I do not remember much of the plot of Disney’s Aladdin, barring A Whole New World and Friend Like Me, which I believe I could do justice to. However, I know that Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, edited by Andrew Lang is a far cry from Robin Williams’ cheerful singing. The story was dark, at times frightening, and above all, somewhat boring. After now having read a notable amount of primary sources for Disney films, I am rather impressed by Walt Disney, and his successors’ ability to find value in these tales. Where I find drab plots and frustrating protagonists, they find magic.
As in the Disney movie, Aladdin is the titular character and protagonist. In the film he is a scrappy and cunning, yet lovable character. However in this version, I found myself actively rooting against Aladdin, which I do not think was the intended effect. I concede that Aladdin did not have the easiest childhood, with his father dying because Aladdin deigned to go outside and play with his friends. Truly, a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. He and his mother were certainly not well off, but there was no instance that truly made me pity him. I believe the standard three wishes should have been sufficient, as he could have forged a nice life for himself and his mother. However, as the saying goes, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Obtaining the lamp, and the genie within it, transformed Aladdin from a bland character who perhaps elicited some sympathy from the reader, into a tyrant. He fell “in love” with the princess after seeing her naked. I am no expert, but I think I can rightfully just dub that simply “lust”. Further, his means of acquiring her hand in marriage was vile. He first sent his mother to try and persuade her father the king with jewels acquired via magic. When that did not work, he decided the next logical step was to acquire her by torturing her new husband by making him sleep in the cold and to infiltrate their bedroom. By visiting her in bed every night, while she was married to someone else, a reader can only assume that he may have raped her.
Aladdin gained the label murder two times over, by murdering both the magician, at least by orchestration, and his brother. I found myself not caring who prevailed in these two matchups, as Aladdin is inherently the same as the magician. They both derive their power from artificial means and don’t care who they hurt to keep and exercise it. Theoretically the ending was happy, but Aladdin didn’t do anything to deserve a happily ever after. Thus it lacks the satisfaction that accompanies that idyllic ending. This version of Aladdin felt reminiscent of the short story The Monkey’s Paw, but without the valuable lesson that what you wish for is not truly what you want. If I attempted to extract a lesson from this version, it would be do whatever you can to get what you want, at all costs.
Lastly, I would be remiss to not comment on the cultural misrepresentation. This story, as per its inception in One Thousand and One Nights takes place in the Middle East, however a reading of Lang’s edition, a reader would have no way of placing this in the right geographical location. The book reads as if it takes place in England. Overall, I found myself agitated by the majority of this text, but look forward to seeing how Disney uses his magic to transform the story.
No comments:
Post a Comment