The Enchanted Screen ─ The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films

The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films offers readers a long overdue, comprehensive look at the rich history of fairy tales and their influence on film, complete with the inclusion of an extensive filmography compiled by the author. With this book, Jack Zipes not only looks at the extensive, illustrious life of fairy tales and cinema, but he also reminds us that, decades before Walt Disney made his mark on the genre, fairy tales were central to the birth of cinema as a medium, as they offered cheap, copyright-free material that could easily engage audiences not only though their familiarity but also through their dazzling special effects. Since the story of fairy tales on film stretches far beyond Disney, this book, therefore, discusses a broad range of films silent, English and non-English, animation, live-action, puppetry, woodcut, montage (Jim Henson), cartoon, and digital. Zipes, thus, gives his readers an in depth look into the special relationship between fairy tales and cinema, and guides us through this vast array of films by tracing the adaptations of major fairy tales like "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Snow White," "Peter Pan," and many more, from their earliest cinematic appearances to today. Full of insight into some of our most beloved films and stories, and boldly illustrated with numerous film stills, The Enchanted Screen, is essential reading for film buffs and fans of the fairy tale alike.

Jack Zipes is Professor Emeritus of German and Comparative Literature at the University of Minnesota. An acclaimed translator and scholar of children's literature and culture, his most recent books include Relentless Progress: The Reconfiguration of Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Storytelling; The Collected Sicilian Folk and Fairy Tales of Giuseppe Pitré; Why Fairy Tales Stick; Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller, Beautiful Angiola; and The Robber with the Witch's Head, all published by Routledge.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Part I

1. Filmic Adaptation and Appropriation of the Fairy Tale

2. De-Disneyfying Disney: Notes on the Development of the Fairy-Tale Film

3. Georges Méliès: Pioneer of the Fairy-Tale Film and the Art of the Ridiculous

4. Animated Fairy-tale Cartoons: Celebrating the Carnival Art of the Ridiculous

5. Animated Feature Fairy-Tale Films

Part II

6. Cracking the Magic Mirror: Re-Presentations of Snow White

7. The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood Revisited and Reviewed

8. Bluebeard's Original Sin and the Rise of Serial Killing, Mass Murder, and Fascism

9. The Triumph of the Underdog: Cinderella’s Legacy

10. Abusing and Abandoning Children: "Hansel and Gretel," "Tom Thumb," "The Pied Piper," "Donkey-Skin," and "The Juniper Tree"

11. Choosing the Right Mate: Why Beasts and Frogs Make for Ideal Husbands

12. Andersen’s Cinematic Legacy: Trivialization and Innovation

Part III

13. Adapting Fairy-Tale Novels

14. Between Slave Language and Utopian Optimism: Neglected Fairy-Tale Films of Central and Eastern Europe

15. Fairy-Tale Films in Dark Times: Breaking Molds, Seeing the World Anew

Bibliography

Filmography