Screening the Evil Fairy: Revisiting the Fairy Tale in Maleficent

Abstract

Fairy tales are often projected as innocent tales on magical lands, beautiful princesses and brave princes. These tales with elements of fantasy, enchantment and ‘happily ever-afters’ are usually meant to entertain children. They are also used in a didactic sense in order to instill certain values in young minds. However they are often a rich treasure trove of gender stereotypes and androcentric themes. The women in fairy tales are often relegated to the roles of damsel in distress, kind and loving mother figure or the bad woman. Many literary works and films have come up to rewrite these tales, providing alternative versions to the existing tales. Maleficent (2014) directed by Robert Stromberg and following the screen play of Linda Woolverton is one such attempt. It tries to rewrite the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty and projects the evil fairy Maleficent as the central character. This paper Screening the Evil Fairy: Revisiting the Fairy Tale in Maleficent attempts to study how the film focuses on a previously sidelined character and helps her to record her story, thereby unveiling the different viewpoints and unseen faces of many other characters. The paper explores how the hitherto wicked female character gets an opportunity to deconstruct the androcentric narrative which has been presented before generations of children. The paper also focuses on the ecofeminist streaks that were unveiled during the movie analysis.