A
very clear comparison of the witch’s role then and now can be shown in
Maleficent, the witch featured in the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty, and then
again in her own self-titled film in 2014. The witch assumes a very classic
role in her 1959 debut. The description reads “Flora and Fauna give their
blessings before the dark and evil fairy named Maleficent appears.” And as in
the old days the only solution for a witch is death. “Ultimately, Phillip
throws the sword, blessed by the fairies' magic, directly into Maleficent's
heart, causing her to fall to her death.” The 2014 revamp stands in stark
contrast most notably because it is told from the witch’s perspective. In this
telling of the story we find out that Maleficent’s realm was attacked by the
king who then had her wings cut off. This information dramatically changes the
viewer’s perspective when Maleficent then carries out her evil curse. I enjoyed
this retelling because in the 1959 film the three fairy godmothers have wings
whereas Maleficent the evil fairy clearly does not. Fifty-five years of gender
equality achievements are shown starkly in the two contrasting endings of these
films. The 1959 movie kills the powerful female so that the princess who
literally sleeps the whole movie can marry the hero prince and make him king.
No background is given to suggest the witch is evil and the king is good, it is
just assumed. Now in 2014 Maleficent has the evil king killed for his wicked
deeds, and the witch is allowed to return to her home in peace while the prince
and princess (no longer main characters) are allowed to retain their kingdom. The
witch has in the past been the ultimate negative representation of powerful
women, and Angelina Jolie made a very clear point to address it. Power is now
viewed positively as a necessity against people who would take advantage of the
weak.
http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0DE1DB1338EF3BBC4052DFB4668382649EDE
I like what you said about Maleficent being a feminist character in the retelling of her story versus the original where she is the perceived evil villain. I think this says a lot about where our culture is progressing towards. This shift towards equality is also similar to the way that society has progressed since people believed there to be real witches. In the first film, sleeping beauty is supposed to be helpless and weak to an evil empowered witch that puts her in a coma. This spurs the prince charming character to rescue her, marry her, and live happily ever after, no questions asked. This picture of life for women is something similar to that of women back in the early modern period, and its amazing that it has taken until now for our society to approach a climate of acceptance for empowered women.
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