5 ms·

What were the messages and ideas of the original Anderson The Little Mermaid?

by da02 8y ago

olavk 8y ago
Unrequited love will make life hell and there is nothing you can do about it. But if you are pure of heart you may at least get eternal life when you die. The story has some pretty strong religious themes, where her love for the prince is coupled with a longing for an eternal soul (which mer-people does not have). If she can make the prince love her, she will receive an eternal soul. In the end this does not happen and she kills herself, but the angels nevertheless grant her an eternal soul due to her selfless love. The story is incredibly sad, and I find it strange when people blame Disney for bowdlerizing it. A faithful retelling would have been unwatchable and probably incomprehensible for a modern American audience.
- da02 8y ago
  That seems common: a foreign culture alters a pre-existing idea. Like how the Japanese developed a tradition of KFC with Xmas. Or how Chinese Food in America is nothing like authentic Chinese food. What did you think of the Danny Kaye movie about Hans Christian Andersen?
  - olavk 8y ago
    Hans Christian Andersen himself altered and retold existing folktales and added his own slant and morals. Among other things he was heavily inspired by Arabian Nights but adapted the themes to a Scandinavian setting. Nothing new under the sun here. I have not seen the movie.
- dagw 8y ago
  but the angels nevertheless grant her an eternal soul due to her selfless love. But first she has to spend 300 years in 'purgatory'. Also don't forget the closing paragraph where we learn that every time a child misbehaves the angels add 1 day to her stay in purgatory and every day the child is a 'good' child and obeys her parents a day is removed. So unless you want the Little Mermaid to never get into heaven you better be a well behaved and happy child.
  - YeGoblynQueenne 8y ago
    Also: she can't speak and everytime she takes a step, it feels like knives are cutting her feet.
- YeGoblynQueenne 8y ago
  >> A faithful retelling would have been unwatchable and probably incomprehensible for a modern American audience. Is this really true? It sounds to me a bit like the reasoning that has caused Hollywood movies to very obviously try to pander to the lowest common denominator (i.e. movies as entertainment as opposed to artistic creation, explosions and car chases rather than storytelling etc). I think of this as a self-fullfilling prophecy: if movies are advertised as crude entertainment, most people will go watch them expecting crude entertainment and will be disappointed if they get anything else. Which forces the studios to keep pushing out crude entertainment. Apologies if I misunderstand your comment. (note: I'm European.)
  - olavk 8y ago
    The best Disney movies are in my opinion sublime artistic creations surpassing most "art movies" in quality and depth of the craft and art of visual storytelling. Just look at Bambi, Pinocchio or Fantasia. They also happen to be some of the most popular movies of all time. So I reject the premise that entertainment is in opposition to artistic or that popular means "lowest common denominator". And what is wrong with car chases and explosions? Some of the best films of all times have featured car chases and explosions. Just take the car bomb and explosion at the beginning of Touch of Evil - this is recognized as one of best scenes ever. The problem with the Little Mermaid is that she is suffering all the way through and kills herself in the end, and then the story ends with the moral that every kid who misbehaves will prolong the suffering of this mermaids soul. I don't think even Lars von Trier could make that into a successful movie.

What were the messages and ideas of the original Anderson The Little Mermaid?

by da02 8y ago

What were the messages and ideas of the original Anderson The Little Mermaid?

Unrequited love will make life hell and there is nothing you can do about it. But if you are pure of heart you may at least get eternal life when you die. The story has some pretty strong religious themes, where her love for the prince is coupled with a longing for an eternal soul (which mer-people does not have). If she can make the prince love her, she will receive an eternal soul. In the end this does not happen and she kills herself, but the angels nevertheless grant her an eternal soul due to her selfless love. The story is incredibly sad, and I find it strange when people blame Disney for bowdlerizing it. A faithful retelling would have been unwatchable and probably incomprehensible for a modern American audience.

da02 8y ago
That seems common: a foreign culture alters a pre-existing idea. Like how the Japanese developed a tradition of KFC with Xmas. Or how Chinese Food in America is nothing like authentic Chinese food. What did you think of the Danny Kaye movie about Hans Christian Andersen?
- olavk 8y ago
  Hans Christian Andersen himself altered and retold existing folktales and added his own slant and morals. Among other things he was heavily inspired by Arabian Nights but adapted the themes to a Scandinavian setting. Nothing new under the sun here. I have not seen the movie.
dagw 8y ago
but the angels nevertheless grant her an eternal soul due to her selfless love. But first she has to spend 300 years in 'purgatory'. Also don't forget the closing paragraph where we learn that every time a child misbehaves the angels add 1 day to her stay in purgatory and every day the child is a 'good' child and obeys her parents a day is removed. So unless you want the Little Mermaid to never get into heaven you better be a well behaved and happy child.
- YeGoblynQueenne 8y ago
  Also: she can't speak and everytime she takes a step, it feels like knives are cutting her feet.
YeGoblynQueenne 8y ago
>> A faithful retelling would have been unwatchable and probably incomprehensible for a modern American audience. Is this really true? It sounds to me a bit like the reasoning that has caused Hollywood movies to very obviously try to pander to the lowest common denominator (i.e. movies as entertainment as opposed to artistic creation, explosions and car chases rather than storytelling etc). I think of this as a self-fullfilling prophecy: if movies are advertised as crude entertainment, most people will go watch them expecting crude entertainment and will be disappointed if they get anything else. Which forces the studios to keep pushing out crude entertainment. Apologies if I misunderstand your comment. (note: I'm European.)
- olavk 8y ago
  The best Disney movies are in my opinion sublime artistic creations surpassing most "art movies" in quality and depth of the craft and art of visual storytelling. Just look at Bambi, Pinocchio or Fantasia. They also happen to be some of the most popular movies of all time. So I reject the premise that entertainment is in opposition to artistic or that popular means "lowest common denominator". And what is wrong with car chases and explosions? Some of the best films of all times have featured car chases and explosions. Just take the car bomb and explosion at the beginning of Touch of Evil - this is recognized as one of best scenes ever. The problem with the Little Mermaid is that she is suffering all the way through and kills herself in the end, and then the story ends with the moral that every kid who misbehaves will prolong the suffering of this mermaids soul. I don't think even Lars von Trier could make that into a successful movie.