rapunzel quickly reels her hair back in and locks the window. She races back to her bedroom which Jimmy has quickly returned to (now as a woman) and tells of how a "rapist" had tried to attack her.
This was great fun to watch and next Thursday will tell the tale of Cinderella. This should be helpful to me for my dissertation as Cinderella is one of the stories that I am covering.
As a woman, Jimmy manages to make it through to the fourth round where he has to take on Billy Jane Brook, the reigning champion. She is well known by the name of Rapunzel due to her long hair which her mother wont allow her to cut. The two get close and after Rapunzel helps Jimmy with his game they end up falling for each while Rapunzel still believes that Jimmy is a woman although she makes it quite clear that she isn't a lesbian.
Eventually the cat is let out of the bag on national TV after Jimmy wins the tournament and can no longer keep his secret from the one he loves. Rapunzel is horrified and storms off wanting nothing more to do with Jimmy.
A year later and due to the advice from Rapunzel Jimmy is doing extremely well now as a tennis player. After a match Jimmy has a chance meeting with Rapunzel again where they kiss and make up and presumably live happily ever after. Rapunzel's uptight mother and Jimmy's schemeing father also hit it off together and plan to train the two tennis stars together.
The classic hair climbing scene also makes an appearence of sorts as one night, while sleeping over at Rapunzel's, Jimmy creeps outside below Rapunzel's window as himself and watches as she lowers her hair. He can't quite reach and so calls up to her. Startled, Rapunzel quickly reels her hair back in and locks the window. She races back to her bedroom which Jimmy has quickly returned to (now as a woman) and tells of how a "rapist" had tried to attack her.
This was great fun to watch and next Thursday will tell the tale of Cinderella. This should be helpful to me for my dissertation as Cinderella is one of the stories that I am covering.
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