20160203 (fairytale feminism)

A super, almost gut-busting spoof and tribute to the Disney "Princess" films by who but the Disney folks themselves. That it starred my current filmic heartthrob didn't hurt either.

There was one surprise among

The Amy Adams films I received

From the Cleveland Public

Library today—a film which if

My head were screwed on straight

I would probably never have 

Watched. But I did and I’m

Thrilled—Enchanted (2007)—

You might say and not be far

Wrong. The medical assistant

Who drew my blood today  

Confessed to a comparable love

For Ms. Adams. She advised

Me not to miss E’d as one of 

Her best performances. Have 

To admit the whole Disney

Thing put me off at first but

I could not have been wronger.

I knew it was not all animated

But it started that way with all

The cutesy forest creatures

In provocative hyper-primary

Colors. I thought I was in for

Snow White, Sleeping Beauty,

The whole shebang with a

Particular emphasis on she.

Suffice to say the transition

To live action occurs, if I 

Remember rightly (don’t get 

Old), when the animated

Giselle, who has fallen in

Love with Prince Edward

And agreed to marry him

The next day, is dispatched

By her evil soon-to-be

Stepmother into an almost

Endless well which terminates

At a manhole in a busy 

Real-world Manhattan street.

As Ms. Adams emerges from

The sewer by personally 

Chucking the heavy cover

We get the impression this is

Not going to be your typical

Feather-headed Disney princess

Story. Adam’s voice and delivery

Sustains the cartoonish simplicity

With endearing, magical power.

I had not seen or heard Ms.

Adams sing or dance in her other

Work and was truly en-tranced

By her terrific lead in a Central

Park-filling ensemble song and

Dance tour de force as only

Disney does. All other niceties

Aside, and there are many,

The story reaches its peak (how 

Apt) as the evil step-mom, who

Has transformed into a scary

Blue dragon and carried Giselle’s

True love to the top of the

Waldorf-Astoria a’la King Kong.

Except the Fay Wray figure is

The talented attorney (Patrick 

Dempsey) screaming, “Help,

Save me,” in a full-pour rain

Storm. Giselle seizes the sword

(Of course, there’s a sword—what

Kind of fairy tale wouldn’t have

A sword?), clambers up the W-A

And hurls the sword precisely to

Save Mr. Dempsey from tumbling

To the sidewalk below. I have

Long criticized Disney Princess

Flicks for their portrayal of 

Powder-puff girls being saved

By brave, clear-headed young

Men and then settling into

Connubial bliss “forever.”

While E’d qualifies as both

Homage and parody of the

Princess genre, I couldn’t

Be more pleased they made it.

If you haven’t seen it yet (which

After eight years is unlikely)

Watch it with a film-savvy

Crowd and have the time of

Your life.

c. J.S.Manista, 2016