Written Assignment OGR

La Belle et la Bête

Essay Question:

How does Vladimir Propp’s character morphology apply to Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la
Bête (1946) and how does his character structure connect to Laura Mulvey’s theory of the
male gaze?

Paragraph 1:

Key sources Vladimir Propp’s book ‘Morphology of the folktale’ (1968) and Laura Mulvey’s
book ’Visual pleasure and narrative cinema’ (1975)
Short plot synopsis looking at the story of the Beast and how Belle saved him at the end.

Paragraph 2:

Showcasing Vladimir Propp’s eight character types and how it applies to La Belle et la
Bête + present the problem of princess / prize character type

“[…] function denotes the action of the character from the point of view of its significance
for the progress of the narrative“. (Propp,1968, p. 74)

“[…] my analysis originated in the observation that in the wondertale
different characters perform identical actions, or, what is the same thing, that identical
actions can be performed in very different ways ” (Propp, 1968, p. 74)

Paragraph 3:

Unwrapping Laura Mulvey’s male gaze and analyze how the princess / prize and hero
character type in La Belle et la Bête apply to her theory. Focusing on how men look at
women in terms of the male characters in the film plus the heterosexual male spectators.

“[…] in a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between
active/male and passive/female. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are
simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual
and erotic impact […] “ (Mulvey, 1975)

“The gender power asymmetry is a controlling force in cinema and constructed for the
pleasure of the male viewer, which is deeply rooted in patriarchal ideologies and
discourses.“ (Mulvey, 1975)

“Typical examples of the male gaze include medium close-up shots of women from over a
man’s shoulder, shots that pan and fixate on a woman’s body, and scenes that frequently
occur which show a man actively observing a passive woman.“ (Sampson, 2015)

Paragraph 4:

Looking at how Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze effects women in modern cinema (how
women look at themselves and other women) and compare the film to the animated
Disney Beauty and the Beast (1991). Therefore pointing out the problems of traditional
gender roles and the sexualization of princesses.

“This inequality enforces the ancient and outdated idea of “men do the looking, and
women are to be looked at.” (Sampson, 2015)

“The female protagonists are only happy once they have fallen in love with a man,
suggesting to the demographic of Disney’s audience, children and in particular young girls,
that they will only be happy when they have fallen in love. It infers that men hold the
answer and are the root to women’s happiness.“ (Sampson, 2015)

“the bearer of meaning and not the maker of meaning“ (Mulvey, 1975)

Conclusion:

Proving that La Belle et la Bête is an example on how women are presented as a prize/
reward for the hero in well-known fairytales which rely on Propp’s character theory.
(Nowadays just the word “prize“)
In connection to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze proving the sexualization of princesses
for the male characters plus the heterosexual male spectators and the affect it has on
women.
Pointing out the changing attitudes in modern society since the stereotypical character
theory is a problem with fairy tales, but it doesn’t have to be a problem with cinema.
 Illustrations:

Paragraph 2:

Fig. 2 - The Beast carrying Belle

Fig. 1 - Film poster La Belle et la Bête (1946)

Paragraph 3:

Fig. 3 - The Beast watching and touching Belle Fig. 4 - The Beast “smoking“ while sniffing
while she is sleeping Belle’s clothing
Paragraph 4:

Fig. 5 - Disney Beauty and the Beast (1991) Fig. 6 - The transformed Prince carrying Belle
Bibliography:

Mulvey, L. (2013). Fetishism and Curiosity. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual pleasure and narrative cinema.

Propp, V. (1968). Morphology of the Folktale. Texas: University of Texas Press.

Sampson, R, (2015), Debate: Propp’s Character Conventions In Modern Film, AT: https://
www.filminquiry.com/ character-conventions-propp/

Sampson, R. (2015). Film Theory 101 - Laura Mulvey: The Male Gaze Theory | Film
Inquiry. [online] Film Inquiry. Available at: https://www.filminquiry.com/film-theory-basics-
laura-mulvey-male-gaze-theory/.

Sundari, T. (2014). An Analysis on The Sleeping Beauty Based on Vladimir Propp Theory.
[online] Academia.edu. Available at: http://www.academia.edu/11588644/
An_Analysis_on_The_Sleeping_Beauty_Based_on_Vladimir_Propp_Theory

Illustration list:

Fig. 1 Film poster La Belle et la Bête (1946) (image) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Beauty_and_the_Beast_(1946_film)

Fig. 2 The Beast carrying Belle (image) - https://www.narcisse-et-les-dessins-animes.com/

divers/film-la-belle-et-la-bête-1946/

Fig. 3 The Beast watching and touching Belle while she is sleeping (image) - http://
shangols.canalblog.com/archives/2018/08/28/36657622.html#

Fig. 4 The Beast sniffing Belle’s clothing and “smoking“ because of his sexual arouse
(image)- http://shangols.canalblog.com/archives/2018/08/28/36657622.html#

Fig. 5 Disney Beauty and the Beast (1991) (image) - https://www.theatermania.com/los-

angeles-theater/news/condon-directs-disney-beauty-beast_68783.html

Fig. 6 The Prince carrying Belle (image) - http://shangols.canalblog.com/archives/

2018/08/28/36657622.html#