This is an example of the aspect of a mirror to distort or to reveal as I will later discuss. The play between the mirror, the witch and Rapunzel is a game of knowledge and truth. The witch knows she won’t recognize the young woman reflected as the lost princess, but only as her naïve daughter. This act is almost cruel under a Lacanian point of view: Mother Gothel sets the mirror in front of Rapunzel, forcing her to scrutinize herself. In the song Mother knows best, Gothel uses it to point out the idea than Rapunzel is not ready for abandon the tower. It reminds us of a mute faceless version of the mirror of the Evil Queen in Snow White. She stares at herself carefully, and every time she finds some sign of maturity or age, she asks Rapunzel to sing for her. The mirror is directly related with the witch as a symbol of her ultimate goal to remain young forever. You know what I see? I see a strong, confident, beautiful young lady. The primary introduction of the mirror on screen is in the moment when it reflects Mother Gothel and Rapunzel, in a bad joke which the witch makes: Each time the mirrors reflect Rapunzel, it is a sign that she is in an atmosphere which is under the control of the stepmother. This is anecdotic, but it is our first clue that the witch is a vain person. In the beginning, when Rapunzel is a child sneaking out at night to see the flying lights she is reflected in a minor mirror in Gothel’s room. The mirror which we are going to focus on does not appear at first. It is not a main character or object and neither is it a mystical tool (like the magic sword of King Arthur or the rose in Beauty and the Beast), but it seems to be visibly intended to perform as it does. The goal is to prove how mirrors and light are the metaphor for the relationship between the witch and Rapunzel and it’s aspects of control.Ĭuriously, it is an object which may be disregarded in a first viewing of the movie, even though interaction with it is clear and prolonged. In this article I will analyze the mirror present in Tangled, and its role in the plot of the film.įor this analysis, we will follow the plot of the movie, jumping to those scenes where the mirror is present, or to those where reflections are important. Maybe my analytical mind is playing with me in this study, but I consider my thoughts worth sharing. As we see how an object is developed in a film we realize they can act as metaphors, placed carefully and full of intention. I regard it as proof of how cinema is full of details which may be ignored, but that deserve closer observation.
However, in the Disney film Tangled, it becomes a very interesting case of study. The mirror is an object that has always been a source of discomfort and fascination for me. I have been interested in mirrors for years.
0 kommentar(er)
