I just wanted to say I'm sorry this is a day late -- I completely forgot :(
I thought the DEFA film was a little wacky to say the least. I felt as though it was a combination of a few of the Grimms tales (IE: Clever Hans) and never really quite understood the humor behind it. The main character is completely out of it and cannot correctly comprehend anything he is told. He is also extremely scared of mice (weird since he's not a little girl but okay...). His naivety is akin to DEFA's Snow White; Hans' spaciness reminded me of DEFA's Snow White's persistent need to count all the cutlery in the dwarfs cottage. This change in character from the original tale makes him completely undesirable.
What I also found odd about this film was the ending -- how the devil was made to eat a whole ox, drink all the wine, and dance. What did this accomplish? It just added to the unneeded quirkiness of the film.
I'm copying Chester and adding a song to this blog. "Let's Here It For The Boy" Footloose Soundtrack.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Just how do you respond to something like that...
My heavens, how quickly those communists seem to stray from their ideals. My first reaction to DEFA's film is to cringe at the physical comedy-I hate that crap. The role it took in the film, the focus in my opinion, obviously moves the audience to kids. That is really no surprise, given DEFA's historical background, but seems much more "kid only" focused than the Grimm's edition. I enjoyed reading the Grimm's version of the story. I did not enjoy watching this film.
But back to the Communists burying their high ideals for the proletariat under a pile of balsa-wood cars and hats with furry ears. Look at DEFA's version of Snow White. We talked about how it stresses the traits that bright, individualistic children need to become cogs in the machine. There was that scene working in the kitchen, showing children how important inane work really is. The social elite are portrayed as pigs in Snow White. By the time DEFA made The Devil and his Three Golden Hairs it looks like they were pretty much out of the brainwashing business and looking to be the next Disney. Sure, the king is still a pig, but that is about it. The change I was least pleased with in the story line was how they made Jacob just a stupid boy as opposed to marked by fate. I understand that Marx hated fate because it turned down his offer to escort her to the communist prom. However, DEFA freely switches between two very distinct male hero story archetypes. They make no attempt to explain why it is good to be stupid. All it does is make the implicit point that fate should not be considered a guiding force in life.
The major change, or rather subtraction, of fate in the movie, coupled with the cinematics obviously designed for children make the DEFA version of the story really not worth telling in my opinion. I feel like they should have either done their job better and properly brainwashed the soft minds viewing it to be better cogs in a better machine or found a more interesting story to tell. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Grimm's version of the tale. I just wish DEFA had given me what I wanted.
Song of the blog: "Nobody's Perfect" by Hannah Montana. Just like DEFA.
But back to the Communists burying their high ideals for the proletariat under a pile of balsa-wood cars and hats with furry ears. Look at DEFA's version of Snow White. We talked about how it stresses the traits that bright, individualistic children need to become cogs in the machine. There was that scene working in the kitchen, showing children how important inane work really is. The social elite are portrayed as pigs in Snow White. By the time DEFA made The Devil and his Three Golden Hairs it looks like they were pretty much out of the brainwashing business and looking to be the next Disney. Sure, the king is still a pig, but that is about it. The change I was least pleased with in the story line was how they made Jacob just a stupid boy as opposed to marked by fate. I understand that Marx hated fate because it turned down his offer to escort her to the communist prom. However, DEFA freely switches between two very distinct male hero story archetypes. They make no attempt to explain why it is good to be stupid. All it does is make the implicit point that fate should not be considered a guiding force in life.
The major change, or rather subtraction, of fate in the movie, coupled with the cinematics obviously designed for children make the DEFA version of the story really not worth telling in my opinion. I feel like they should have either done their job better and properly brainwashed the soft minds viewing it to be better cogs in a better machine or found a more interesting story to tell. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Grimm's version of the tale. I just wish DEFA had given me what I wanted.
Song of the blog: "Nobody's Perfect" by Hannah Montana. Just like DEFA.
I found this movie very silly and really meant for a main audience of children. The character of the boy is ridiculous and I can see kids thinking that his idiotic actions are funny. Also there are a lot of visual gags like the hammers flying in the air or the king’s hut catching on fire. I rolled my eyes at most of them, but I could see myself laughing hysterically as a kid. The evil aspects of the film were also played down a lot. The devil was not mysteriously dark or scary but rather funny and simply portrayed as a glutton and children would not be afraid of him.
The whole idea of gluttony and overindulgence played a big role in this film and it reminded me of aspects of the DEFA Snow White. In Snow White you have the scene of the court eating disgustingly at the table, and they appear fat and lazy, somewhat like pigs. In The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs, the King is seen as a drunk and constantly abuses alcohol. Then the devil eats everything that is at the wedding feast. Clearly overindulgence and excess in food and liquor is looked down upon as it is associated with the villains of the film, the King and the Devil. Rather commoners, like Jacob and the “robbers” are the heroes of the story which ties into the political views of Eastern Germany.
The whole idea of gluttony and overindulgence played a big role in this film and it reminded me of aspects of the DEFA Snow White. In Snow White you have the scene of the court eating disgustingly at the table, and they appear fat and lazy, somewhat like pigs. In The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs, the King is seen as a drunk and constantly abuses alcohol. Then the devil eats everything that is at the wedding feast. Clearly overindulgence and excess in food and liquor is looked down upon as it is associated with the villains of the film, the King and the Devil. Rather commoners, like Jacob and the “robbers” are the heroes of the story which ties into the political views of Eastern Germany.
Assignment: 17 March 2009
This week we are going by the normal schedule, so please post by Tuesday at midnight and leave two comments by Wednesday night.
Prompt: Respond to the film “The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs” (DEFA). You may wish to consider one (or more) of the following:
Prompt: Respond to the film “The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs” (DEFA). You may wish to consider one (or more) of the following:
- Target audience
- How it uses the medium specifically in order to tell its version of the story
- Comparison to the DEFA version of “Snow White”
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