Friday, November 25, 2011

Red Riding Hood & Other Mythic Work of Beatriz Martin Vidal


Beatriz Martin Vidal is an artist and illustrator from Spain and her portfolio has many unusual and mythic paintings which once seen are hard to forget. I was, of course, immediately drawn to her retelling of Red Riding Hood and to pique your interest I'm inlcuding her captions for the RRH paintings below:

The Girl
Premonition
First Encounter
Grandma and Wolf
Coming Out The Wolf
Second Wolf

(The link takes you straight to that page in her portfolio.)

I'm only including a few of the illustrations as you really should see them on her site with her captions and amongst her other work to fully appreciate them.She has a lot of other work which is of interest to myth and fairy tale enthusiasts too so take time to browse. You won't be disappointed.

There is a Spanish version of the book available HERE.

I feel I have to include some of her other work to tempt you to go browse her galleries, in case you've already seen her Red Riding Hood series so here are just a few which caught my eye:
This is for The Goose Girl.

This is for a Rusalka tale.

 And this puts me in mind of The Frog King and little girls growing up (with or without their manners... as if they're in a very different sort of finishing school ;)


Coilhouse Magazine + Blog has a wonderful article on Ms. Martin Vidal which I highly recommend (lots of pretty pictures to see there too!).
Please make sure you visit her website HERE and her deviantArt page HERE (LOTS of gorgeous work here). She has a whole series for a book on birds and children too - something which always feels very connected to fairy tales for me.
"Because now you know that some birds are born with wings and other birds have to make wings by themselves. "
(Beatriz Martin Vidal from her book "On Children and Birds")
I'll leave you with this lovely tribute video to her artistry.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

The Buzz on SyFy's Neverland Continues But Will It Truly Be Family Friendly?

 
The HEA (Happily Ever After) vs Horror aspects in the newly launched Fairy Tale TV series Once Upon A Time and Grimm are definitely provoking thought amongst the viewing public on what fairy tales really are, as are the battling SnowWhite movies in production. With new shows, miniseries (eg SyFy's Neverland) and movies are winging our way and because it's now clear the use of "fairy tale" as source material is not a G-rating guarantee, one of the pressing questions has become what shows/movies are Family Friendly?

This is initially a bit tricky to navigate. Once Upon A Time is clearly more family friendly with its fantasy sequences and glitter but it also has very dark moments that are quite unapologetic (I'm including the "battle of the better mother" and twisted alliances aspect in this too). Grimm, on the other hand, is a procedural, complete with crimes, more-than-moderate crime scene visuals and brought-to-life monsters that I don't think little kids should see but the approach is often comedic and it's clearly a "catch the bad guys-save the good guys" show that kids have an easier time understanding.

Snow White and the Huntsman? Clearly teen+ with a largely dark overtone. Mirror Mirror on the other end of the spectrum is going for highly stylized comedic family fun.*

But in our immediate future we have SyFy's Neverland, airing December 4th & 5th for a two-night special event - apparently a 'prequel' to the Peter Pan and Neverland stories we're familiar with. Is this family fodder? After all SyFy isn't Hallmark or ABC/Disney and have a better reputation for the dark rather than the light.
 
The source material and website would suggest yes but perhaps not in a "Disneyesque" manner. One of the things Disney and ABC have proudly branded themselves with is making it clear when things are family and/or kid friendly (yes, they're different things). Generally when you see the Disney brand you know it's safe to walk out of the room to reheat your cocoa, leaving your kids glued to the screen by themselves for a few minutes. The Hallmark Channel has a different feel-good guarantee - happy endings are 99% likely with a minimum of direct gore or violence. SyFy is still a bit of a gamble.

 
Originally, the SciFi Channel was predictably dark, akin to B-movies and inevitably gory but since the re-branding to SyFy (as much as I'm not partial to their new spelling) the channel's original properties have had smarter writing, better acting, less gore and more critical acclaim. The website and marketing for Neverland are certainly aimed toward family but, as fairy tale enthusiasts who know what fairy tales are capable of exploring, it's important not to assume.

Neverland has attracted a stellar cast and has some seriously nice production and effects work. This alone says how much SyFy has developed in their programming. With Neverland looking to be a good viewing pick for the average family it's still worth preparing oneself ahead of time, just in case there are little people about - humans in your family, that is. ;) [If that ginormous and scary-looking crocodile does take Hook's hand off on-screen or Tink does get viciously-murderous I want to be there to cover my kid's eyes or make a dive for the remote - whatever seems most prudent.] There are a number of trailers out already which give a different emphasis on the story's aspects. The one below is my favorite:



This article HERE has made an attempt to summarize things for people wanting to know. Unfortunately their rating system is a little misleading at a glance. Using apples instead of stars makes it seem like the series are being rated overall as opposed to the compatibility with family viewing time but nevertheless it's worth a read.

Note: The following is a tangent but one I feel is appropriate for this topic. You may want to grab your thinking cap...

On the subject of "family friendly" I recently read an interesting on the Told This Time fairy tale community website, discussing an interview with Jack Zipes on the topic "Are Dark Fairy Tales More Authentic?". A few comments down the discussion begins to focus on whether or not we should expose children to 'dark' things and how appropriate many of the ideas in fairy tales really are.

Here's a quote from one of rave_blue's comments to get you thinking:
Real fairy tales, those traditional tales from Europe and Asia and indeed even America were often very dark to modern readers but then, we live in a world of light. Darkness can be banished with the flip of a switch but our ancestors lived in a very different world. Theirs was a world where darkness closed around them with all the menacing threat of the bogeymen they believed haunted the wilderness. So for them a "dark" fairy tale wasn't really dark at all because it was a perfect mirror for the real world surrounding them.

A child dying startles modern sensibilities but child mortality was so commonplace to our ancestors that it was taken in stride. Sure they mourned the death of a child but that mourning was not mingled with a sense of injustice the way it is today. Children died, it was a fact. People were maimed in surprisingly large numbers losing limbs in simple tasks. Wild animals stalked the forest. Robbers lurked behind trees ready to kill for a little coin. Darkness was not psychological the way so many modern interpreters would have us believe. It was both literal and symbolic because for the people who were listening to them when they were new it was the way of the world.

While most of us are privileged to not live in a society that must deal daily with such realities, we nevertheless have our own "wolves, maimings and darkness" so it's no coincidence that a familiarity with fairy tales is still proving to be one of the best defenses against them. The harder question, as I see it is how much is too much and what contexts are appropriate for different ages/maturities? Once you see something you can't simply 'unsee' it but parental response to the unfortunate and unexpected** is an additional key to children's coping mechanisms too.

I should add a disclaimer: if your family is anything like mine, being very familiar with fairy tales of all kinds and on monster-friendly side, it's very likely you'll take the chance and sit down with your kids just to check out that giant crocodilia and watch them nod wisely at just how devious fairies really are. That said, I'm going to make my pot of cocoa ahead of time and keep it in the living room with me. ;)
*In the same vein of family friendly comparison, Lily Collins (playing Snow White in Mirror Mirror) was interviewed on the two movie versions of Snow White - something she has the inside track on, as she apparently auditioned for both Snow Whites. You can read it HERE.
**eg. Whoever hacked the Sesame Street YouTube channel a few weeks back and uploaded a graphic porn video in place of a Cookie Monster clip deserves punishment by law well beyond a fine.

Matayosi's Fairy Tale Art

 
This picture of the witch hugging Rapunzel's hair caught my eye and I had to share.

The artist's name is Matayosi but beyond that I  regret I cannot give you much information on this manga artist. Please do, however, go and view her gallery and the blog, both of which have quite a bit of interesting fairy tale and/or myth-based art.


 She also has a small gallery on CGHub which tells us a little more about her and is worth visiting as well. There are a few comments there in English from her regarding the art too which gives a little more insight. For example, in the picture shown above, called The Witch, she was thinking of the story of Snow White. The CGHub gallery also includes an illustration of Alice and another of an eternally asleep Sleeping Beauty.

I just adore the witch's expression in the Rapunzel illustration though. It's hands-down my favorite piece of all. The sentiment so beautifully captured here is something too often forgotten. I'd love to see her tackle some more fairy tales.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Becoming Storybrooke

 Here's a fun little article from earlier in the year. It shows Steveston (a seasonal town in Vancouver, Canada) being transformed to become the set for filming the modern day story lines of ABC's Once Upon A Time.

From the article:
Steveston is playing the part of Storybrooke, Maine, and for the block between 1st and 2nd Avenue, no sign was left unturned in the transformation. While businesses remained open and traffic mostly unaffected, workers were busy into the evening doing everything from planting trees to dirtying signs, and making all the little changes both inside and outside of the storefronts that make a fictional town come to life on screen.
 Why am I posting about this - apart from it being fun? I thought it was interesting to see the Disney-parented ABC perspective on how to add fairy tale touches in a modern-day way. Some changes are obvious and referential of the source material while others are less so. Some of it is fun and whimsy while other changes are to directly facilitate the story.

If this were your task and the location available was your town/city how would you change where you live to become a setting for a fairy tale?

NBCs Grimm Gets Picked Up For Whole Season

(From the 2011 ComicCon display)

In case you haven't heard the news, we now have TWO very different fairy tale series to watch through the new year and for the rest of the season. ABCs Once Upon A Time already confirmed a full season's worth of episodes and NBCs Grimm has just had the greenlight to film a full 22 episodes (ie. a full season's worth) as well.

Between two newly airing TV series and multiple projects in production for the big screen, fairy tales are being talked about everywhere right now and that is just awesome. :)


It's inevitable that some of the popular conversations being had and columns currently circulating will make you want to roll your eyes but it's wonderful to see people thinking about the power of stories, their origins, what's considered icky/saccharine/surprising/old/other and what fairy tales really are about after all.

No matter where I stand from week to week on what I think of Once Upon A Time's use of fairy tales vs NBC's Grimm's use (and that does differ per episode of each), I am most excited at how a whole lot of people are cluing into just how relevant the classic tales can be - and the many (also relevant) ways in which they can be interpreted. If I had to choose one show over the other at this point I would find it very difficult - so I'm very glad I don't have to.

What's really important is that I'm truly thankful for the fairy tale bounty (x2!) we are about to receive, direct to our living rooms. :)

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

"Madame Perrault's Bluebeard"


I didn't learn about this short (6 minute) film until recently but apparently it's made waves in the film community this year, winning three awards out of the nominated five at the 2011 Leo Awards in June*.

Director: A.J. Bond
Writer: Paul Victor Schoucair
Stars: Kim Haden and Alexander Leeb


Here's the synopsis:
Fiction and reality are blurred when Madame Perrault stumbles upon pages from her husband’s manuscript, giving her a glimpse into a surreal and haunting portrait of her own life. A fantasy re-envisioning of the classic fairytale "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault, in which Perrault's young wife reads herself into his dark allegory on marital mistrust.

 You can see a scene from the short HERE on A.J. Bond's reel (it starts at the 2 minute mark) and get some more glimpses on Amy Belling's reel (the Producer & Cinematographer) HERE.

The official website is HERE.

The short was also part of the CFC Worldwide Short Films Festival program in August this year, included in the screening and Q&A "Fairy Tale Redux". You can see a little of the information about it and the other films screened and discussed HERE.

It looks quite wonderful and thought provoking. I do hope we have an opportunity to view it soon!

*2011 Nominee for Leo Awards (June 2011)
Madame Perrault's Bluebeard – 5 nominations
  • Program
  • Cinematography
  • Overall Sound
  • Sound Editing
  • Musical Score
Madame Perrault's Bluebeard – 3 awards
  • Cinematography
  • Overall Sound
  • Sound Editing

Monday, November 21, 2011

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse

There's definitely a trend for exposing for the darker side of fairy tales at the moment, whether that's in movies, TV series or advertising.
  
  
Here's the promotional blurb for these new 'craft brews' from the Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Colorado:
"Grimm Brothers Brewhouse is new craft brewer located in Loveland, Colorado focusing on authentic German style beers. Each of their brews is named after one of the Grimm Brother's famous folk tales, so each label features a scene from each story, but with a twist. For example, Little Red Cap (or Riding Hood) has an axe hidden behind her back, making her more dangerous than the wolf."
 The Master Thief is the newest of these Grimm brews and was added just last week.

Each brew has it's own 'tale' to go with it too. There are the summaries, which also tell you about the type of beer and are included on the full label (see HERE for all 4) but the website includes the full length original tales too. For example, see the tale of The Master Thief HERE. Reading this tale again, I'm reminded of why it is often paired with Puss in Boots.

Now I'm thinking I need a beer, or four... ;)

*Source.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

The "Re-enchantment" (Hidden Meanings of Fairy Tales) Project DVD Now Available!

(I'm so excited about this!)

A DVD is now available and they will ship to anywhere in the world!*

Rather than try to explain the Re-enchantment project I'll let it speak for itself:
Re-enchantment is an immersive journey into the hidden meanings of fairy tales. Presented as an interactive multi-platform documentary project exploring why fairy stories continue to enchant, entertain, fascinate and horrify contemporary adult audiences.

The Re-enchantment DVD features a series of 10 x 3-minute animated documentaries (interstitials), which explore the themes at work in fairy tales. Each episode offers a rich visual design and presents a new way of thinking about these familiar and much loved stories.
The presentations include beautiful and thought provoking fairy tale illustrations (both classic and new), animations, clips from many different films and interview snippets throughout with some of the most respected fairy tale scholars today (eg Jack Zipes and Marina Warner).

Here is the trailer to give you an overall taste:



 Each episode centers on a common fairy tale theme - Ever After, If The Shoe Fits, Wicked Stepmother, Princess Culture, Into The Woods, Dark Emotions, Beastly Husbands, The Forbidden Room, Fairy Tale Sex and Re-imaginings. (from the Press Release).
 You can order it HERE. Outside Australia, the DVD costs $34.95 and shipping is free. Australian orders are $29.95AU with shipping also free.


And highly recommended (especially while you're waiting for the DVD to arrive) is spending a while exploring "Re-enchantment" online HERE. The site is interactive which is awesome. You can explore whatever aspects or images appeal to you and discover all sorts of goodies. You can also join in the fairy tale community there, take part in discussions of what you've explored on the website, add your thoughts and/or questions, even contribute to an online gallery with your own creations and artistic interpretations (photos, illustrations, collages and more).

There are also art postcards from the project available for purchase.

"Re-enchantment" is also on Facebook where they post snippets and updates.

What are you waiting for? Go!

* I don't know if they are producing 'differently-region-ed' DVDs or if  you would need an all region player to view it on but I'm guessing if the DVD is only compatible with the Australian region,  you should still be able to view it on any computer that has a DVD drive.

17 Grimm Tales by Andreas Krapf

 Andreas Kapf is a German illustrator with a quirky sense of humor who  - lucky for us - shared his fairy tale diploma project online. The illustrations were designed specifically to show the harsher side of the more popular Grimm tales and the results have a good chance of tugging a smile out of you.


I'm including just a few of the illustrations but be sure to go check out the rest of them HERE and see the included layouts.
 

The tales include:
  • Little Red Riding Hood
  • One-Eye, Two-Eyes & Three-Eyes
  • The Boy Who Went Forth To Learn What Fear Was
  • The Brave Little Tailor
  • The Twelve Brothers
  • Rumpelstiltskin
  • The Frog King or Iron Henry
  • The Wishing Table, the Gold Ass & the Cudgel in the Sack
  • Hansel & Gretel
  • Hans In Luck
  • Mother Hulda
  • Sleeping Beauty
  • Rapunzel
  • Snow White
  • Puss in Boots
  • Cinderella
  • Brother and Sister

 

I don't know if this book is available anywhere (in the US or in Germany) but he can be contacted through his business website HERE where he designs t-shirts, posters and art-toys.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

NBCs "Grimm" Take on Fairy Tales

I hope to write something on NBCs Grimm vs ABCs Once Upon A Time very soon but for now, here are some promo clips I found of how the Grimm detective meets fairy tale subjects in present-day Portland, OR (with a twist, of course).

Considering the spring board for the show is that the lead detective (of the "Grimm bloodline") is able to profile criminals (and other people) with his abilities (fairy tale profiler!) I was glad, but not surprised, to find these sorts of clips.



What I am pleasantly surprised by, though, is that this world is proving to be far more complex than a monster/fairy tale crime-of-the-week show and that good and bad are not so black and white. Just like fairy tales.



NBC is moving forward very cautiously with this show. After much critical raving over episodes 2 and 3, this week the network has ordered two more scripts, so we can now expect to see 15 episodes at minimum.



Just so there's a complete set, I'm including the Red riding Hood based pilot episode promo:



I have yet to see the Bluebeard/Pan-based 4th episode that aired this week as "Lonelyhearts" (see link for the tale and myth connection) but early ratings after last night are high (eg 4 or 5 stars).

We know we have the Frog Prince, Snow White and Cinderella reworkings coming but after last week's "Beeware". based on the more obscure tale of The Queen Bee, I'm looking forward to seeing what tales they tackle next.