Penelope: Fairy Tale Gets Attitude
Christina Ricci as Penelope Shows Flaws Can Be Beautiful
From previews and interviews with cast members, the new film, Penelope, is not your mother's fairy tale.
Growing up, fairy tales are just part of the process. Children work them into their everyday lives - becoming Cinderella while doing dishes and Snow White while playing with little brothers and sisters. All of them waiting for their prince to arrive.
The new film, Penelope, due out in theaters late February 2008 will toss aside traditional fairy tale themes. The main character, Penelope, grew up in high-class society, whereas most traditional fairy tale characters were underlings, only growing into their true beauty. Speaking of beauty, that is another difference, Penelope is not a starlet.
Penelope And Her Problems
Born with a 'pig-nose,' Penelope is cast out of society and spends her time hidden in rooms on her family's estate. It comes time for her to find a fellow, so her family brings in eligible bachelors, offering compensation in order for them to marry their ugly little rich girl.
The gents view Penelope through a glass window ... as if she is truly untouchable. In traditional fairy tales, the front-ladies feel separated from society, but never actually are. It is up to them to gain the courage to step into the light. In Penelope's case, however, she is literally separated. By glass.
Eventually she breaks free from her family and decides to go out on her own. To find her own voice. Along the way she meets people who like her for her and don't really care about her ugliness.]
Of course in order to make the project have public appeal, Penelope is not actually a disgusting brute. She is beautiful because Christina Ricci, who plays the part, cannot help but be beautiful. Ricci wears a scarf around the lower half of her face through much of the movie to cover up the pig-nose.
What Penelope Teaches Us
Penelope teaches us that even as women who are not flawless like those who make up most of the films coming out today, we can still find our voices and be amazing, successsful people.
Penelope tells us to stop waiting for someone to come save us and get out there and save ourselves.
Reviewers have labeled the movie as 'charming,' even though they say it falls short of being an award-winner. First-time director Mark Palansky tries to mindle the fairy-tale setting with today, but cannot seem to make it work.
And, the fact that Ricci is beautiful, leads us to doubt that men would really run screaming from the room, pig-nose or not.
But, it could be a great film for America's youth, who are constantly bombarded with perfect-looking actresses, models and even television airline attendants. To be beautiful is a gift, but not one everyone is afforded. Just as we don't choose our parents, we don't choose our looks and at least Penelope, unlike other stars, is not fixing the problem with plastic surgery. She is living with it and making the most out of what's on the inside. Good for her.
