Some versions, though not necessarily films, of Little Red Riding Hood do point towards the darker oral versions of the tale that predate Charles Perrault. However, none that I’ve seen tackle the story straight on, as the oldest versions of the story contain explicit depictions of rape, cannibalism and bestiality. Plus, no happy ending.
On the other hand that sounds right up Breillat’s alley.
Drew Gregory
I just watched and thoroughly enjoyed Catherine Breillat’s latest film Bluebeard. After watching it I stumbled upon an interview with her about the film where she said this about fairy tales in film:
“I don’t mind if children see the Walt Disney fairy tales, but only if they see them after reading the fairy tales first. I think it’s tragic. Especially The Little Mermaid, which is one of my absolute favorite fairy tales. It would be expensive to shoot that film, but I would love to. She loses her eternal life for a man who will never look at her. The original tale is sublime. I think Hans Christian Andersen wrote some of the most beautiful fairy tales. I was horrified by how she’s depicted in the Disney film, this absolutely vulgar character dressed in neon colors. The imagination of children is much less simple than that, and it’s important not to impose our well-intentioned adult visions and imaginations on children’s understanding.”
This got me thinking how wonderful it would be if Breillat adapted one of the Disney fairy tales into a film that would stay closer to, if not the story, the tone of the original (and in my opinion) much better fairy tales themselves.
And then what do I discover!? But that Breillat’s next film is a version of Sleeping Beauty! Yay!
So my questions are, first of all, how great would it be if Breillat turned this into a fairy tale trilogy making The Little Mermaid next? And two, what are some fairy tale adaptions that explore the very dark side that the original stories have? Are there any?